Haunted Hayrack Fund

Specific Need

We would like to start a scholarship for a local high school senior to continue their education. We want to be able leave a legacy for the community even in the event that the Haunted Hayrack Rides should dissolve.

Mission

A scary fun way to help the community.

Profile

Most people know that the Haunted Hayrack Rides happen around Halloween every year.  What most people don’t know are the details that go into the Haunted Hayrack Rides.  The Haunted Hayrack Rides were started in 2010 by Joe and Marty Parthemer.  They originally started the rides to raise money for the new swimming pool.  After a couple of years, and the rides growing larger and larger, a committee was formed.  The committee consists of Scott Parthemer, Travis Koch, Lanny Ahlvers, Lonny Hardwick, David Wessel and Tina Koch.  Every year the committee sets the route, finds the volunteers, sets up the park and props in areas where there aren’t volunteers, gathers props, cleans the park after the rides, etc.  We’ve had over 1600 riders over 2 weekends the last couple of years and it seems to get bigger every year.  We have over 200 local people who volunteer their time and talents to make this happen each year.  From the people scaring on the route, the face painters, the tractor drivers, trailer sitters and people in the park, it takes a village!

So where does the money raised from the Haunted Hayrack Rides go?  Good question!  To date we’ve donated over $30,000.00 to various organizations and needs in our community.  These organizations include (but aren’t limited to) the Boy Scouts, the Girl Scouts, the Booster Club, the Janes, the Ball Association, the Food Pantry, FCCLA, After Prom, 4-H, the Catholic Heart Camp and more.  We’ve donated money to the Frankfort Summerfest and the Frankfort Sesquicentennial.  The money has also purchased 2 picnic tables in memory of Shanae Smart for the park, purchased new trash cans for the park, helped several local cancer patients with treatment costs, helped a local resident with funeral costs and a family that lost their home and all of it’s contents in a fire a couple years ago. 

We also put some of the money back into the rides.  We purchase props and supplies for the park and the route, assist the volunteers in purchasing items for their “areas”, hay bales for the trailers, advertising the rides, and fully funds the Fall Fest.  It’s an expensive couple of weekends, but so worth it!  We have people that come from out of state and hours away to ride the Haunted Hayrack Rides.  The rides generally last about 45 minutes, and we have 7 trailers running continuously the entire night.  Our volunteers put in many hours to make it all possible, from planning to set up and scaring to tear down, it takes a large amount of time.  We’ve just had our second annual volunteer appreciation dinner to show a little love to our volunteers.  Our little town does some amazing things and we’re all blessed to be a part of it. 

Thanks for continuing to support the Haunted Hayrack Rides and Fall Fest every year, it can’t happen without all of you, too.