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Not a typical walk in the park: Fort Drum BOSS presents Haunted Trail

By Mike Strasser, Fort Drum Garrison Public AffairsOctober 11, 2024

Fort Drum BOSS presents Haunted Trail
1 / 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Fort Drum Better Opportunities for Single Soldiers (BOSS) members and volunteers put the finishing touches on the Haunted Trail at Remington Park on Oct. 10. They also conducted a dry run to validate the maximum amount of scare and fun that awaits community members over the next two weekends. (Photo by Mike Strasser, Fort Drum Garrison Public Affairs) (Photo Credit: Michael Strasser) VIEW ORIGINAL
Oct. 18-19. (Photo by Mike Strasser, Fort Drum Garrison Public Affairs) Fort Drum BOSS presents Haunted Trail
2 / 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Pfc. Ferrone Malone Jr., Fort Drum Better Opportunities for Single Soldiers volunteer, catches a ghost on the Haunted Trail at Remington Park on Oct. 10. (Photo by Mike Strasser, Fort Drum Garrison Public Affairs) (Photo Credit: Michael Strasser) VIEW ORIGINAL
Fort Drum BOSS presents Haunted Trail
3 / 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Spc. Angel Hernandez, Fort Drum Better Opportunities for Single Soldiers (BOSS) president works with the BOSS team to create the Haunted Trail at Remington Park. The event opens at 7 p.m. Oct. 11-12, and Oct. 18-19. (Photo by Mike Strasser, Fort Drum Garrison Public Affairs) (Photo Credit: Michael Strasser) VIEW ORIGINAL

FORT DRUM, N.Y. (Oct. 11, 2024) -- Members of the Fort Drum Better Opportunities for Single Soldiers program have been creeping around Remington Park recently, transforming a once pleasant and scenic stretch of trail into a pathway of horrors.

The Haunted Trail opens at 7 p.m. tonight for community members to have a fun, spooky outdoor adventure.

“The Haunted Trail is basically like going to a haunted house, but we brought it all outside,” said Spc. Casey Hixson, BOSS secretary. “So, before we get into the really cold season, this gives Soldiers and families a chance to go for a walk and see some scary sights.”

Along the trail – and in the dark – Hixson said attendees will discover that not all the decorations are static.

“That’s the fun part, because you never know,” he said. “Is it just a decoration, or is it an actual person that’s going to jump out? It’ll keep you on your toes.”

Hixson said that BOSS representatives and volunteers have put a lot of effort into the Haunted Trail, and he hopes it will draw a good crowd as it has in the past.

“This has been pretty popular for us,” he said. “We get a lot of Soldiers who come through, but also parents with their kids, and then groups of high schoolers. There’s a good amount of people, especially when the weather is nice.”

Tess Bachtel, BOSS supervisory recreation specialist, has worked with BOSS members on events such as the BOSS Car Show during Mountainfest. She said they apply creativity and attention to detail in everything they host.

“The BOSS representatives and volunteers have been great,” she said. “It’s their program and their event, so they have free range with the decorations and the layout of the trail. I think they did a really great job.”

The Haunted Trail is scheduled from 7 to 9 p.m. Oct. 11-12 and Oct. 18-19, and it is open to all DoD ID cardholders, ages 10 and older. Tickets can be purchased on site at Remington Park.

For more information, call (315) 772-7807.