West Dundee sports complex gets liquor license for haunted house

A liquor license granted to the new sports complex in West Dundee will serve a dual purpose.

The primary need for the license is to allow alcohol to be served at Dundee Sports Bar, a restaurant that will be located toward the front of the sports complex, said facility owner Jeff Dunham.

Plans for the sports complex, at the former Target at 999 W. Main St., include full-size turf fields to be used for several different sports, a gymnastics area, and multipurpose and recreational rooms. Developers earlier said they hoped to open next month.

Dunham said he expects to hold tournaments and competitions at the complex, potentially drawing in thousands of people multiple times a year.

"The utilization of the space in terms of the restaurant and bar is very important to the concept and very important to the success of the facility," Dunham told the village's liquor control commission, which unanimously approved the liquor license Monday.

The second purpose of the liquor license is a temporary one, Dunham said. Through the month of October, a haunted house called "The Slaughter at Sleepy Hollow," which had a soft opening this past weekend, is operating out of the back of the building.

Operators want to use the facility's liquor license to serve beer and possibly wine to customers who are waiting in line for the haunted house, Dunham said.

Closer to Halloween, operators predict wait times of up to an hour, he said.

Though haunted house representatives were not in attendance, Dunham assured the commission that customers would be required to wear wristbands indicating that they are over the age of 21.

Commissioner Andy Yuscka said he worried about giving a "bad image" to children, but Corey Kelly, another sports complex representative, said most attendees will be in high school or older. Most are in their 20s and 30s, he said.

"The way it's planned and put together, I feel pretty confident it's going to be a good operation," Police Chief Andrew Wieteska said.

He added that several security personnel will be monitoring the waiting area, and alcohol is not permitted in the haunted house.

"We need that license to operate that facility successfully," Dunham said. "We're not going to let an outside vendor come in and ruin it for us."