The Grand Junction High School Marching Band, is in need of funding for instrument repairs and housing expenses, during competition travel. The group create a haunted house, in order raise money. The 1920’s Victorian house at 1003 Main St. provided the perfect venue for the event.
Rachel Scutt, a parent on the marching band board, received clearance from her landlord to use the house. Costumed members of the GJHS Marching Band will act as frightening figures throughout the tour. They plan to use their musical backgrounds to create a new experience for guests.
“The kids are super excited to be involved in this. They’re actually finding ways to become even more creative in using their musical instruments through this,” Scutt said.
The ideas being discussed include a bass drummer providing a “heartbeat” for the house and using louder instruments to “honk” at guests from behind.
“We’re hoping to bring something unique to the idea of a haunted house, something fun yet spooky,” Scutt said, “Music, in itself, is so powerful when it comes to the ‘scariness’ […] it heightens the mood in a new way.”
On both nights of the event, a “PG-rated” tour will run from 6-8 p.m., providing a family-friendly atmosphere for guests with small children or health concerns. The “R-rated” tour will begin at 9 p.m. and run until midnight. The route includes both the first floor of the house and the area outside, it is also handicap-accessible.
Preparation procedures began in late August when the idea came up during a board meeting. From there, Scutt began planning the route through the house and seeking a permit from the fire department. For the week leading up to the event, she and the marching band will focus primarily on promotion.
“Given that, we’ve got Pennywise in the house, we want to tie red balloons randomly to places with fliers attached,” Scutt said, emphasizing the band members’ creativity throughout the process.
Band parents and alumni also signed up to help with the project, which has increased in popularity, gathering over 26,000 views on its Facebook event page.
“Everything’s been running really smoothly,” Scutt said, “I’m looking forward to the community and the band coming together.”
She also anticipates the band members reaping the benefits of their hard work and watching them grow as a result.
“I’m looking forward to seeing it all go down and everybody having fun at a safe, spooky event,” Scutt said. “It benefits a positive outcome.”
“Nightmare on Main Street” takes place Oct. 13 and 14. Admission costs $10 at the door for the “PG-rated” tour and $15 at the door for the “R-rated” tour.
