Get a Scare to Show You Care

September 6th, 2010 | By: Dellann Elliott

The Sammamish Rotary Club and the City of Sammamish present “Nightmare at Beaver Lake.”

When was the last time you were frightened out of your skin, or the last time you got to frighten someone else out of their skin? This fall is your chance to repeat the experience with the Sammamish Rotary Club, Scare Productions, and the City of Sammamish at “Nightmare at Beaver Lake.”

What is “Nightmare at Beaver Lake,” aka “The Nightmare”? For about two weeks, building up to Halloween, all of Beaver Lake Park becomes a “scareground.” Be warned, this is not your typical haunted house; this is a large haunted playground, with a haunted trail that wanders through the woods to the haunted house. This year, it will lead to a “penitentiary,” as the Beaver Lake Pavilion is transformed into a large jail. The magic will be so strong that people disappear right before your eyes!

“The Nightmare” began with the hope of benefiting youths, the community, and humanitarian projects. In late 2002, as the Rotary Club of Sammamish was forming the club members began looking at ways to meet their goal of not only providing international service but also meeting the needs of the local community. The Community Service committee concluded that very few events in the Sammamish Plateau focused on youths. As ideas were discussed, Anita Boser and Michele Pettiti, a Sammamish City Council member, came up with the idea of holding a small haunted house at Beaver Lake Park. It was started, not as a fundraiser, but as something cool and safe and local for young people to do during the Halloween season. The original thought was that if “The Nightmare” attracted a few hundred kids and they had a good time, the group would probably do it again. Well, it took off far exceeding expectations, with a few thousand tickets sold, and has now grown into a great fundraiser for the Rotary Club as well as a fun community event that now draws over 10,000 people each year. “Nightmare at Beaver Lake” is recognized as the largest outdoor theatrical production this side of the Mississippi put on by a nonprofit next to a lake named after a rodent.

This year’s theme is “Alice in Wonderland,” although it is a far cry from Lewis Carroll’s magical world. Think Splatter Room, Hall of Doors–Solitary Confinement, Electric Chair, Hedge Maze, Werewolves, Red Queen (someone loses a head), and much more.

All proceeds from the Nightmare are used to provide scholarships for students, purchase books and equipment for local schools, sponsor the SAMMI (Sammamish Acknowledging Magnificent Moments of Inspiration) Awards, provide donations for Eastside Baby Corner, support Life Enrichment Options and the Sammamish Family YMCA, continue to support the international effort to eradicate polio, and even build water wells in Ethiopia.

Every year Rotarians put in hundreds of volunteer hours to set up and operate this impressive theatrical production. But this event could not happen without many more volunteers who are not Rotarians but who just want to help and have fun. Volunteers learn how people working together can create something bigger than themselves. If you’re interested in volunteering, please visit FriendsOfSammamishRotary.org.

Volunteers, young and old, are needed to work as actors, set constructors, security and crowd-control personnel, theatrical makeup artists, and van drivers, and to come out and attend this event! To purchase tickets online, go to nightmareatbeaverlake.com.

The Rotary Club of Sammamish could not put this production on year after year without their partners, Scare Productions, a nonprofit organization based in Kent, and the Sammamish Parks and Recreation Department. Scare has two goals: raise money for charity, and give young people a place to develop workplace and interpersonal skills.

The 2010 show builds on five years of strong production and attendance. More than 35,000 people have attended the event and come back year after year. Of course, putting on a large-scale production requires community partners and sponsors. Expenses incurred by Scare and the Sammamish Rotary Club are offset by sponsorship dollars.

Location:
Beaver Lake Park: SE 24th St. and 244th Ave. SE, Sammamish

Dates and times: October 19–23, and 26–31, 7–10 p.m. weeknights, 7–11 p.m. weekends (7–8 p.m. is Family Hour; 8–10 or 11 p.m. is Full Fright)

Sponsorships:
Sponsors receive prime visibility in advertising for “The Nightmare,” which is seen by thousands of attendees year after year. Sponsorships allow the Rotary Club of Sammamish to further peace and understanding in our community and around the world through local and international projects. Please e-mail sponsorships@sammamishrotary.org if you’d like to become a sponsor. Sponsorship opportunities include:

BENEFACTOR GHOST: $5,000

• Prime sponsorship recognition in radio and newspaper advertising
• 12 VIP tickets including valet parking, dinner with the cast, and a behind-the-scenes VIP tour
• Corporate name and logo prominently displayed along the “walk of doom” at the entrance to the show
• Corporate name and logo displayed on the big screen that attendees see before entering the show
• Logo prominently displayed at www.thenightmareatbeaverlake.com with a link to your website
• Your company can also be incorporated into one of the show sets

GUARDIAN GHOST: $3,000

• Sponsorship recognition in newspaper advertising
• 8 VIP tickets including valet parking and a behind-the-scenes VIP tour
• Corporate name and logo prominently displayed along the “walk of doom” at the entrance to the show
• Corporate name and logo displayed on the big screen that attendees see before entering the show
• Logo prominently displayed at thenightmareatbeaverlake.com with a link to your website