It’s that time of year again, when screams emanate from within the walls of the Fernley
ACES/1st Option Realty office. No, it’s not from soaring rental prices or from the volunteer
ACES crew (well, actually, there probably were some screams of frustration during the build, so
that’s not entirely true), it’s from the many victims, I mean, patrons, of the annual Fernley ACES
haunted house.
This year, the office has been converted into a haunted delicatessen. As you approach the
outside, the windows and signage have been converted into a rather convincing deli storefront,
which has even confused some visitors into thinking that it has become an actual deli. The work
of the ACES has just begun, though, in an impressive show of creativity and ingenuity.
A true labor of love, the build takes over a month to complete. The haunt takes over the entire
backyard of the office and requires a lot of infrastructure to be erected. This year’s haunt
encompasses around 5,000 square feet of space, the biggest it’s ever been. Working with a small,
all-volunteer crew, the space is slowly transformed. Each year, the challenge is to come up with a
new theme, and to make it bigger and better than ever. Old props are reused and repurposed, new
ones painstakingly built and placed. The attention to detail is something to be admired as these
artists create something out of pure imagination and spunk.
On the nights that the haunt is open to the public, there are around 40 volunteers acting, selling
tickets, doing actor makeup, entertaining victims (guests), keeping things running, and keeping
people safe. It wouldn’t be possible to do something so big without so many people willing to
help. Teens return year after year, earning community service hours, making friends, and having
a blast becoming the ghouls that haunt the halls. It’s something that the crew looks forward to, a
bit like a big family coming together for their annual gathering–if that family somewhat
resembled the Addams Family, that is.
Food trucks like MH Fine Swine BBQ, We Can Warriors, and Del Barrio show up, ready to feed
the crowds. Pizza Factory Fernley and Fire Forno donated to help feed the crew. It’s a
community effort to bring such an attraction like this to our city. All of this effort brings together
something worth traveling for, and people come from all over to visit Fernley’s haunted house. In
years past, the reviews have put it in the top of the northern Nevada haunted attractions, and this
year promises to be no different.
When you come to visit, you’ll enter the Delicatessen, finding yourself feeling like something is
just a little “off” in this place. You’ll get a behind the scenes tour that gets darker and more
twisted with every turn. If you’ve visited the haunt in past years, you may recognize some
familiar elements that have become somewhat of a signature for the ACES haunts over the years,
but they’re still surprising and unexpected, used in new ways, new places, and brought to the
next level. Dark corners, confusing twists and turns, jump scares, and more are ready to elicit
screams from each visitor.
In addition to the usual suspects and new frights, the ACES is trying some new things this year
including the point-of-view Scare Cam where you can see the faces of ACES victims as they get
spooked, weekend “High Frights” posted on ACES socials, and a 360 camera for fun selfies
(wear your costumes!).
The weird light in the sky and the thundering booms are leading you to the depths of darkness in
the ACES Delicatessen Haunted House, so watch out for the beacons leading to your doom. The
haunt has been extended to three weekends this year through Nov. 1. It’s located at 40 N Center
St, Fernley and runs Fridays and Saturdays (plus Thursday, Oct 30th) from 7 p.m. until after 10
p.m., whenever there’s no more line outside.
Check FernleyACES.net for more information. Come visit, if you dare!
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