Haunted house back in Clinton

CLINTON Haunted houses are supposed to be scary, but a year ago, officials in Clinton announced that a venue without a sprinkler system was just a little too frightening for the State Fire Marshal's Office.

For the first time in 19 years, the Clinton Chamber of Commerce's most profitable yearly fundraiser, "Terror on Washington Street," was canceled due to the safety concerns.

The house will reopen better and safer, said Clinton Chamber Executive Director Marian Brisard.

"We have been working on this since May," she said. "The sprinkler system was installed, and we are about ready to get that hooked up to the city's water service.

"As far as making it even safer, we have had a volunteer electrician rewire the entire upstairs, and, hopefully, we can get to the downstairs, too. But, everything is going to be much better and much safer."

Also, the ceiling tiles on the main floor were removed, and several other odds and ends were completed to improve the haunting experience, she said.

Several volunteers, such as Clinton resident Tim Allen, are meeting at 6 p.m. on weekdays to prepare.

"I really enjoy working with the youth, because they have so much energy and are always very excited about this house," he said. "It's a longtime tradition here."

The grand reopening is set for Oct. 10, at 513 E. Washington St. The house has made the list of top 10 haunted houses in Illinois in seven of the past 11 years, as determined by http://www.hauntedillinois.com.

In the past, it has attracted about 5,000 visitors each season and brought in thousands of dollars for the Clinton Chamber.

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Haunted house back in Clinton