By STEPHANIE BRUMFIELD / Staff Writer

MONTEVALLO – To raise money for fire equipment and medical supplies, West Shelby Fire and Rescue and the Dry Valley Fire Department have partnered to host their second annual haunted house during the month of October.

The haunted house, dubbed Dogwood Disturbia, opened Oct. 4 and will remain open on Friday and Saturday nights until the end of October. The haunted house will also be open on Halloween.

Ashley Graham, a firefighter with West Shelby Fire and Rescue, said the haunted house is the department’s biggest fundraiser of the year and provides the firefighters with a fun opportunity to interact with the community.

“The guys have really put a lot of time and effort, and a little bit of blood, into it,” Graham said with a laugh. “We put it on because we enjoy doing it. It’s a fundraiser, but at the same time it’s a way to let them see us in a different way than people who show up at horrible accidents.

“The guys really love the community, and it’s a way for them to get involved in a different way.”

In addition to the haunted house, which costs $10, haunted hayrides are also available for $8. Participating in both costs $15.

“(The hay ride) takes you own a wooded trail and out into an open field,” Graham said. “The biggest scene is the graveyard scene, one involving fire trucks and a werewolf. There are a lot of good people down there to really scare you. They jump on the trailer, and they really get into it.”

In the haunted house, Graham said her favorite scene is the doctor’s room.

“We have a lot of detail that we didn’t have least year,” she said. “(The doctor’s room) is set up with a body and the blood and all the guts and goo, and of course there’s a couple of people in that room to give you a scare, but it’s from where you’d least expect it.”

While many of the monsters and actors are firefighters, Graham said the haunted house also relies on volunteers to run it. One woman outside the fire departments, for instance, has volunteered to set the scene by giving visitors the story before they go in.

“We have help so that if we get any calls while we’re running (the haunted house), we can leave to go on those calls,” she said.

Dogwood Disturbia is located at the West Shelby Fire Department Station 1, 4175 Shelby County 22, Montevallo. Hours are 7-11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.