Press

ALBANY – New horrors and some familiar frights will greet those who dare to enter the “Haunted Museum of Un-Natural History” opening on October 18th for its seventh season at the New York State Museum.

The “Haunted Museum” will open for two weekends, October 18 and 19; Oct. 25 and 26, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and on Halloween night, Friday, Oct. 31, from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. It will be located in Exhibition Hall, on the Museum’s first floor.

The “Monster Mash & Bash” will provide more light-hearted fun for younger children, aged 10 and under. It will be held in the Student Center Oct. 18 and 19 and 25 and 26, from noon to 4 p.m. Children and their families are invited to dress for a 1 p.m. costume parade around the Museum, which begins in the Museum lobby. The “Monster Mash & Bash” will feature face-painting and Halloween crafts. There will be no Bash on Halloween night.

The “Haunted Museum” features “The Meat Locker,” “Die Laughing” and other theme-based rooms, which combine objects from the Museum’s collections with eery animal specimens, and frightening illusions. “Scare- acters” leap out of nowhere and inanimate objects suddenly seem to move and follow frightened visitors.

Visitors are advised that the intense lighting, sounds and special effects are not for everyone and definitely not suitable for children under 10. Anyone under 12 must be accompanied by an adult. “Haunted Museum”visitors are asked not to wear costumes, but costumes are encouraged for the “Monster Mash & Bash.”

Proceeds from both events will benefit the Museum’s after-school programs for Albany city youth.Admission to the “Haunted Museum” is $7. The event is free on Halloween night, courtesy of National Grid, the presenting sponsor. Monster Mash admission is $2. The Halloween events are a significant source of funding for the Museum’s youth programs, making it possible for many children to attendeducational after-school programs tuition-free or at reduced cost. Now, many of the children involved in the Discovery Squad teen program and the Time Tunnel summer camp, are taking an active role in planning and building the “Haunted Museum.”

“I have kids sending me e-mail in August to ask when we’ll be starting. They talk about it year round,”said Truemaster Trimingham, a Museum educator and horror movie fan who is the “Haunted Museum”mastermind. “They want to know, ‘When can we start to build? When can we come in?’ It wasn’t my intention, but it has really taken off. You have kids coming from the suburbs, and from here in the city, with one purpose in mind -- to scare the pants off of people.” A few of the students have even contacted Trimingham from out-of-town colleges to find out when they can come in to help.

By mid-September, Mikenna Greenough, a Columbia High School junior, had started helping Trimingham pull together the materials to begin work on the “Haunted Museum.” This year, at her suggestion, characters will wear ghoulish and disfiguring makeup for the first time, with the help ofdesigns Greenough has derived from horror movies.

“I advertise it everywhere. My ‘My Space’ page has ‘Haunted Museum of Un-Natural History’ on it. I pass out flyers in my school,” said Greenough, who wears a t-shirt promoting the event and has recruited friends to volunteer.

She has made close friends from throughout the region through her time at the Museum, first as a participant in Time Tunnel and, later, as a junior counselor. Taking part in the “Haunted Museum” has helped her conquer her shyness. “Initially I said, ‘I’m in a mask, nobody knows it’s me.’ But it turned out to be a blast.”

Another enthusiast, Derek Hines, has devoted full weekends, and even a few overnights, to help build the “Haunted Museum.” He plans to help this year, even though he is now 18, and has graduated from Albany High School and is no longer part of the Discovery Squad.

Hines attended the Museum’s after-school programs throughout his youth and had a job with the Discovery Squad program in high school. He believes that his involvement helped keep him off of the streets and in school. He helps now as much to give back to the Museum as for the fun.

“This isn’t just a haunted house,’’ he said. “It’s a haunted house with a cause. “

The New York State Museum, established in 1836, is a program of the New York StateEducation Department. Located at the Empire State Plaza on Madison Avenue in Albany, the Museum is open daily from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. except on Thanksgiving and Christmas. Admission is free and the Museum is fully accessible.

Further information about the programs and events can be obtained by calling (518) 474-5877 orvisiting the museum Web site at: http://www.nysm.nysed.gov/programs/halloween.

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