Haunted attraction in Cheektowaga donating proceeds to local charity

CHEEKTOWAGA, N.Y. (WIVB) — A haunted attraction in Cheektowaga that operations solely on donations is helping children all across Western New York.

While the sights and sounds of Halloween might be frightening to some, it’s something that Cheektowaga resident Kyle Garrison fell in love with as a child.

“Whether it’s the decorations, getting dressed up,” Garrison said. “You put a mask on, and no one knows it’s you.”

Roughly 20 years ago, Garrison started volunteering for a local haunted house. He then became a member of a crew where he worked heavily in set designing, including building decorations and operating lighting and sound.

About five years ago, Garrison created the Nightmares Crypt of Gardenvale Drive, a haunted walk-through with hundreds of creepy figures, decorations and jump scares guaranteed to give any visitor quite a thrill.

Garrison puts on this frightful attraction every year while also accepting donations. All of the proceeds are then donated to Variety, the Children’s Charity of Buffalo and Western New York, which benefits children who are sick, disadvantaged or have a disability.

“We chose Variety mostly because that was the charity beneficial for the haunted house I volunteered for,” Garrison said. “Since then, that haunted house has closed down.”

Garrison said it takes about a month to set up. Him and his wife, who also work full-time jobs, begin preparing the attraction right around Labor Day. Even though it’s a tedious process, Garrison said he wouldn’t trade helping the community during his favorite time of the year for the world.

“It’s really hard now because a lot of times it’s one house and then six houses later it’s another house,” Garrison said. “I remember when I was a kid it was every house, so I’m just trying to spread the fun.”

The haunted attraction is located at 175 Gardenvale Drive in Cheektowaga. If you’d like to check it out, the walk-through will be open every night until Halloween, weather permitting. You can check the place’s Facebook page for any updates on operating hours.

If you’d like to donate to Variety, the Children’s Charity of Buffalo and Western New York, you can do so here.

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Trina Catterson joined the News 4 team in 2024. She previously worked at WETM-TV in Elmira, a sister station of WIVB. See more of her work here.

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