Community Corner

Looking for Haunted Halloween Fun in the Norristown Area?

Haunted Selma Mansion, Nightmare at Elmwood and the Haunted House at Elks Lodge in Bridgeport are all only minutes away.

There are plenty of frightfully fun activities all over our region this Halloween, but some of the best attractions are right here in our own backyard.

Nightmare at Elmwood

Elmwood Park Zoo's "Nightmare at Elmwood" (sponsored by Einstein Medical Center Montgomery) continues tonight and Saturday night from 6 to 9 p.m.

Your littlest ghouls and spectres are invited to visit the zoo and enjoy corn and hay bale mazes, candy stations, special crafts and activities and plenty of creepy sights and sounds.

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There's also a month-long pumpkin decoration contest with prizes for the best entries. Just bring your best carved or painted pumpkin to the zoo with a completed registration form (you can download one in our PDF section) and you’ll be entered to win a $50 zoo giftcard, a family membership to the zoo or even an iPad. The contest ends Nov. 4 and winners will be announced Nov. 5.

Elks Lodge Haunted House

This 5th annual fright fest in Bridgeport kicked off last weekend and will be going strong through Oct 28. The Elks are said to put on one of the scariest haunted houses in the area, so this attraction isn't for the feint of heart.

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Elks Club President Laura Minnich told The Times Herald last year that folks had to be escorted out of the house when things got a bit too scary for some little ones.

The Elk Lodge Haunted House, located at 494 Ford Street in Bridgeport is open from 7 to 11 p.m. every Friday and Saturday and from 6 to 10 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 28. Tickets are $7 for children 4 to 12 and $10 for everyone 13 and up.

Read more about last year's Elk Lodge Haunted House experience here.

Haunted Selma Mansion

Speaking of haunted houses, some folks say we have a real one right here in Norristown – Selma Mansion.

The house at 1301 West Airy Street was built in 1794 by Andrew Porter, one of the founders of the U.S. Marine Corps and Pennsylvania's Surveyor General. The home has stood vacant since 1982, when the last remaining owner died.

The Pennsylvania Underground Paranormal Society (P.U.P.S.) are partnering with the Norristown Preservation Society to offer special "Haunted Selma Mansion" ghost tours from 7 p.m. to midnight on Friday, Oct. 26. The night will feature lantern-lit guided tours and ghost stories. The cost is $10. You can get a discount by reserving your spot. Call 610-613-4024 to RSVP.

Then on Saturday, Oct. 27, Selma will play host to an "All Day Paranormal Event" from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Paranormal investigators Simply Paranormal will be doing a live radio broadcast from Selma and P.U.P.S. and other paranormal investigators will be on hand to present evidence of their ghostly encounters, hold lectures and answer questions from the public.

Tickets for Saturday's event are $6 for adults, $5 for seniors, $3 for veterans and children 5 to 12 and free to active military personell and children under 5. Proceeds from the events will go towards the restoration of historic Selma Mansion.

After the event, P.U.P.S. will head straight to Fort Mifflin, reportedly one of the most haunted sites in America, to host Fort Mifflin's "Sleep with the Ghosts," featuring guided tours, workshops and group investigations through the Fort. Get more info here.

Did we miss a great local attraction? Tell us in the comments!


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