Ryan Tubongbanua / The Collegian
Hobb’s Grove is preparing for its “10th Year of Fearâ€Â and the characters are ready to scare anyone in their path…
With Halloween around the corner, there figures to be dozens of haunted house attractions around town. But for owner Lore Callhan, Hobb̢۪s Grove is the best.
“There are other big haunts that would kill to have something like this,â€Â Callahan said. “Even Universal Studios, Knot’s Berry farm don’t have this kind of feel. [Hobb’s Grove] is one of the biggest haunts in the country.â€Â
For 10 years, Hobb̢۪s Grove has been known around California as one of the most popular haunted Halloween attractions. With three attractions spread out on 24 acres, Hobb̢۪s Grove has the benefit of wide open spaces out in the country near Sanger.
The event begins tonight at dark and will feature more than 100 characters trying to scare everyone who crosses their path.
But what makes Hobb̢۪s Grove so exciting for the community and keeps people coming back every year? The workers and the characters they play.
“These people are weird all year long, and they have been waiting for this,â€Â security guard Tommy Shipley said. “It’s always fun and never a bad time.â€Â
Caleb Robinson has been working at Hobb’s Grove for years and is excited that this is “Hobb’s Grove 10th Year of Fear.â€Â
Robinson enjoys talking to customers while in character and offers them “a sliver of liver,â€Â from one of the bodies being held in the morgue of the attraction.
“For the new year of our haunting season, we’ve made a few changes,â€Â Robinson said. “We like to make things better each year to keep people coming back.â€Â
Robinson explained that this year, some characters will be acting like they are in a sequel to what their characters were last year.
Kyle Allen̢۪s character, the Monster Master 5000, added onto his character̢۪s role from last year. Allen explained that his character is a mad scientist like Dr. Frankenstein.
“Last year, I put my assistant into the machine, and we had all kinds of blood and tendons shoot out the other side,â€Â Allen said. “This year, a monster will come out of the other side.â€Â
When you first get to Hobb̢۪s Grove, there is a midway where characters like Chris Geise̢۪s Billy Bob, and Ralf, the half-rat half-wolf, act as guides to explain to people how the attractions work.
The three attractions at Hobb̢۪s Grove are the Haunted Hayride, the Haunted Forest and the Haunted House. They have plenty of scares and gore, but some are tamer than others.
A walk through the forest includes visuals of large patches of bloody skin hanging from tree branches, and personal up-close encounters with a variety of monsters.