The Buzz

NORTH READING ⏤ When the weather begins to get colder, for many children, this signifies pumpkins and candy.  While this remains true for the children of North Reading, Halloween also holds another connotation: Masquers’ Haunted Playground.  This annual event always draws large crowds; expanding in different ways from year to year.  This year is not dissimilar, with a variety of new events and activities that can continue to provide fun and entertainment for all the children who attend.

Firstly, while there has been a previous perception of Haunted Playground as an event for younger children, masquers hopes to change that to include a diverse range of age groups.  One such event is a haunted house replacing the horse carriage ride that has been present at this event in past years.  “It’s targeted towards middle schoolers,” Masquers President Sofia Naulivou states, reassuring, “it’s not going to be too scary”.  

Another change that they are making this year is to the layout of the event.  By taking away the horse carriage, they open up the parking lot next to the soccer field for parking, allowing for the car drop area to be used to expand the inflatables and activities like the haunted house.  They will have a shuttle that can take people from the parking lots to the main area and back again as they need.

Some things that everyone can depend on, however, are the skits.  This year, people can expect to see the mad libs skit that was a success last year.  This skit is paired with a mad libs that groups fill out, making the skit personal and unique for each group that sees it, with the Masquers playing along with the group’s unique responses.  A new skit this year has a Hocus Pocus theme.  As always, Masquers students will act in all the skits throughout the night.  

What many people do not know about this event is the tireless effort and planning that goes into it.  Naulivou identifies that preparations for this event begin in June, saying, “It’s a whole show that we put on”.

During this event, Naulivou as well as the other officers have a lot of responsibilities that attendees may overlook.  Naulivou’s role as Masquers president carries with it some additional responsibilities.  She explains, “I will run the logistics”.  This entails walking around the event and checking in with the other members of Masquers to make sure everyone is on task and doing well throughout the four hours of the event. 

Naulivou is also the only person working who does not have a separate job on top of officer responsibilities.  All the other officers act as point people for different aspects of the event.  Matt Mulcahey, the club’s vice president, Mikey Manupelli, club secretary, and Anthony Spina, the treasurer, are all point people of various branches of the event.  This spans from the skits to the inflatables, to the walk-around characters.

Before Haunted Playground was what it is today, the event was hosted by the Martins Pond Association.  Six years ago, it was taken over by Masquers who moved and renamed the event.  Since 2019, the event has been at the Batchelder Elementary School.  The remnants of the original event can still be seen in the Masquers skits and walk around characters that make up the core of Haunted Playground.  

Even the Covid-19 pandemic could not put a damper in this tradition.  Masquers made adjustments, holding their event at school, having skits in classrooms, calling it a “Haunted Walkthrough” in 2020.  This way, they were able to keep the event whilst ensuring safety protocols were upheld.

Even before this year’s Haunted Playground, Masquers has already begun preparations for Haunted Playground 2025.  They hope to extend the event to two days, as well as hiring a company that is based out of Wilmington, called Crushing Amusements, who can provide inflatables, food trucks, generators, and rides.  The company can also provide staff who can work their equipment, lessening any potential additional burden that a major change such as this could cause on the Masquers actors.  Sofia described, “we’ve made it as big as we can in these past six years on what we know how to do”.  She added, “hopefully they can help take it to that next step”.

The Haunted Playground will be held on October 19 from 5-9 p.m.   It is free to show up but each game, ride, and some entertainment costs between three and five dollars each.  Masquers also provides an option to purchase a wrist band for thirty dollars that grants one unlimited rides, games, and entertainment.  For anyone looking for a spooky fun experience this Halloween season, Masquers Haunted Playground is a must!