Scaremare workers scare for Jesus in annual event
- Scaremare will celebrate its 45th anniversary this year when it opens in October.
- Many Liberty students volunteer and have the opportunity to complete CSER with Scaremare.
As the moon lights the night sky Oct. 12, Lynchburg’s annual Scaremare event will run for another nine days of haunting thrills and evangelistic outreach. This year’s collection of haunted houses, dark forests and terrifying rooms will once again bring guests face-to-face with their own mortality and present the saving grace of Christ to all who enter. With its dependency on volunteers, the event also gives Liberty students a fun opportunity to fulfill Christian Service (CSER) credit for the fall semester.
For 45 years, Liberty’s Scaremare has provided guests with an exciting excursion through several themed locations which simultaneously get the heart pumping and the mind thinking. The event, created by Thomas Road Baptist Church, is a result of many youth pastors brainstorming opportunities for a community-based outreach that would be fun for kids. Ever since, Scaremare has attracted thousands of guests, with an average of over 25,000 attending annually for the past three years.
Scaremare director and youth ministry professor Steve Vandegriff said that Scaremare is constantly earning the right to be heard every year.
“We want to do a good job with what we’re doing, but then we want to be crystal clear that there is a spiritual answer to death, and Christ is that answer,” Vandegriff said.
This year’s event is shaping up to be just as frightening as ever, featuring a self-guided journey through three haunting locales: the house, the front woods and the old cabinet shop. The gospel is shared at the end of the course, emphasizing the event’s evangelistic aim.
Because Scaremare is an enormous production taking place from 7:30 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. over nine nights, a strong number of volunteers is essential for its success. For students interested in signing up to fulfill CSER credit, at least three nights of work are required during the Scaremare event itself, as well as one work night which involves setting up, tearing down or cleaning the event space. Volunteers will maintain and watch over the themed courses, ensure guests are enjoying themselves and even dress up and and act as one of the monsters to scare passers-by.
With the event’s dark atmosphere and suspenseful approach, Scaremare directors have taken extensive precautions to make sure guest safety is a key priority. In the case of suspicious activity, a strong LUPD presence stands ready to keep the peace and provide security for guests and volunteers alike. Fire marshals from the Lynchburg Fire Department also offer their protection to guarantee a safe and fun experience.
Vandegriff believes the preparations for Scaremare 2017 are coming along nicely, serving to create what is expected to be the event’s largest and most influential year thus far.
“Scaremare is evangelistic,” Vandegriff said. “The community embraces it because it is a destination event for Lynchburg, and so we’re happy to fall under that category. But obviously, we have a bigger goal in mind.”
Scaremare officially begins Oct. 12 and runs Thursdays through Saturdays during the month. Tickets can be purchased at the gate for $10 a person with discounts on Thursdays for college students and military. Liberty students may sign up to volunteer for CSER credit through ASIST. More information can be found at www.liberty.edu/scaremare or by calling (434) 582-2180.