OLIVENHAIN — Eleven-year-old Gavin Cosca remembered both enjoying and being spooked by the Olivenhain Haunted Hotel as a Cub Scout.
“Someone jumped out and scared me,” said Cosca, now a Scout with Scouting America. “I’m really jumpy.”
While helping set up for the annual Halloween tradition’s opening on Friday, Gosca told The Coast News that he was excited to play a bigger role in this year’s event.
“We got the basics and then went from there,” Cosca said of decorating the rooms in the Haunted Hotel. “We made it our way.”
This year marks the 25th edition of the Haunted Hotel at the historic Germania Hotel near the Olivenhain Meeting Hall. The Germania Hotel was built in 1884 for Herman Baecht and his family of 12, who were early settlers in the area, and moved to its current site in 1982, according to colony records.
The Olivenhain Haunted Hotel serves as a major fundraiser for Scout Troop 2000, the coed Encinitas-based troop that operates it. Lily Yau, community service chair for the troop, said the event draws more than 3,000 attendees over three weekends and generates about $30,000 to fund projects and other expenses throughout the year.
Yau said Cub Scout Pack 772, a local Girl Scout troop, and area schools also contribute to the effort. The Olivenhain Town Council sponsors the event.
“All these people, all these community organizations, they all come to help,” she said.
The Haunted House serves as the main attraction and offers both high- and low-scare options to accommodate all visitors.
The Halloween event runs Fridays and Saturdays from 6 to 9:30 p.m. for three weekends in October — Oct. 10-11, 17-18, and 24-25. Along with the haunted hotel, there’s a carnival, mystery trail and live music. Both featured bands — “Gate 5” on Fridays and “Slop Club” on Saturdays — include musicians who are also scouts.
Mike Tryon, committee chair for Troop 2000, said he enjoys watching how the Haunted House’s various scenes come together with the Scouts’ performances.
“It’s really great seeing the kids all having so much fun, but I like the creative end of it too — all of the stuff that leads up to this event is creating this haunted hotel and all the rooms,” Tryon said.
When asked what they looked forward to most, Scouts Caleb Huddleston, 11, and Samantha Lai, 11, both said “acting.” Lai said she has performed in the Haunted Hotel before, and both have acted in school plays.
Sarah Lai, 11, a member of Troop 2000, will help with the Candy Mystery Trail, where guests try to solve who broke into the candy store.
Casey Wright leads the carnival, which features games such as smashing carrots with a hammer, a candy coffin and the toilet paper toss.
Wright said there are also craft stations where children can create sand art and bracelets, encouraging “kids being artistic to use their imaginations.”
Eric Melvin, assistant scoutmaster and expected incoming scoutmaster, said the Haunted House operates under Scouting America’s “patrol method.” Scouts running a room or serving as “terror master” report to other scouts in a hierarchy that encourages accountability and leadership.
“It’s great to see,” Melvin said. “As soon as they feel like they’re doing a job and the only person they’re accountable to is another youth, they just take off and fly.”
