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Now in its second year, the haunted trail, which begins at 153 Miller St., is offered by the second grade class. It is coordinated by Michelle Emory and Kelly Gable, parents of SCS 10th graders. Those who dare can walk the Trail of Terrors from Friday to Sunday from 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM

“We’re just parents of two girls,” Gable said. “We were brainstorming one night about how we could support the class, and we decided to do a ghost tour.”

The first year was a “great success,” Emory said. It ran four nights in a row. “That was a lot for the children, so we decided to organize it over two weekends this year.”

Emory said about 15 members of the class, as well as adults and volunteers, are involved in creating and presenting the trail. Some students, like William Spitzer, make their own costumes. “I wear all black and crawl around on my hands and knees,” he said. “I come at the group from behind when they least expect it.”

Members of the Sherman Class of 2027 gather at the entrance to The Haunted Trail, now in its second year.

Brenda Mason, who works at the school, will take on the role of witch in the witches’ circle. “I have to cluck a lot,” she said. “I also like to ask people if we can have some of their fingers.”

Emory and Gable have been working on the course since July. “We usually work evenings and Sundays are our big days,” says Emory.

This year there are many new displays to terrify those brave enough to hike the trail. The middle circle is the CarnEVIL, with games, a skeleton ticket seller, a clown selling ice cream and a girl with bloody carnival food. “All the carnival stuff is new,” Gable said. “Every year we try to change things.”

Fred Gable is the leader of the tour. He guides about ten people along the course at a time. “We’re having fun. I try to make it interesting,” he says. “I try to build up the tension, but I take it a bit easier when I have a group of small children.”

Gable went on to say that the most satisfying part is at the end of the trail. “The best part is the looks you see on people’s faces,” he said. “You get to the end and people want to experience it again.”

Emory and Kelly Gable say they hunt for stuff all year round. While they get a lot of donations, they have also been fortunate to purchase items at other places that have downsized or stopped Halloween activities.

For example, Gable said a woman named Bonnie Meeder in Ripley, who used to do a ghost tour, called them and asked if they needed anything for their tour. They got stuff from all over the province. “Michelle and I are kind of like dumpster divers,” she said. “We go everywhere to get stuff.”

Tickets for the route can be purchased for $5 for children 13 and under or $10 for children 14 and over. Visitors are reminded to dress warmly, in layers, and wear shoes suitable for woodland walks. Yelling and shouting are welcome, as are recommendations for friends and family to visit the Sherman Haunted Trail.