Jason's Woods

David Stewart

Located in the rolling hills of south-central Pennsylvania, one would be hard pressed to find any haunted attraction as far removed from the stresses of modern urban-America as Jason's Woods. Sitting atop a hill in Lancaster County, the heart of Dutch Amish Country, this working farm conjures images of a long removed and simpler time. This relaxing location is somewhat deceiving, however, for once the visitor leaves the safety of their car, they embark on a dark and mysterious journey through the fields, barn, and house in Jason's Woods.

Faced with the real possibility of losing his family's 160 year-old farm, owner Bob Hershey came up with the idea of utilizing his love of Halloween to save the farm. Hershey smiles when recalling those early days. They told him that he would never be able to scare anyone on a hay wagon, because the audience would always feel secure in a big group. Undeterred, Hershey replied; "We may not scare them, but we will entertain the heck out of them."

Armed that first year with nothing but nerve and determination, Hershey and a crew of family and friends made their own props and costumes on what was literally a shoestring budget. Having virtually no money for advertising they did the best they could with flyers and word of mouth. Hershey remembers standing beside the barn on opening night in 1985, dressed in a costume with cast and crew waiting for cars to arrive; wondering if the word had gotten out, fearing that no one would show.

The word did get out that first year and every October since, Bob and his crew have "entertained the heck" out of all who dare set foot on the grounds of Jason's Woods. Now in its thirteenth season, Jason's Woods is one of the nation's earliest and most long-standing hayrides in the country. Over the years, it has grown into a full multi-element event. Now supported by a cast and crew of ninety, the venue includes a carnival-like midway, concessions, a live band, a dark maze, a haunted barn, Jason's Woods Jr. for the children, and of course the haunted hayride.

Born out of necessity, Jason's Woods is very much a labor of love for Bob, which is evident in the care he takes in its presentation. The goal is to strive, not only to provide the patron with their money's worth, but to exceed their wildest expectations. A modest man, Hershey characterizes himself as "just an organizer." He constantly credits his cast and crew for the great success of the event. "Jason's Woods belongs to everyone who works on it" states Bob, and makes special mention of his wife, Doreen Hershey, whom; despite being a full-time teacher, devotes countless hours to assisting him in the organization of the show.

The Storyline

Unknown to farmers above, beneath the loamy soil of Lancaster County, an ancient demon with the power of shape-shifting has lay dormant for centuries. But no longer! Tired of the mockery made of his legend and the cacophony of noise that fills Jason's Woods every October, Zebadias has broken free from the soil intent on wreaking havoc upon all trespassers. Anyone brave enough to enter Jason's Woods will find themselves in some way affected by the shadow of this ancient evil. Be it spectacular displays of power or a sibilant whisper in the ear, all visitors are touched by the hand of Zebadias.

After parking, patrons enter the pay-as-you-go midway, complete with rides and games. The longest lines are at the box office where patrons purchase tickets to the darker attractions. While waiting, patrons are entertained by a live, albeit, eclectic band playing everyone's spooky favorites. Adult admission is $10 for the hayride, $7 for the barn, and $5 for the dark maze, or $20 for all three. Hershey and his crew have deliberately kept the scenes tasteful, and all of the entertainment at the venue is family oriented. However, parents are warned repeatedly that some of the entertainment is not appropriate for younger children, and a less frightening hayride, Jason's Woods Jr., is available to them for $5, which includes unlimited rides on the midway.

With tickets in hand patrons are free to move into the loading area. The wait is short here due to the eight hay wagons in operation on busy nights. The hayride itself covers most of the hilltop and part of the valley on the East Side of the farm. Riders are treated to scenes ranging from a 10 foot tall grim reaper, stalking through the fields to a frenetic toxic waste dump filling the night with mutants and noise. Although the scenes are varied in theme, one thing remains constant throughout the 15-20 minute ride. The scenes and props are done on a grand scale. There is a 60-foot gothic castle on top of a hill, and a 22-foot hovering UFO, which dazzles riders in the high probability of an encounter right out of the X-Files. The ride's piece de resistance is a propane fed, fire-breathing demon perched atop a 28 foot tall volcano built on site by the talented crew at Jason's Woods.

After disembarking the hayride, visitors have the opportunity to recover as they queue up for the Barn of Terror. A 15 foot tall skull complete with 7 foot tall fangs forms the entrance portal to the two story walk through attraction. Patrons tour the Barn in unguided groups of four to eight people. This allows for a level of intimacy that many haunted attractions, too concerned with throughput, lack.

As with the hayride, scenes in the Barn of Terror are varied in theme. This is not a bad thing as it leaves the patron with little idea of what to expect next. As they pass from psychotic clowns in one room to hungry dinosaurs in the next patrons must constantly be on their guard. The scares in the barn are of the high startle, low gore sort that is currently in vogue. The acting technique ranges from a minimalist approach to screamers shouting out the apocalypse. Inside the heart of the barn, the lighting is almost universally dim, the sound track is non-existent and there is an absence of high-dollar special effects. It is the actors who carry the show without the need of high-tech support.

After visitors exit the Barn of Terrors, they have the opportunity of visiting a third attraction. The Haunted Mansion was replaced in 1997 with a new attraction in 1997 entitled the "Black Hole". Patrons touring this dark, unnerving and even claustrophobic maze are disoriented at best, but more likely completely lost. As with the Barn of Terror, the Black Hole is a high startle attraction, where actors seem to pop up from the most unexpected vicinities.

The combination of attractions with different levels of scare factor, has allowed Jason's Woods to break out of the typical haunted attraction demographic and appeal to a true cross-section of age groups. The Barn of Terror and the Black Hole appeals to the teen to twenty-something crowd, while the hayride and Jason's Woods Jr. makes it suitable for a family outing. With the midway, band, and concession areas added to the mix, all ages are ensured a full evening of quality entertainment.

David Stewart is a career Paramedic/Firefighter in Harford County, Maryland. A great fan of Halloween, he lives in Newark, Delaware with his very tolerant and very pregnant wife, Becky.