The final scare

Listen carefully tonight.

If you’re on Sperryville Pike, just a few miles from town, you might hear the terrified screams of a few souls lost in the woods for the last time.

But don’t worry. After escaping Nate Jasper’s haunted woods, most are likely to admit how good it was and snag some candy for the ride home.

However, the haunting will end for good this weekend. After more than 20 years, Jasper has decided to call it quits for his well-known attraction.

“It’s a lot of work, a lot of time,” he said. “It’s getting to be too much.”

Getting the haunted woods ready began in the summer, he said, when “it wasn’t too terribly hot.” About 20 volunteers bring the show to life.

A Culpeper County deputy, Jasper recalled that he ran the show for 17 straight years until two years ago, when a fight broke out in the entrance line, prompting him to cancel it. Last year, both Eastern View and Culpeper County high schools needed all deputies available to assist at home football games. In other years, heavy rains have curtailed the show.

Jasper said what started out as elaborate Halloween decorations in his front yard eventually morphed into a full-sized, walk-through spooky attraction that takes months to produce and nearly two dozen people to run. It’s become a local legend.

While showing off this year’s version, Joe Coleman and Wayne Dodson, who are producing their own haunted attraction in Opal, stopped by to check out Jasper’s expertise.

“I think it’s great,” Coleman said. “It inspired me to do my own.”

Although this is the last year, Jasper, who estimates that about 5,000 people will visit during the event’s three-night run, said he knows the haunted woods will live forever in the memories of many Culpeper residents.

“Not a day goes by that I don’t hear about the haunted woods,” he said with a laugh.

Halloween hauntings

Scare yourself silly at these free haunted Halloween attractions.

Nate Jasper’s Haunted Woods: Located about five miles outside of town in the 9200 block of Sperryville Pike. Open tonight, Friday and Saturday from 7 until about 11 p.m.
Weaver’s Woods: Located at 10720 Weaversville Road near Opal in southern Fauquier County. Open Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. Signs will be posted directing visitors to the site.
Unlucky Inn:The Remington Volunteer Fire & Rescue Department on Lucky Hill Road presents a haunted house experience Friday and Saturday. Scare time for kids is 6 to 7:30 p.m., or get completely terrified from 7:30 to 11 p.m. General admission is $10, or $20 for the VIP treatment.

Safe trick-or-treating tips from the sheriff’s office
-Wear a costume that’s easy to walk in and short enough to avoid tripping.

-If you make your own costume, remember to choose non-flammable materials.

-Use makeup instead of a mask to dress up.

-Carry a flashlight and use reflective tape if possible.

-Plan the trick-or-treat route ahead of time and try to stay in the neighborhood if possible.

-Only visit homes with the light on.

-Plan to be home at a certain time, and communicate this information to family or friends.

-Wait until returning home before eating any candy; throw out any treats that aren’t factory sealed in a package.

-Travel in groups and never go inside unfamiliar homes.

-For adults, remember to watch for trick-or-treaters while driving, because they may forget to watch out for you.

-Culpeper County’s trick-or-treat curfew is 9 p.m.; trick-or-treaters must be age 12 or younger.