Butler family's asylum tour a big hit
The asylum on Whippo Avenue in Butler opened for another night of terror tourism, possibly for the last time.
For 10 years, the Wetzel family has been running the asylum tour out of their home on Halloween.
Like many things, the tour took a hiatus last year due to COVID-19, but Doug Wetzel said he, his wife, Connie, and his son, Dylan, really wanted to close things on a good note by having one last tour.
“The wife and I set this up, and we're in our 60s,” Wetzel said. “We said 'Let's kick it off one more year and call it quits.'”
The asylum had many visitors Sunday night, but none might have enjoyed it more than Adrian Kaltenbaugh, 7, who toured the asylum three times.
“I liked the scary stuff that jumped out at us,” he said.
Adrian stopped with his mother, Christine Kaltenbaugh, and brother, Aiden Kaltenbaugh, 10.
“I liked when the lady jumped through the window,” said Aiden, referring to a part in the maze where a witchy figure pokes her head into the maze through a window.
Visitors entered through the front door of the family's split-level home. They took the stairs down to an entryway leading to the garage.
Inside, walls lined with cobwebs and other items meandered around in a maze-like fashion, maximizing every inch of the space.
Like different ghastly biomes, the tour included a creepy circus area, a ghoulish butcher shop and an ominous crematorium.
While there are a lot of animatronics that reacted to motion, there also were multiple volunteers inside the asylum, according to Wetzel. The volunteers, decked out in their scariest gear were crouched and ready to jump at unsuspecting travelers.
“Each year, we change the theme,” Wetzel said. “We've never repeated a scene.”
Ashley Cramer, of Butler, stopped at the asylum with her daughter, Aleah Montgomery, 12, and her niece, Lilly Tillander, 18.
Cramer said though they live in the neighborhood, this was their first stop at the tour.
Like young Adrian before her, Aleah said her favorite part was the woman who spooked her through the window.
“They did an awesome job,” she said.
Lilly said she liked the aesthetics the most.
“It was cool,” she said. “It was decorated so nice.”
Wetzel said the great part about the maze is that it's not so scary that people can't make it through, but it's scary enough to be entertaining. He said some choose not to enter the asylum, and that's fine. They collect their candy and move on, and he said sometimes these same children come back to give it a try.
“They come in and get their candy, then they decide whether or not to go through,” Wetzel said. “The scary part is not knowing what to expect.”
Wetzel said the asylum takes five to six weeks to plan and set up, and it can be draining.
“We'll miss it,” Wetzel said. “We're almost sure this is our last year.”
