It’s October in Grass Valley, meaning something wicked comes this way again: a regular home on Townsend Street is transformed into an eerie, over-the-top haunted house and yard, with swirling, blinking lights; darkly humorous tombstones; phantom miners; evil witches; rickety fences; ghoulish sounds; amplified, creepy music; and of course, “Mr. Dark” himself, Isaac Epple, who not only dispenses treats but also serves as king of the carnival.
On All Hallow’s Eve, in front of this monstrously spooktacular house, down at child’s eye level – or in the case of Zorba, at dog’s level – enchantment is cast upon those brave enough to take it all in: the forest of spindly, dead trees; the skeleton grave digger; the mummy hanging from an overhead branch; the giant spider attached to a spool of filament; the caged, grisly rat.
For Isaac, preparations begin weeks earlier. It’s double, double, toil and trouble for him, but come Halloween night, it’s worth the many hours of effort as the kids of Grass Valley and those parents who remain trick or treaters at heart become simply and joyfully bewitched. In the weeks leading up to the big night, as “Mr. Dark” is working busily to transform his home into a place where witches come true, children throughout the county delight in choosing to be someone or something else for one night of the year. Will they transform themselves into a character of their own imagination, or will they choose a trendy outfit like Beetlejuice or Wolverine or Taylor Swift? And will their parents let them go back to that awesome haunted house they went to last year?
Here’s looking at you, Isaac. You bring holiday joy and magic to children—young and old—in our beloved but, thanks to you, haunted mining town.
Editor’s note: Contact timothymay49@gmail.com to suggest someone in our community for a ‘Here’s To’ article.