Funeral home sets the stage for Haunted House Spooktacular

It sure beats a strip mall.

Or a warehouse - if you really think about it.

Organizers of an Elgin haunted house to raise money for a long-term care facility for the severely disabled hope their location will be a powerful drawing card and big-time scare factor.

"Where else could you have a haunted house? The first time we talked about it, we said it's going to be great because of where it's at," said Jeff Woolard, an Elgin resident who will help work security and scare a few people this coming weekend.

So where exactly is this "Haunted House Spooktacular?"

The O'Conner-Leetz Funeral home in Elgin.

"It will have everything to give people chills. I think it's a morbid curiosity that people will have with it," said Lucy Maser, the funeral home's office manager. "We really wanted to try and do something that would be fun for people and raise money for Little Angels (Center for Exceptional Care in Elgin) and we thought this would be the best thing."

The haunted house will run from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 31, at 364 Division St.

Admission is $5, and advance ticket purchases are encouraged by visiting spectacularhauntedhouse.com or calling (847) 741-1400.

The haunted house is not recommended for children younger than 8.

The radio station Y103.9 will hold a live broadcast Saturday and there will be other family activities such as music, treats and raffles.

Maser said the idea was under consideration for about a year and in the planning stages for about three months. The biggest hurdle is balancing the spooky decorating with the decorum and respect inherent in funeral homes, she said.

"It was just daunting the amount of work we'd have to put into it while running a business at the same time. But it's a challenge we decided to undertake," Maser said.

For Tom Leetz, who owns the funeral home, the haunted house idea wasn't much of a stretch.

Leetz is a member of the Elgin Area Organization of Harley Owners, which hosts an annual ride to raise money for Little Angels.

"Because it's for Little Angels, we're happy and pleased to be doing this," he said. "We hope to get a big crowd out here. We have no intention of getting into the haunted house business. We want to make it interesting and fun for all involved (with the radio station and other activities)."

John Graff is organizing a group of 25 to 30 volunteers that will help decorate the funeral home, test fog machines and decide where people will stand along the haunted house route.

Graff's daughter, Amanda Marie, lived at Little Angels for seven years before she died in February 2007 at the age of 16, so the cause is close to his heart.

Graff, who also is an EAO member, predicted the preparations would go down to the wire.

"We've got to do a little at a time in case they have a funeral," he said. "Most of the work is going to have to be done the Friday before Halloween."