Coachella haunted house raises money for local schools
Six years ago, Sandra Wallace paired her love for Hollywood haunts with her passion for school children. Parkwil Manor: The Retribution is one of, if not the Coachella Valley’s only local haunted house.
From general contractor Paul “Billy” Sutton and his electrician, Curtis Summerville, to the “diabolical mastermind” of all the prop mechanisms, Randy Peterson, this haunt is 100% staffed by volunteers.
No one is paid for their time, so every dollar is donated to Desert Sands Unified School District’s after-school programs.
“Their after-school program was sorely lacking funds, and I thought, well, how can I combine two things and make something work?” said Wallace.
The combination seems to be working out well. Since 2012, the haunt raised more than $5,000 for things like robotics and art clubs.
Make up artist and sculpturist Jose Rocha spends hours making the ghouls and goblins look as creepy and dead as possible, targeting things people fear most.
“A lot of clowns, a lot of dead people walking around. Keep the colors vibrant and dark, especially when we have such a great crew, it’s pretty easy,” he says.
From faux-chainsaws to sparking butcher knives, this haunt is not for the faint of heart. One monster boasts making 10 people, err, not be able to make it to the bathroom. If you don’t make it through the haunt, you’ll have to sit on the “Shame Wall” until your party comes out alive. They take this dead seriously.
Wallace suggests little goblins 10 and under stay home.
The suggested donation is ten dollars. Times are as follows:
Oct. 23, 24, & 25 from 7:30 p.m. to 11 p.m.
Oct. 29, 30, & 31 from 7:30 p.m. to 11 p.m.
Parkwil Manor is located on 84470 Ave. 54 in Coachella, between Frederick and Harrison St.
Contact them at www.parkwilmanor.com.
