Childhood memories will help haunt house

His haunted house, at 107 Sean Drive, is a journey back to Halloweens past inspired by a haunted house he use to attend when he was a kid.

"When we were kids, after we went trick-or-treating we would always end up at Dr. Bush's house," Mr. Burne said of the haunted house once held on Noble Road. "When he stopped doing it, it was traumatic."

The Halloween fanatic said that in honor of his idol, he wants to be this generation's Dr. Bush. So he and several of his friends have been working day and night to prepare the house for the Halloween terror.

"Last year we had a haunted house, but it was sort of last-minute. It was cool, but nothing like this year. I hope to build on it every year. I love Halloween," said the 33-year-old who admits he has too much time on his hands. "I guess this is my way of saying to the community, 'Lighten up, it's Halloween.' Everybody's a kid deep down. I guess this is my sandbox."

The house's legend centers on a woman named Mary Beemer who lived in the Abington area in the early 1880s.

According to the story, Mary moved to the area from England with her husband and 10 children. She was described as being a very finicky and curious female. One stormy Halloween night, Mary mysteriously set out into the woods on horseback. It is believed that she intruded upon the home of an old witch, who cursed her to haunt those woods forever. Mary never returned.

The past few years, mysterious things have been happening in the area where Mary once lived. Residents have reported seeing a strange, ghostly figure and hearing noises in the weeks leading up to Halloween. It has also been said that on Halloween night, Mary reappears and haunts the home that now rests on the land where she lived.

Those who dare to attend will see Mary firsthand, as well as a torture chamber, skeletons and coffins, a beast and a witches cauldron. As a tribune to his idol, the curious will enter Dr. Bush's laboratory.

The haunt on Sean Drive will be held from 6 to 7:30 p.m., which is suitable for all ages, including young children. The house and yard will be filled with friendly ghosts and goblins and plenty of candy.

At 7:30 p.m. the monsters come out and it's time for terror on Sean Drive. Take a short journey into the house of horrors and see a "beheading" every 20 minutes. Admission is free for both haunted journeys. For more information call 586-0548 or visit the Web site at www.seandrive.com.

To find the haunted house, take Route 6 to South Abington Road. Turn right onto Edella Road and continue straight up the hill for about two miles. Bear left around the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints onto Simrell Road. Sean Drive will be the first left.

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