PORTSMOUTH, Va. - Welcome to Spooky Acres, where someone is always keeping an eye on you, as you venture through, at times with some creepy company. I got to find out first hand as I took the creepy tour!
The 35-hundred square feet of scares in this Portsmouth shopping center off Airline Boulevard is all the creation of Darren and Paige Barton.
We first shared their story last week and the bond they have formed with the 50 or so volunteers. The young people who help out, see Darren and Paige as another set of parents.
Just ask Franny Godwin.
"I lost my dad six years ago and Darren is like a father figure to me. He taught me how to build and how to break down these sets. It's something I've come to love and it's always why I come back every year. Because my dad loved Halloween," Godwin said.
Paige says it's clear, they have touched many lives, "The relationship you build with kids like these is amazing. Throughout the years we've received Mother's Day and Father's Day messages from children that weren't yours but are yours in a way now."
And while it's a screaming good time, it's also helping out a good cause. A portion of the proceeds benefits the March of Dimes.
Paige says there's a personal connection when their haunted attraction used to be in a Suffolk community.
"The March of Dimes stepped in years ago for one of our volunteers family out in Chuckatuck and that's the point we decided we were going to start with the March of Dimes and stay with the March of Dimes," Paige tells us.
For those reasons, News 3 presented Darren and Paige Barton with an Everyday Hero award, along with a $300 Visa gift card from our community partner Southern Bank.
Paige and Darren were very grateful, with Paige fighting back tears.
"We don't do it for any recognition. No, not at all. It's not about us. It's about the community, it's about the kids, it's about the March of Dimes," Paige tells us.
For more info on the dates and times to check out Spooky Acres and support the March of Dimes, click here.
