By JAMES BELL
Hays Post
The Hays Community Theatre will once again present Haunted Hays City tours with tours kicking off at 7 p.m. Friday.
During the tour, participants will experience "characters of a questionable nature, haunting figures, farm animals, and firearms," as they are led by an HCT volunteer around historic Hays streets.
The one-hour tours will begin and end at 121 E. Eighth with groups set to depart every 15 minutes until 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
While the tours typically draw large crowds, with the ongoing pandemic organizer Sharona Fondoble said initially the HCT was not sure the tours would happen this year.
"We waited a while to decide if we were going to do it or not," Fondoble said.
She said they asked the regular volunteers if they were even comfortable presenting the tours during the ongoing pandemic.
"A lot of people wanted to," Fondoble said, "because everything else has been canceled. Everybody wants to be able to get together and do something."
She also said because of the outdoor nature of the event, unlike most HCT performances, naturally allows for social distancing.
"We are really glad we get to do it," she said.
But this year, extra steps have been taken to help ensure social distancing, with spaced seating and a mask requirement in place for attendees.
"In the tour groups, you do walk close together, even though it is outside, you are still closer together and you have to gather around at the different places," Fondoble said.
They are also will attempt to keep the groups smaller than in previous years.
"Other than that, it is pretty much business as usual," Fondoble said.
During this year's tours, about 75 HCT volunteers will participate in a variety of different roles.
"Everybody is really excited to do it," Fondoble said.
This year, Fondoble said the tour will feature some first-time volunteers and others who are taking their first dip into the Haunted Tour but had worked on other HCT productions.
"We all like each other, but we like to get new blood in too," she said.
With other productions canceled this year, not only is this an opportunity to showcase the HCT, it is will help keep funds flowing into the organization for future endeavors.
"We are a nonprofit," Fondoble said. "We are 100 percent volunteer, and nobody gets paid for anything that they do here. So, everything that we make on any (production) goes directly back into the theater."
With the tours having almost no production costs, it is one of their largest sources of revenue for the year.
"This one, in particular, is our biggest fundraiser because we don't have to pay royalties and we don't pay rental fees like we do our shows."
During the tours, they will also have tickets available for their ongoing quilt raffle, made for the HCT by friends and family of the group.
Fondoble said there are only 250 tickets available at $25 each or five for $100.
Cost is $10 per person.
Tickets can be ordered online at hctks.com.