Spooks invade Dewey haunt

At one of the oldest buildings in Dewey Beach, there are bound to be a few ghosts.  This Halloween, the crazies and the undead are coming out to haunt visitors at the Bottle & Cork.

The Dewey Beach landmark will hold its first haunted house in 15 years, said Highway One Partner Alex Pires, owner of the Bottle & Cork.  The haunt will be open only from 7 to 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday, Oct. 25 and 26.  “We’re expecting a lot of people,” Pires said.

The owners are not revealing many details, and Pires said no pictures of the setup are being released before the haunt opens.  Visitors will enter the house in groups of 10 and be led through eight rooms, each with its own theme. “It's very dark,” he said.  “It’s for people who enjoy being scared.”

Pires said Highway One decided to reopen the haunted house because of its affiliation with Dewey Business Partnership, which is working to make Dewey Beach a Halloween destination.   “It gets bigger every year,” he said.

Dewey Business Partnership is sponsoring trick-or-treating at businesses in Dewey Beach from 6 to 7 p.m., and a bonfire from 6:30 to 9 p.m., Friday, Oct. 25.  The bonfire will be held on the beach at Dagsworthy Avenue with ghost story telling, music and dancing.

Pires said a lot of work went into putting the haunted house together, from hauling in a real coffin to rehearsing with 26 actors.  “It’s pretty cool, actually,” he said.

Pires warns: The haunt is not for very young children.  “It’s for kids 10 and above,” he said.  “It’s pretty damn scary.”

Entry fee for the haunt is $10 per person, and children under 12 enter free.  For more information, call 302-227-3888.

The bonfire and trick-or-treating are free and open to kids of all ages.  For more information, go to Deweybusinesspartnership.com.