By DOUG GRAVES
Ohio Correspondent

SPRINGBORO, Ohio — Bill and Jennifer Danishek wanted to leave the urban setting and move into the country so their children could see another side of life. The quiet side, that is.

All is peaceful on the 50-acre Bull Run Farm just outside of Springboro. But each fall, through Nov. 1, this Warren County farm is anything but quiet … it becomes transformed into a loud and bone-chilling haunted hayride.

The Danisheks purchased the farm and hayride business seven years ago from longtime owner Jack Poff, who had the business going for 10 years.

“I wanted my children to see something other than the city side of things and wanted them closer to nature,” Bill Danishek said. “In purchasing this farm, we wanted to keep the fall hayrides intact. We made several changes to the hayride and added many new features.

“There’s not much agribusiness in this area, and it was so popular that we wanted to keep this attraction alive.”

The Danisheks still tend hay, straw and a few minor crops on the farm and need to supplement their income. They found that revenue by keeping the Haunted Hayride. It is approximately one mile long and offers 30 scenes by more than 100 actors. Tractors pull patrons who are sitting on hay bales.

They first drive through one of the Bull Run barns, where a demented surgeon mutilates and dismembers his unfortunate patient … before turning his attention on the hayriders. Without pausing, the wagon proceeds into darkened woods, where the Headless Horseman emerges and grabs at patrons in the wagon.

One of the ghouls staggers toward the back of the wagon and is dragged for some distance before relinquishing his grip. The tractor pulls riders to safety.

A quiet ride resumes but soon after, an ear-piercing siren from a pickup truck suddenly thunders into range, its powerful engine revving and blasting as it pulls alongside the wagon in an attempt to run the wagon off the road.

Things get peaceful again – but for only a few seconds. Out of nowhere rolls a combine driven by a Bull Run Farm maniac, coming so close to the rear of the wagon that it gives the illusion of catching the wagon. Even a hotrod hearse gives chase.

Ignoring the sign that warns a bridge ahead is out, the tractor carries the patrons onward past a ghost-infested cemetery, and right through the drive-in movie screening of “Killer Klowns from Outer Space,” culminating in a multiple, onboard maniacal chainsaw attack by many of the actors.

Things quiet down midway through the ride as each wagon passes through the foggy cemetery.

For those wanting a quieter, yet scarier, venture, there’s The Black Bog, a walk along a dark path with unheard of creatures and goblins. Seeing one’s way through “The Bog” is next to impossible with all the fog rolling through the trail (thanks to the use of special machines). The haze conceals several monsters that one doesn’t see until practically looking them in the eye!

A spooky cemetery, gravedigger and chainsaw-wielding attacker stand as obstacles along the path, while a deranged loony surrounded by body bags hopes to add patrons to his “collection.”

Hillbillies extend dinner invitations, while Jerry’s Old Junkyard houses an old hearse and a few other surprises en route to a spinning vortex finish to The Black Bog.

For those not brave enough to ride or walk through the woods, there’s a bonfire outside with miscellaneous treats inside the concession barn – there, one can get better acquainted with movie monster Freddie Krueger.

The cost to ride is $10. The walk through The Black Bog is $8; or, do both for $15.

The Haunted Hayride is located at 6070 Springboro Road between Lebanon and Springboro. The event is held Friday and Saturday evenings from dark to midnight. For more information, call 937-748-2272.