Spooky favorite comes to town

The haunted attractions that usually appear in the town of Palouse every October are back after taking a brief hiatus.

Haunted Palouse will kick off at 7 p.m. Friday in downtown, and will be open Friday and Saturday nights through the end of the. The event is only for ages 12 and up, tickets can be purchased for $40 on its website.

On Saturdays, kids can enjoy a free carnival and street fair featuring family-friendly games, pumpkin painting, a roaming magician, and local restaurants and shops.

The organizers of Haunted Palouse are pleased to bring the annual event back to life. Director Will Perry said it’s being run under new leadership, and put on by nearly 100 volunteers from around the region.

The past few years have been tough for Haunted Palouse. It was canceled in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and again last year from a lack of volunteers.

Perry said the event was missed so much that a group of community members rallied together to bring it back, and hope it’ll be here to stay.

Haunted Palouse began in the early 2000s as a way to raise funds for the city and community organizations. Perry said one of the most notable contributions the event helped finance was the Palouse Community Center rebuild in 2012.

This year, a fourth of the proceeds will go toward maintaining the Palouse Pool. The other profits will support community organizations like Garfield-Palouse Future Farmers of America, Gar-Pal VIKotics, the high school’s robotics club, and other small groups.

He added the event usually garners around $70,000. Organizers are aiming to raise $100,000 this year.

Perry said Haunted Palouse is no easy feat to put together.

Karen Peltier, the haunted house designer, said volunteers started building the attractions in September. She added they have to get creative to make the haunts different each year.

Cas Burns, designer of the Shady Lane Zombie Hunt and owner of Palouse Paintballers, said most of the supplies used to create the event are donated. One of the biggest needs was covered by Bennett Lumber Products Inc., a saw mill based in Princeton, which contributed around $3,000 worth of wood.

Haunted Palouse’s most popular attractions include the haunted house that transforms the first floor of the police station into a spooky show, and the Shady Lane Trail that’s converted into an eerie carnival and maze where people can defend themselves against zombies with Gel Blaster paintball guns.

Other activities include the Palouse Health haunt, tarot reading and a variety of local vendors and businesses.

Perry said people should come dressed for the occasion, in closed-toe shoes and warm attire. He said since the event is held in a small community, he asks people to be respectful and park in designated spots. Most importantly, he added that everyone should have fun.

“Haunted Palouse has worked its way to become a town staple,” he said. “We try to keep the tradition going because providing a community event like this is so important.”

Learn more about Haunted Palouse and purchase tickets by visiting hauntedpalouse.com.

Pearce can be reached at epearce@dnews.com.