WARNING! GRAPHIC DESCRIPTIONS!
Only The BRAVE should read on!!!!
The Bushnell Haunted House, a fundraiser for the Scouts of America Troop 343, will see its 20 year anniversary this year when the doors creak open on Friday, October 10, the first day of the 2025 season.
The haunted house is located on the Pigg family farm, Steve Pigg and his daughter, Erin Von Kannon have been hosting the Bushnell Haunted House, along with the Scouts, who help design and build the event venue.
Preparing for the haunted house takes months of preparation. As early as March, the scouts and leaders give one Sunday a month. By July the donated time and labor is up to FOUR Sundays a month and by August the project requires FOUR SUNDAYS a month PLUS Wednesdays.
This year even Eagle Scouts Tucker Hall and John Weaver returned to the Pigg farm to work on the project, as there was much left to do.
The Bushnell Haunted House is no doubt one of the premiere scary places to be in the west central Illinois area.
The money earned goes to support Troop 343 who host this fundraising project in place of selling popcorn. In a good year the Haunted house has had in the neighborhood of 500 brave souls paying $10 a head to pass though its creep hallways. That's $5000 that goes directly to the scouts.
The dates for the Bushnell Haunted House are as follows; Oct. 10,11,18,19,24,25 and 31.
Times run from 7pm to 11pm It's obvious that the Bushnell Haunted House is a passion of Scout Leader Erin Von Kannon. She says while the labor is completely donated by some 25 volunteers, much of the materials are donated or recycled as well. Many of the props such as old chandeliers or broken tricycles were found along the curb during trash pick up days.
Some of the new added rooms this year include a haunted chapel, an upside down room, a mad scientist laboratory an eerie doll room (one doll has no eyes), a clown room, a swamp room and a tree trunk that haunted house go-ers will need to crawl through the base of to reach the next room.
Many of the 25 or so volunteers will be abiding by the 'no touch' rule meaning at no time will the 'actors' touch the visitors. Also, any child overwhelmed by the haunted house will be free to leave at any time.
The Bushnell Haunted House is located south of Bushnell off Highway 41, exact address is 20320 N 1700th Road.
There is free parking and a covered waiting area.
Be ready, with volunteer Courtney Abbott in the newly revamped 'control room,' anything can happen on the farm, in the Bushnell Haunted House!
