Terror at Meramac Grove celebrates fifth year with bigger venue, city partnership

WARNER ROBINS, Ga. — Spooky season is upon us, and if you’re looking for a rush of adrenaline, the scariest spot in town may be next to Warner Robins City Hall.

In conjunction with the city’s Trunk-or-Treat event on Oct. 19, Terror at Meramac Grove will be kicking off their haunted house in the city’s former recreation center.

Once you’re there, the haunt will take you through the Asylum of Lost Souls, with actors providing jump scares and spooky sights at every turn. From a hospital, you will then travel through the graveyard, and then on to the afterlife.

For Terror at Meramac Grove’s owner Joe Liercke, the venue provides his haunt the opportunity to reach a bigger slice of the community.

“I’m expecting a much larger turnout than in my backyard. They’re expecting 7000 people at the food truck event opening night, which is the 19th. If we get a quarter of that, that would be awesome. I’m thinking we’ll probably have a few thousand people this year,” Liercke said.

Liercke described the new venue as a next step, and an avenue to give back.

“This has always been a dream that we’ve talked about doing. There’s a lot of home haunters out there that think, ‘one day maybe I can go big.’ This isn’t huge, But this is that next step. It feels almost too good to be true, and to be able to do it for the cause that were actually doing it for is even that much better,” Liercke said.

The cause is in partnership with the City of Warner Robins. Liercke said while entry is free, donations will go towards the city’s homeless initiative, with an option to skip the line for a $20 minimum donation per person, also going to the cause.

In fact, Liercke said he was once in their shoes and is thrilled to give to the cause.

“it feels good to be able to contribute to the homeless shelter … I’ve lived in shelters with my mom, I’ve lived in a car with my mom, so I know what it’s like to be in that type of situation and I’m at a point in life where I’m able to help, so it feels really good.” Liercke said.

Terror at Merimac Grove marks its fifth year in business with this haunt and is a family business. The haunted house was inspired by who he called his wife’s “nan,” who was a fan of all things Halloween and held a traditional family gathering before passing away. The scares and the technical side appeal to Liercke.

“I love to make things work. I love creativity. I’m able to teach a lot of people things like with electronics, everything that I do. It’s really just a passion,” Liercke said.

Liercke’s passion project is largely self-funded, but make no mistake, the DIY aspect does not skimp on scares. In fact, the haunted house has already amassed a significant following.

“We have all the things like the pneumatics, the electronics, the air blasts, all the things that a big haunt would have, we have here. We also have returning visitors every year. We have several families that said this is now their tradition every Halloween; they come to see us,” Liercke said

If you’d like to make the haunted house a part of your Halloween routine this year, it will be running on Oct. 19, 20, 21, 27, 28 and 31 from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. at 800 Watson Boulevard.

HHJ News