Frightmare Farms serves up the Halloween scares

Those looking to celebrate Halloween by screaming their heads off don’t have to look far in Merced County, as Frightmare Farms is once again serving up a healthy slice of creepy clowns, grinning ghouls, hungry zombies and a wide variety of things that go bump in the night.

Located in the community of Plainsburg, near Le Grand, the attraction draws thousands of people every year, including visitors from different countries.

The event was born more than 30 years ago when the Brown family – Kelly, husband Warren and sons Greg, Dan and Josh – would celebrate Halloween with other farming families with annual harvest parties. The parties would include pumpkin carvings, hayrides and other activities for kids. As the children grew up, organizers said they started “haunting out” the barn.

After the Browns haunted out the barn in 2010, word of their autumn creation spread and the crowd grew. A year later, they decided to obtain permits to allow them to create a large-scale horror-themed attraction leading up to Halloween.

Frightmare Farms organizers in recent years have also added attractions like the Zombie Raid. It plays off the popularity of the hit zombie apocalypse TV series “The Walking Dead.” Guests are strapped into bucket seats on a flatbed trailer and can use mounted paintball guns to take down onrushing zombies as they weave through the cornfield.

To get to Frightmare Farms, take Highway 99 to the Childs Avenue exit, head east and follow the signs to 8964 E. Gillette Avenue. It opens at 7 p.m. Friday through this Sunday. For tickets and more information, visit frightmarefarms.com.

This story was originally published October 30, 2014 at 6:23 PM with the headline "Frightmare Farms serves up the Halloween scares."