# How Ya Been?



## Front Yard Fright (Dec 23, 2005)

Thought I'd drop in and see how you all have been since I last talked to most of you. (Please excuse the long rant!) As many of you may know, I decided to sell off my haunt after the 2010 Halloween season. After having some problems with a local haunt trying to get me shut down, I ran into some super strict regulations from the city causing us to downsize dramatically which added a substantial amount of stress to running an already stressful operation!

Since then, I lost my 18 year old cousin to drunk driving, dropped out of college, and my nearly 3 year long relationship ended. In hopes of a new beginning, I moved to Cedar Rapids where I'm currently living. There's a haunted house here that I had full intentions of getting involved in. In fact, that was the main reason I came to CR of of places. As things worked out, I didn't see eye to eye with the operators of the haunt and decided to not get involved after all. However, I decided to stick around and see how things panned out.

I've spent the past year doing some soul searching and trying to figure out my place in life. After selling my haunt, I truly felt like I lost everything. If any of you have had a conversation with me, you know how extremely passionate I am not only about haunting, but life in general... And after I sold my haunt I truly felt that I sold my life.

However, I did my best to keep my head up and try to move forward in life. I turned 21, experienced the bar scene, and had a lot of fun... As most do after turning 21! However, time and time again I was constantly reminded that I just wasn't happy without haunting.

Last October I took a road trip to Wisconsin to visit some friends of mine who run a pro haunt out there. Spent the weekend at their place and was treated to free tickets to local haunts. (Including Terror on the Fox which has been on my top haunts to visit for years!) I helped with makeup as well as the operation of my friends' haunt and had an absolute amazing time. It was such a wonderful feeling of getting back to what made me happy most. There was talk of them wanting me to move out there to be a part of their show... But that idea didn't last long.

After the Halloween season I went back to the mediocre life of a 21 year old party animal. Serving tables during the day and closing down the bar at night. It was only until Transworld last March that my spark would again be ignited. There I met some people involved in the industry as well as caught up with my friends I've met while running my attraction. Transworld is always a great time!

Since then I have been looking for possibilities of me becoming involved in the industry in any way possible. I was contacted by a friend of mine in Texas who is opening up a haunted attraction as well as starting up a production company that is going to make masks, props, and animations. We have talked for a while about me coming out there, but only until recently did plans start to take shape. I'm to fly out to Dallas on the 28th of June for two weeks to spend some time out there and see what the place has to offer. I'm extremely excited for such an amazing opportunity. They seem very interested in having me out there, so I've got high expectations of a good time! My friend had said that if things work out, he would possibly be looking to hire me to help with his operation... An amazing opportunity for me! I'm trying my best to not get my hopes up just in case, but things sound very promising!

I'm also going to be going on a two week road trip starting this coming weekend. I'm driving down to MHC for the the first time, then to Pennsylvania to visit another haunt owner for a week, then to Virginia for a week to visit my brother and meet my nephew for the first time! From there I'll head home for a few days and then I fly out to Texas, so it will indeed be quite a busy month!

Anyhow, sorry for rambling. Just thought I'd update you all on what I've been up to. I truly miss this amazing community I was a part of for so many years. I hope to keep better tabs on everyone on here and hope to be a part of this ever-creepy family again real soon!

Stay spooky!
:jol:.


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## RoxyBlue (Oct 6, 2008)

Funny you dropped by - Spooky1 and I were just talking a couple days ago about some of the young haunters here and wondered what you were up to

Your experiences with trying to find your way in life and getting a little stalled on that pathway are not unusual. Even older folks have those moments when they just kind of wonder what they want to do or where they're going. I'm happy to see you've stuck it out and not gotten too discouraged. Stay open to opportunities and learn what you can. Even if one gig doesn't work out, something else will come along that will be worth putting your heart into.


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## Frighteners Entertainment (Jan 24, 2006)

Glad to see you here Zach and glad things are moving forward for you!!!

Be strange but not a stranger here!!!


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## Troll Wizard (May 3, 2012)

You really have been experiencing life. It's always an hard adjustment when you pick up your life and transfer it to another place. But you're young enough that you will be able to weather it pretty well. I'm glad that things seem to be falling into place for you now that you've settled in your new digs! 

I wish you all the best in the direction life is taking you!!!!!


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## QueenRuby2002 (Oct 23, 2011)

I'd offer you a job but were not up and running yet. Though the Hedge Maze will be up in a year or two. Anyhow I'm sorry to here everything that happened and glade to hear you over came it so far.


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## Front Yard Fright (Dec 23, 2005)

Thank you all for your kind words and encouragement - I truly appreciate it! It's also nice to hear that I haven't been completely forgotten here on the forums!
.

I leave here tomorrow morning for my trip to Ohio for the Midwest Haunters Convention and I'm super excited!

Anyhow, I will definitely make it a point to poke back in here from time to time to say hi and see what everyone's been up to!

Take care!
:jol:.


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## scareme (Aug 29, 2006)

Hey Zach! I've missed you. There aren't that many of us from Iowa on here. We've still got 2 or 3 years before we will be able to move to Dubuque, and now you might be coming south. There is a great bunch of haunters in Dallas. I get down there once in a while so I still might get the chance to meet you. Now for my presonal opinion. From the feeling I get from your posts on here, you are a very creative person. I think if you are not in a position to be creative, you are not going to be happy. While most people are not lucky enough to find work in their field of passion, it is still nice to have an area in our life where were can express it. Everyone has to get a little wild and crazy. Just like we all need some time to just be lazy. But don't forget about your creative side too. Getting it all to balance it the hard part. But you don't have to figure it all out this month, or even this year. It's a constant learning and changing process. So hang on and try to enjoy the ride. I'm glad you checked back in here with us. Like FE said, don't be a stranger.


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## Spooky1 (Aug 25, 2008)

Glad to have you back. Sorry to hear it's been a bumpy road for you lately, but I'm glad that you seem to be finding your Halloween mojo again. Good luck finding the path to the future your looking for.

I've always liked the line from a John Lennon song "Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans"


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## Jaybo (Mar 2, 2009)

So you're coming to Dallas huh? That's my stomping grounds! I think you will like the group of people working the haunts in this area. They are a really close supportive group. I'm sure we will bump into each other sometime this summer, so welcome to Texas! I'll buy you a Shiner Boch.


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## Hairazor (Mar 13, 2012)

Iowa people are resilient even if they move away!! Best to you.


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## Front Yard Fright (Dec 23, 2005)

scareme - I would love the possibility of finally getting to meet! I remember you had wanted to get together a while back but nothing ever came to fruition. Also, thanks for the kind words, I really appreciate it! 

Spooky1 - I'm SO thrilled to be back in the haunted house industry. Wherever I may end up, I know I'll be involved in some form or another!

Jaybo - I had forgotten that you and Dixie are out in Texas! There's actually a haunt gathering the last weekend I'll be in town! I'd LOVE if you and Dixie were able to make it! I'm not 100% sure if it's open to everyone, but I'm sure I could get you an invite! It's on July 7th in Dallas. I'll contact my friends and see what they say, but like I said, it should be no problem!

Hairazor - Thanks for the kind words! I really appreciate the support!

In other news...
MHC was an absolute blast! I had a great time helping out my friends from Dallas at their booth on the show floor. They are a start-up production company called The House of Boo. They had tons of innovative products that had a lot of people talking. We actually sold half of the stuff we had in our booth and then some! It was a great experience and I'm even more excited for my trip out to Dallas!

After MHC I spent a week in Pittsburgh, PA with my friend who's the creative director for Hundred Acres Manor, one of the top rated haunts in the US. I got the typical lights on and behind the scenes tour, but things got real interesting when we started tearing stuff down to make room for new sets! I met all the big wigs involved in the operation of the haunt and was able to sit in on a few budget meetings to see how the business side of things operate... Quite the honor!

I had a great time while out in PA and told my buddy that if he ever needed an assistant with running the haunt, I'd be more than willing to come down and help! And from the sounds of it, some of the crew are already talking about having me come back for another visit so we'll see how things go there! 

I'm currently out in Virginia Beach hanging out with my family and enjoying a nice relaxing week off. Met my little nephew for the first time and have been having a great time spending time with him. 

I leave for Texas on the 28th and am SO incredibly excited for what awaits me out there!

Again, thank you everyone so so much for the out pour of advice and support. You're all wonderfully supportive people and I can't say thank you enough! Stay spooky!
:jol:.


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## randomr8 (Oct 24, 2009)

That's great to be so young and have a passion in your life defined. It took me until I was 35 to find something I felt that way about. Good luck!


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## Front Yard Fright (Dec 23, 2005)

Just thought it'd update all who are interested in my progress...

My trip out to Texas was absolutely *AMAZING*! I was able to tour seven different attractions while meeting and networking with all of the owners and operators of each show. It was such a pleasure! Not to mention I was hanging out with my buddies from Haunt 2013 the whole time! I was able to hang out with Allen Hopps of Stiltbeast Studios (Who also works for Haunt2013) and talk about how he got to where he is now. Very inspiring guy! Not to mention incredibly inventive and thrifty!

I was also able to partake in a huge Texas Haunters Gathering the day before I left town. There I was able to meet long lost friends from here on HauntForum! I was finally able to meet Dixie and Jaybo while at the workshop where we caught up with each other - It had been too long!

The entire experience was fantastic. I had such a great time meeting and networking with so many interesting and caring people. I wish we had such an awesome group of haunters in Iowa!

After reluctantly returning to real life back in Iowa, I got a retail job working on the floor. It took two orientation/training shifts for me to realize the place wasn't for me. At the same time, my father, who runs our family business, contacted me and had said that he was short handed back home. Through one way or another, I decided to move back home for the time being.

The main reason being, I had no business in Cedar Rapids. I wasn't doing anything but wasting time. (Least that's how I saw it.) So in hopes of saving time and money, I moved back to Waverly a few weeks ago in hopes of getting a jump start on saving up.

After the end of the year, I'm going to look at where I am financially and hopefully make a move out to Texas or other haunt-friendly state. Simply put, Iowa has nothing to offer me... Yet. I need experience working in larger venues to further learn the ins and outs of the industry. Simply put, Iowa doesn't have anything like that to offer.

I'm not sure where I'll end up, but the main goal is to open up a show of my own. Wither it be in Iowa or else where, I am constantly reminded on a daily basis that haunting is in my blood and I simply must be involved in it in some form or another!

In the mean time, in the upcoming months, I will continue with my positive thinking and hopefully save up enough to finally get out and follow my one true passion... Haunting!!!

Hope everyone is doing well and getting things finished up for this upcoming season... Hard to believe it's already here!

:jol:


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## kevin242 (Sep 30, 2005)

Hey bud, welcome back, best of luck with your future endeavors!


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## Hairazor (Mar 13, 2012)

Glad to hear you had such an eventful summer. Good to know you have some goals to head toward.


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## Front Yard Fright (Dec 23, 2005)

So sorry to not be back and posting again. It's so hard to get into the Halloween mood anymore when you don't have haunt props laying around all year long!

Hope all of you had a marvelous haunting season. I haven't been on much at all since I last wrote so I'll be searching for pictures and posts of how everyone did!

As of recently, plans have changed as far as moving. Things with my friends out in Texas came to a stand still when we began to discuss being hired/getting paid. Turns out they wouldn't be able to pay me right away after moving there and logically speaking, there's no way I could make it out there on my own. However, I have kept my feelers out for other possibilities...

I spent my October doing some more traveling and networking. Spent a weekend in Wisconsin to visit my friends from Terror on the Fox in Green Bay and Oblivion in Menasha. My mother tagged along and had a great time!

A week or so after that, I took off cross country to eventually end up in PA. Drove to Chicago my first night and got to see Statesville Haunted Prison and I have to say, it was one of the best haunts I've ever seen! Never have I seen a haunt run SO many people through their doors at one time and yet have the experience enjoyable for their patrons. More often than not, people just conga line through haunts and don't get any scares... But they have it down to a science and do a GREAT job!

There are several other haunts in the Chicago area, but one that will always remain in my heart is Dream Reapers which is located in Melrose Park, IL. It was one of the first "BIG" shows I ever went to way back in 2005 (or 06?) right after catching the haunt bug. We were able to go behind the scenes and talk to one of the owners a bit about business. It was a surreal experience for a 15 year old kid who just recently got involved in the industry! But I digress, a trip to Dream Reapers was on my to do list for the weekend not only because it was a staple of my haunting career, but also because 2012 would be the last year the attraction would be in operation. Unfortunately it seems the owners have decided to move on to other projects and sell the haunt as a whole piece.

I wasn't able to visit DR during operation hours, but was fortunate enough to be friends with one of the actors at their show so I got a full behind the scenes tour of the place before leaving town. It was a pretty depressing experience to be honest, but there is talk of one of the owner possibly doing a different show in the area which brings a little glimmer of hope to the situation.

That afternoon I drove to Highland, IN to visit my friend Casey (KingsKrypt here on the forums) who runs a home haunt. We have been in contact with each other for some time now and have met a couple times while at Transworld. When hearing of my road trip, Casey suggested I come out and see he show for the first time. The night I arrived was opening night for Kings Krypt and as with most home haunts, there was still plenty to be done before opening time! After arriving I helped get his cast and crew up and going and we had a great time scaring the few patrons they had that night. It was a surreal feeling being back in the grove of home haunting... I really miss it!

The next morning I drove Bethel Park, PA to visit my friend, Ethan, who operates Hundred Acres Manor. Hundred Acres Manor has been in the haunt industry spotlight for quite a few years now. This was actually my second time visiting - I was there back in June for a week and had an absolute blast with everyone. During my visit, I had mentioned to Ethan how things with Texas kind of came to a standstill. After a brief discussion, he then offered for me to come out and be a part of his show which I obviously jumped on the opportunity! There hasn't been any official talk of getting paid or anything like that, but I will be living with Ethan until things get figured out one way or another. I figure I can get a day job and work on the haunt during my free time worse case scenario, but there's a probability of getting a paid position which is something I really hope to acquire sooner or later! So long as I'm involved in a haunt, I'm set either way.

I'm actually looking to move here in the next few weeks... over 700 miles away from home. It's a nerve racking experience to say the least, considering I've never lived that far away, but I think it should prove to be an amazing growing experience for myself not only mentally but professionally. If I do decide to open my own show later on down the road, this experience will prove to be invaluable. I'm extremely excited and anxious to see how things pan out.

Anyhow, just thought I'd give you the latest and say thank you to all you familiar faces for your kind and supportive words. Again, so sorry to not be on here much - I truly miss it! I hope you have a happy holiday season!

Take care.
:jol:.

PS
I've also finally revived my old website and hope to continue to add more content and blog posts about my current goings-on. Be sure to check it out! (link below)


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## Copchick (Apr 10, 2012)

Bethel Park, PA? You're only a hop, skip and a jump away from me. Hundred Acres Manor is very big here and everyone seems to really enjoy themselves. You may also want to check out Kennywood's Phantom Fright Nights. Phantom Scarecrow works there for Fright Nights and for their Christmas event. Have fun while you're here in PA! Are you looking for employment? Send me a PM if you want me to keep my eyes and ears open for you.


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## Front Yard Fright (Dec 23, 2005)

Thanks Copchick! I'm SUPER excited to be a part of their show! Only two more weeks until the big move - Hard to believe it's already here!

I'll definitely be checking out all the other haunts and attractions in the area. Iowa doesn't have ANYTHING like what they have out there as far as attractions and stuff go so I'm quite excited for that as well!

I'll actually be posting about my haunt ventures over on my website (link below) if anyone is interested in how things go! I'm getting more and more anxious every day - I can't wait!

Hope everyone had a happy holiday and new year! Take care.

:jol:


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## Front Yard Fright (Dec 23, 2005)

A little bit of an update...

Unfortunately things out in PA didn't work out. Call it a clash of personalities. I have since moved home and am currently working on getting involved with another show elsewhere. While I'm not at liberty to say where, I will say I'm feeling pretty good about it!

If you'd like to keep up to date with my travels and such, check out the blog on my website. (Link below)

:jol:


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