Experience a spooky, haunted trail at Terror on Texas Hill this weekend in the town of Otselic. (Submitted photos)

OTSELIC – If you’re looking for spooky Halloween fun, Texas Hill in the town of Otselic is the place to be this weekend. Husband and wife team Chris and Lori Marquard have spent the last several months preparing a haunted trail for all ages to enjoy.

Terror on Texas Hill will be open from 7 to 10 p.m. on Friday, October 16th and Saturday, October 17th. Younger children, and anyone else who prefers a less scary experience, can visit Saturday from 4:30-6:30 p.m. A free-will donation will be asked of those who attend and all proceeds will go to Upstate Golisano Children’s Hospital in Syracuse.

From 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. the sun is still shining and no ghosts or ghouls will be jumping out to scare those who walk through. In the later hours, the thrills are a little more intense.

Terror on Texas Hill began nine years ago, but even before that time, Chris and Lori were creating haunted houses and decorations wherever they were.

“I’ve always loved Halloween,” Lori said.

She began decorating at her parents’ house in Connecticut years ago. After moving to the area, she and Chris began decorating the South Otselic Fire Department for a spooky haunted house. But as the event got bigger and bigger and they were bringing in more and more decorations, Chris and Lori decided to move it to their home and set up a trail through the woods for an even bigger scare.

Even though the event has been going on for nine years, it’s not the same every time.

“We try to change something every year. I’m most excited for the new creatures we’ve added,” Lori explained.

Lori said the first year they threw together their plan in about three weeks and only 30 people attended the event. However, in their ninth year, the event keeps growing and growing and it takes a lot more time to prepare as well.

“As soon as it’s over, we start planning for the next year,” Lori said. These days Chris and Lori start setting up in June, and their efforts have paid off. “Last year we had over 800 visitors.”

Sharing their love of Halloween is half the fun, but in addition, Terror on Texas Hill raises money for a good cause. Last year, Chris and Lori were able to raise $5,500 for Upstate Golisano Children’s Hospital. For six years, that has been the charity they have chosen to support, but before that, they donated money to Chenango County Hospice and the Junior Diabetes Foundation. Over the years, Terror on Texas Hill has raised $19,000 all of which went to local charities. Chris and Lori hope visitors will continue to be generous with their donations to help support Golisano.

The guided tour takes approximately 20 minutes to walk through. Everyone working at the event is a volunteer. Some of the crew have been recruited over the years and continue to help Chris and Lori execute their vision. Other volunteers are students from area schools who will be earning community service for their participation. Lori’s advice for anyone attending is to dress warm and wear good sneakers, just in case you need to run from zombies or creatures of the night.

In the event of extreme weather, the event will be postponed until the following weekend. Please check the Terror on Texas Hill Facebook page for more information. Texas Hill is located off of Route 80 in the Town of Otselic.