Page 30 - sept oct 16 II

Fright Nights…. Continued from P. 26 moving in. With full support from all, the FOP moved in and
started to work. It was a lot of sweat getting the house ready
Hughes Boulevard in Elizabeth City. With the help of many for the coming season. As the opening night drew closer the
stress started to build and hours before the door opened the
volunteers, the horrors started to develop. Local drama teams crew was working feverishly to open the doors on time. With
one year under our belt the haunted house was very much im-
from various schools and a host of community volunteers proved. The actors were polished and the scenes looked great.
The second season cemented the haunted house as a local at-
came together and the terror of all the famous horror films traction. The second season also brought on the discussion of
renaming the event to promote a more recognizable name that
came to life. With witches, demented clowns, vampires, and would last through the years. The following season, “Fright
many other grotesque figures the “house” started taking shape. Nights” was born.

On opening night with actors showing up for the first time, the There have been improvements every year with more
money spent for professional props and costumes. We have
success of the event seemed unlikely. As we looked out the finally reached a point where we are making enough money to
support some of our community outreach programs like FOP,
front door on the first night, there was already a line that Cops and Kids, and Cops and Sprockets, and also put a little
money back to improve from year to year.
seemed 150 deep 15 minutes before the door was to open and In 2012, the late season hurricane closed us down on a couple
of our big nights, but we rebounded in the following years and
they waited with high expectations. It was scary (not in a we look forward to frightening our patrons out of their minds.
haunted house way) for the organizers because we didn’t know Don’t be too scared now……the tales of the old school being
haunted is just talk, or is it?
if we had put together a good show worthy of charging a ticket
For more information about this worth wild event, check out
price of $6.00 per person. As the folks started coming in and www.fopfrightnights.com.

meeting the group of witches and as we watched the faces and We would love to have FOP members from across the State
of North Carolina come and join us this year for one of our
saw the scared looks, we realized the Haunted House was a Fright Nights.

reality. The first season, by rookie haunter standards, was very

successful and started to pay for all the money spent. The fi-

nancial burdens were relaxed somewhat with a generous do-

nation by the Elizabeth City Jaycees. Without the help of the

Jaycees we may not have been able to get the Haunted House

off the ground and running.

The following year brought on the task of finding a new

home for the event. It was suggested that the old Elizabeth City
Middle School would make a scary backdrop for the “House”.
The FOP asked permission from the superintendent’s office

and the county commissioners to explore the possibility of

Law Enforcement Officers Appreciation Picnic
By Barry Westmoreland – Lodge 8 President

On Saturday, September 24, 2016, the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County FOP Lodge 8 and the Blue Knights will be co-
hosting our 4th Annual Law Enforcement Picnic. The event is open to ALL Winston-Salem and Forsyth County Officers
and their families. The menu will consist of hot dogs with all the trimmings, chips, soft-drinks and desserts. The
cost...FREE!

This is our way of letting ALL Officers, FOP or Not, know that the FOP cares for, supports and appreciate what our
Officers do for our communities and beyond.

The event will again be held at the Picnic Shelter of Bolton Park in Winston-Salem. Last year's event was a cold and
rainy one, but still well attended. We are hoping for even more attendees this year.

This event is open to all FOP members across the State of North Carolina so mark your calendar and join us for an
afternoon of fellowship, fun and food. Please contact me or another member of Lodge 8 if you plan to attend.

Date: September 24, 2016
Time: 11:00 am – 3:00 pm
Location: Bolton Park Picnic Shelter

1590 Bolton Street, Winston Salem, NC

Photo: The Picnic Shelter from last year's
wet picnic event.

www.ncfop.org