The Church of Scientology Mission of the Foothills, located in the heart of Montrose, opened its doors to the community for the fifth consecutive year and held the most successful ever “Not too Scary” Haunted House. The event is geared for younger children, ages 3 to 9, and is designed to be on the mild side of scariness. Over a thousand visitors (a bit over 1,300 to be exact) made their way through the elaborately decorated rooms this year and took in the hauntingly Halloweenish sights.

The mission’s director, Stacy Kitchens, said, “We saw a lot of people from previous years, some stating they look forward to coming every year. Many of the visitors were entire families in costume and they really seemed to get into the fun of it with a number of them expressing their appreciation for what we were doing. “

At the start of the haunted house tour, a photo booth was set up on the “orange carpet” where photos were taken and families could bring home their photo as a memento of the experience.

This year, an added feature to the haunted house was having a few actors involved – just enough to add a little spice and give everyone a few extra surprises as they toured through the house’s maze.

Halloween treats were given out at five different candy stations throughout the house and each parent was given a gift bag as well.

According to Kitchens, “The staff and volunteers really enjoy putting on the haunted house each year and they work tirelessly for the week before Halloween to set it all up. We come ready to entertain and be entertained by all the ghouls, goblins, princes and princesses. It’s always fun to see how creative people can get with their costumes.”

“Our whole purpose here at the church is to help people lead better lives,” added Kitchens. “On a day-to-day basis, we give people tools they can use in life to solve the problems that happen, solutions that actually work.”

The Church of Scientology Mission of the Foothills opens its doors six days a week to serve the public. It is located at 2254 Honolulu Ave. in Montrose.