Creepy things that go bump in the night
Meredith Schladweiler tours the werewolf forest section of Nightmare Undergrounds and contemplates turning around.
It is the season of spooky activities and things that go bump in the night. There are several Halloween activities scheduled in the area from haunted houses and zombie hunts to trick-or-treat gathers. With Halloween fast approaching here is a round-up of some of the spooky
events happening.
Nightmare Underground
Zoo Man’s (Brent Mielke) Nightmare Underground reopened to the public earlier this month. Located in Zoo Man’s Palace at 145 East Main Street in Sleepy Eye, Nightmare Underground is easily the largest collection of Halloween props in the region.
Mielke estimates that he has at least 50,000 different
The man-bat statue is one of the latest additions to Zoo Man’s Nightmare Underground exhibit. Brent Mielke estimates he has 50,000 themed props on display.
Halloween and horror- themed props stored in the basement of the former Sleepy Eye Opera House.
He has been amassing his collection of Halloween
items for around 40 years.
“I am an avid collector of props,” he said. “I like displaying
them and showing what I’ve got.”
New Ulm Nightmare’s “Forgotten Basement” haunt will recreate the feeling of wandering in an old cellar with something creepy hanging waiting behind every corner.
It has become a point of pride for Mielke. He said,
“I don’t mind competition, but I want to have the most props.”
Like many avid collectors, Mielke is never done
collecting. He’s added 10 new props to Nightmare Underground.
The new items include 12-foot tall animatronic
An undead band plays the ballroom of Hotel Olson for all the ghosts and ghouls
Boogeyman and Man- Bat sculptures located at the entrance to his funhouse of horrors. The Nightmare Underground is a sprawling maze
of props. Some are small, like rubber snakes and spiders.
Others are large, like a 12-foot-tall skeleton T-Rex.
Mielke tries to arrange his props based on categories. The Nightmare Underground starts with a forest full of werewolves, many
of whom move and growl. Next, there is a mini-circus sideshow with lots of terrifying clowns. There is a hallway full of mad scientists a
The designers of New Ulm Nightmare’s haunted houses, Doug Hughes (left) and Nick Vigil (right) stand at the entrace to the “Forgotten Basement” located beneath the Brown County Fairground Grandstands.
pirate dungeon and a room dedicated to severed heads.
Mielke said he plans to create a section for all the classic film villains. He already has life-size statues of Michael Meyers, Leatherface, Freddy Krueger and Hannibal Lecter.
In addition to Nightmare Underground, Mielke is offering Ghost Tours of Sleepy Eye. Guest pile into Mielke’s tour van and he takes them around Sleepy Eye telling this true story of the town’s haunted past.
“I read old newspapers so I always have new stories to add,” he said “I can tell people, ‘yes, it happened here in Sleepy Eye.'”
Mielke said his favoritestrange stories to tell are those involving carnivals or circuses. He said those types of events attract strange and
unusual people to town. The railroad was also a source of many unique stories. The railroad through Sleepy Eye brought a lot of colorful people to the community and the result was more spooky stories. Mielke
gave assurances he had plenty of creepy local stories set aside for next year.
The Ghost Tour also includes a tour of the old Sleepy Eye Opera House located on the top floor of the Zoo Man’s Palace. Mielke has been working to restore the Opera House to its former appearance for several
years. The goal is to one day get the opera house fully restored to house theatre productions again. All proceeds from this spooky attraction go to fixing it up.
The hours of operation for Nightmare Underground and Ghost Tours of Sleepy Eye are typically Friday and Saturday, though some Thursday tours are offered.
A specia l blackout night will be held and posted on Zoo Man’s Nightmare Underground Facebook page.
New Ulm Nightmares
New Ulm Nightmare’s has returned for its 9th year and will feature two haunts at the Brown County Fairgrounds. This year’s theme is “The Hotel Olson” and “The Forgotten Basement.”
This year’s haunts were designed and created by Doug Hughes and Nick
Vigil. In the past, Hughes would design the haunts himself, but this year joined forces with Vigil who created his own haunted house last year in Searles.
Hughes worked on the Hotel haunt while Vigil was free to create the basement haunt beneath the grandstands.
Hughes said the backstory for the Hotel Olson is Ms. Olson was obsessed
with the study of plants and finding innovative ways to feed them. The basement haunt is a spin-off of the haunted hotel. It seems the hotel maintenance man was working on some mysterious projects and has not been
seen in years. Other Halloween-themed events will be happening at the fairgrounds alongside the haunts. Hughes said they will feature two 5-minute escape rooms for guests to try.
A special pumpkin slingshot target range. Visitors can take turns launching pumpkins at targets.
Hughes said the additional activities will give people something to do
while waiting in line. Hughes says it takes between 30 and 40 volunteers
to make New Ulm Nightmares happen each year.
Volunteers are needed to build the haunted house sets, but also to act as the ghosts and monsters inside the haunts.
“It is a lot of hard work, but as soon as you hear that first scream and laugh, it is worth it,” Hughes said.
New Ulm Nightmares is open the last two weekends before Halloween: from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. Friday, Oct. 20/Saturday, Oct. 21, and
Friday, Oct. 27/Saturday, Oct. 28. A special scare-free kids’
day will be held Sunday, Oct. 29 from 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.
New Ulm Nightmares will also be open on Halloween night from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Ticket sales are available online. VIP tickets are available that get individuals to the front of the line, but also into special VIP sections of the haunts.
Schell’s Zombie Hunt
Zombies have infested Schell’s Brewery and guests have been invited to clear the grounds of the undead using gel blasters.
Visitor Center General Manager Curt Van Asten said the idea for the zombie hunt came from Schell’s staff trying to brainstorm Halloween-themed events.
“A lot of us are fans of Halloween,” Van Asten said. “We wanted to do something for the season, but make it family-friendly.”
Zombie-themed paintball hunts are common Halloween activities, but Schell’s decided to switch to used Gel blasters instead, as the gel ammo is more forgiven than paintball.
Schell’s Brewery will be divided into zombie-themed locations including our “Loading Dock Bio-Hazard Spill”, “Ted’s Terrace aka. California Screams”, “World War Z”, and the “Rave Yard”.
Teams of six can be registered to go through the locations and clear them of zombies. Each person in the team is given a Gel blaster with 800 gel bullets and safety glasses.
Van Asten said the zombies will be played by volunteers from area nonprofits. Some of the funds generated will be given to the participating nonprofits.
Teams will enter the zombie zones in 15-minute waves. There are 24 waves per evening. Van Asten said the event is nearly sold out already. However, Schell’s ground will remain open to the public during the event. Those participating in the zombie hunt must buy a ticket, but the public is free to watch.
“If you want to come see the chaos, you’re more than welcome,” Van Asten said.
Spectators may hang out on the grounds enjoying bonfires and music. A special Peanut Porter will be on tap for the Zombie Hunt.
For more information visit Schell’s Zombie Hunt page on Eventbrite.
Halloween Hop and ECFE Trunk or Treat
Saturday, Oct 28 will see multiple community Halloween events including the Halloween Hop and Early Childhood Family Education (ECFE) Trunk or Treat.
The Halloween Hop is a trick-or-treat event organized by area businesses. From 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. over 30 New Ulm businesses will participate in the Halloween Hop. Families are encouraged to trick or treat at local businesses. For a full list of participating businesses visit the New Ulm Chamber webpage.
During the Halloween Hop, Brown County Historical Society will host a special Halloween-themed scavenger hunt from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Scarecrows, witches cauldrons, and other Halloween décor will be hidden throughout the museum. Scavenger Hunt participants are encouraged to dress in costumes and must be accompanied by an adult. Treats will be given away.
From 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m., ECFE will host a trunk or treat in the Jefferson Parking lot. Community organizations and businesses can park a vehicle in the lot and distribute candy to trick-or-treaters. The trunk or treat is for young children infants to 7-years-olds.
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- New Ulm Nightmare’s “Forgotten Basement” haunt will recreate the feeling of wandering in an old cellar with something creepy hanging waiting behind every corner.
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- The designers of New Ulm Nightmare’s haunted houses, Doug Hughes (left) and Nick Vigil (right) stand at the entrace to the “Forgotten Basement” located beneath the Brown County Fairground Grandstands.
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- An undead band plays the ballroom of Hotel Olson for all the ghosts and ghouls
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- Meredith Schladweiler tours the werewolf forest section of Nightmare Undergrounds and contemplates turning around.
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- The man-bat statue is one of the latest additions to Zoo Man’s Nightmare Underground exhibit. Brent Mielke estimates he has 50,000 themed props on display.
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