For nearly three decades, youth in the Madison and Danville areas, along with die-hards from across the county and state have looked forward to the Haunted House in Madison every year.

For nearly 20 years, the Madison-Danville Jaycees Haunted House has been held at the former location of Boone Lumber.

Located across the tracks between Madison and Danville and within sight of McDonald’s, the house has hosted sell-out crowds each and every night.

The house is nearly prepared with new scares for the 2009 exhibition, but this year will be the last in their current location.

“The owner of the property, Rex Mitchell, recently told us they are planning to build a self-storage rental place where our house is located,” Chairman Chris Barker said.

“Rex and his family have been great to us for all these years and the Jaycees wish them the best of luck in their new business, but we have to find a new place to set up shop.”

Suggestions have run the gambit from buildings in downtown Madison to even the possibility of hosting a haunted trail at Waterways Park, but Barker said nothing is set.

“We are still looking for a place for the house. If we don’t find a place, we will have to store our gear until something can be arranged,” he said.

Barker said the Jaycees need at least 2,000 square feet to set up the haunted house, and would need to be able to hook up to electric service.

“We are flexible. A barn, or an old warehouse, or even an old house with a lot of parking would be great. It would be fantastic if we could make arrangements with a patient property owner that would allow us to make our haunted house a lot larger.”

While the Jaycees are a

not-for-profit organization, Barker said they would be more than willing to pay the landowner a nominal fee to be allowed to set up on their property. He also noted that the organization carries complete insurance coverage for the event.

“The Jaycees Haunted House is an institution in Boone County,” Barker said.

“I have a coloring book that I got when I was a child and went through the haunted house when it was in downtown Danville,” he said.

“We have adults that went through when they were kids and have come back all grown up with their children. Our house is even a favorite for college

students from Marshall, Glenville, the University of Charleston and WVU. College kids pack up into vans and cars and come here on Friday and Saturday nights and go through three to four times in a row,” Barker said.

“They love it and tell their friends to come. We would hate to not be able to hold it in 2010 because there’s no place to set up shop.”

Anyone interested in working with the Jaycees to set up the 2010 haunted house in the Madison or Danville areas are welcome to call Marshal Dotson at 687-1256, Shawn Walker at Madison Insurance at 369-9090 or Lawrence Keeney at 688-2425.

For die-hard Halloween enthusiasts, this year’s Jaycee Haunted House is a sure thing.

Dates for the event are

Oct. 16-17 and Oct. 29-31. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and the cost is $6 per person.