A sensory-friendly event helps control fears

Allen’s Haunted Hayrides offered a scaled-down version of its regular attraction Friday night.

The atmosphere at Allen’s Haunted Hayrides in Smock was a little less spooky than usual Friday, as the attraction hosted its third annual sensory-friendly night.

Designed to accommodate people who might not enjoy a haunted attraction due to loud noises, jump scares, flashing lights and large crowds, the event brought together about 100 people on its hayrides, haunted tavern and campfires.

The lights were on without loud bangs, sudden scares or fog, and the event was wheelchair accessible. Cookies, s’mores and cold drinks were offered by other vendors and games.

Allen’s Haunted Hayride has been a community staple for 45 years, providing spooky entertainment and memorable experiences for families.

According to Mike Carr, who designed the haunted set, people with special needs worked at the Tavern of Terror Friday night. “I know how much I love Halloween. I know a lot of people who love Halloween and don’t get a chance to do something like this,” Carr said. “Luckily, they’re able to do it and it’s the highlight of their year, and there’s other people who are just as excited as they are who can’t do it because of the strobe lights or the big crowds. We just want to make sure everyone can enjoy Halloween.”

Luke Hanmaker, 10, from Smock, who has been diagnosed with autism, said he was delighted to donate a bench to the Allen family following the plastic collection.

He donated four benches and collected 7,000 pounds of plastic so he could build benches for the community.

“He visited the recycling center for his 10th birthday and after he finished, after he saw all the plastic cups and everything,” said Hanmaker’s mother, Melissa. “Everybody at the trash company is really nice to him. One day he said the bench they had here, he said, ‘It looks like it’s breaking, Mom. They need a bench.’” Luke has inspired other kids in other school districts to recycle, as well as churches and community organizations, Melissa said.

“I know the owners and I’ve worked here,” said state Rep. Ryan Warner, who was in attendance Friday. “I think it’s great to have someone so young doing this for the community.”

Fayette County Commissioners named Luke a “Recycling Ambassador” and awarded him a plaque. He collects all kinds of recyclable materials and tries to return them in any way he can.

“He was able to do this because he collected enough plastic bags, grocery bags and things like that,” said Andrea Allen, who is part of the Allen family and gave Luke a gift for donating the bench. “He obviously decided to donate a bench to us, so he’s going to put this plaque on the bench. The reason we decided to do it tonight is because he’s been diagnosed with autism, so it was even more special to do it tonight.”

A doorman was present at the entrance of the tavern to inform the spooks of the type of group that would be entering the haunted house, making sure to know who was walking through their doors.

There were different types of scares for different groups depending on what individuals could handle in the many rooms the tavern offered.

Nick Algeri of Elizabeth Township has been scaring the crap out of Allen’s for eight years. He usually works out front of the tavern and looks forward to the event every year.

“Some groups can be completely nonverbal, and for those people, we take turns walking with groups like that because sometimes kids like to be with the monsters or they feel a little uncomfortable,” Algeri said. “I have a very close friend who is severely autistic, but he doesn’t have sensory noise, so he likes loud noises, so when that happens, we communicate by radio in the house.”

Algeri said he enjoyed the “totally different” experience and appreciated the involvement of people at Allen’s.

“I love it. I can’t wait to see it,” Algeri said. “It’s one of my favorite things to do because no one else does it. It’s totally different and it’s a really cool event. The people who came out loved it tonight. It’s really rewarding.”