By Joseph K. Saulnier
It is really tough to find a good haunted production these days. Some go way overboard and just try to
throw everything at you, and some are just not entertaining enough to keep you invested. Then there’s
productions like Nightmare at Beaver Lake. Presented by the Rotary Club of Sammamish, Nightmare
hits it out of the park.
Set up at Beaver Lake (duh) in Sammamish, this production takes you through Beaver Lake park both on
the trail there, and through makeshift shacks. There is enough time spent both inside and outside, that
the staff there does a great job of not letting it get old quick. The length of time spent going through the
production is great too. It’s not so short that you feel cheated out of the price of admission, and not too
long that you find yourself wondering when it’s going to end. Also, the volunteers are very interactive,
and did a great job of responding to jibes quipped at them from attendees.
The makeup of the volunteers and the setup of the trail and rooms that you would go through was
excellent as well. You could tell that a lot of effort was put into the production, which is especially
amazing because everyone involved in this Nightmare are 100% volunteer. And oh the many volunteers
there were. We must have seen at least 100 different people involved (from collecting cash, to the
actors, to the booths set up at the end). In fact, all proceeds from this production are given directly to
charity. Again, amazing.
About a third of the way through, they also give you the option to take a scary path or a very scary path.
It’s nice to have options for those who really don’t like scary things, but are there because a friend or
significant other was there, as was the situation with my guest. And what do I do? I drag her along the
very scary route. Which was very entertaining and she ended up enjoying herself going through it. But
my favorite part of the whole production was the very last room. But as the saying goes, save the best
for last.
Once you are done with the Nightmare, you are pretty far from where you started. But not to fear,
because they provide shuttles back to the lots they have set up for parking. But before you even get to
the shuttle, there are a few booths for you to pick some stuff from, including Ekernal Kettle Corn (get
it… eternal…) and a local company that has made delicious Halloween themed sugar cookies. They also
have a free photo booth where you can pick signs from a bunch of different options and get your photo
taken to be posted on the Nightmare at Beaver Lake Facebook page. And right before you get to the
shuttle, they have a beverage booth, where everything is free! Snapple and Venom Energy drinks are
big sponsors of the production, and you are welcome to free drinks from these companies, as well as
water and a few others. They even had coupons for free Monster Tacos from Jack in the Box.
While Nightmare at Beaver Lake may not be the scariest production out there, it is definitely worth
checking out. And, as our shuttle driver pointed out, it is the largest attraction in the U.S. to be named
after a rodent.
Happy Halloween everyone!
