Haunted House In Kirkland Offers Scares For Charity

KIRKLAND, WA - Some big haunted houses around Puget Sound will give you a few bucks off the $20 admission if you donate a canned good. But at David Obelcz's haunted house in Kirkland, the cost of entry is just a food donation.

And the scares are just as good.

Obelcz, who has been building haunted houses since his college days, will open his haunt this weekend. He's been putting it on locally since 2014. For 2018, he's added some new features (you'll have to go to the house to find out what they are).

He started doing an indoor haunt after a windstorm in 2014 prevented him from doing an elaborate Halloween display outside his house. He took the show inside and people loved it. Now, with hundreds of pieces in his collection, it takes Obelcz weeks to set up.

2016 was the first year he started collecting food donations. That year, he got 567 pounds of food. This year his goal is 2,000 pounds.

"People think of Kirkland as a wealthy community, but you don't have to look too far into the shadows to find significant food insecurity," he said.

There are a few guidelines for donating. No expired food, and no opened food. Donations should be non-perishable, and canned goods you can open without a can opener are preferred. Admission is just one (or more) piece per person.

Asked why he likes to celebrate Halloween so much, Obelcz pauses and says:

"The enjoyment I get out of doing this is the enjoyment I give others and supporting a great cause," he said "It's always good to put smiles on other people's faces."

"Even if you give them a heart attack while you do it," he added with a laugh.

Juanita Haunted House
10908 101st Place NE, Kirkland

Hours (weather permitting)

• Saturday: 7 to 1o p.m.
• Sunday: 7 to 9 p.m.
• Wednesday: 6:30 to 9 p.m.

Images via Shutterstock