Train museum hosts spookalicious event

REARDAN - Before your eyes can adjust to the dark, a bone-chilling scream buckles your knees. This is not your typical train that's parked at the Inland Northwest Rail Museum. It's haunted. In fact, it's full of zombies, ghouls and goblins, all waiting to give its passengers the heebie-jeebies. There's a frightening surprise around every corner.

Zombie Wedding is the theme for this year's inaugural Halloween event, hosted by the museum. Admission to the museum includes the haunted train, a tour of the museum, a train ride on their two-foot gauge rail, a bag of treats and refreshments. Museum president Dale Swant said the event is a mixture of "history and fun."

Swant said the event is a collaboration with Reardan High School, and was planned by members of the FFA, FBLA and FCCLA. These students decorated the train cars and are the ones providing the scares.

According to FBLA advisor Kevin Bolster, the joint venture with the museum allows his students to develop leadership skills and accumulate community service hours.

The students can also bring fun to the kids who visit.

"The students regulate how scary they act depending on the age of the child," Bolster said.

The first night of the haunted train was Oct. 23.

FCCLA student Reagan Board said, "The haunted train is to die for. It is so much fun to see people's reaction."

FFA student Liberty Anderson agreed.

"It's not the kids who are screaming. It is the grownups," she said.

After taking her kids through the train, Wendy Brizendine said, "I screamed. It was the perfect amount of scary, but not too scary."

The haunted train will again be at the museum Oct. 29 and 30, 6-10 p.m., and Oct. 31, 4-10 p.m.

Admission to the museum and haunted train is $10 for adults, $6 for ages 5-12 and kids four and under are free. There is a discount for those in costume. A portion of the proceeds go to Reardan High School's FFA, FBLA and FCCLA programs.