Fear at the Fairgrounds: Pirates of Emerson Opens This Week in Pleasanton

PLEASANTON, CA — Terror has returned to Pleasanton. The legendary Pirates of Emerson opens for the season at the Pleasanton fairgrounds this Friday.

Pirates of Emerson is not for the faint-hearted. The popular Halloween attraction employs a skeleton crew of people from the Bay Area and draws thrill-seekers and adrenaline junkies from all over Northern California.

“The themes change each year so even if you have been out before, you have to come out again because it is different,” Fields told Patch in a previous article.

The Pirates of Emerson started 25 years ago in the yard of Brian, Patty and Karl Fields. The Fields lived on Emerson Street in Fremont and used to charge a small admission fee to frighten and delight visitors. The family also collected canned goods back then and donated the food to local food banks. After a seven-year stint on Emerson Street, the family moved the haunted abode to an empty field they leased from BART.

Eventually the attraction ghosted up the I-680 to its new home at the fairgrounds to better accommodate the huge crowds it garnered each season. This is the sixth year the attraction has operated at the fairgrounds.

The Travel Channel listed the Pirates of Emerson as No. 2 for favorite haunted attractions in the United States based on Facebook votes. In 2006, Pirates was listed as No. 8 in the country on the AOL CityGuide’s 2006 picks for the Top 13 Haunted Houses in the nation and was featured on the Discovery Channel.

The Pirates of Emerson opens on September 30 and runs through October 31. Follow Pirates of Emerson on Facebook for announcements, discount offers and schedule. Admission allows access to the five attractions.

The Alameda County fairgrounds are located at 4501 Pleasanton Avenue. Entry to Pirates of Emerson can be found off the fairgrounds entry located at Valley and Bernal avenues.

Photo courtesy of Pirates of Emerson