Scaring up some support for the troops this Halloween

Germaine Beyl doesn't particularly like visiting haunted houses, nor does she like things that go boo in the night.

But for the past five years, the easy-to-startle Farmington woman has done her best to help scare others at the family's own haunted house of witches, mummies, and ghoulish guests. The reason: to support soldiers deployed overseas.

On Oct. 10 and 11, the Beyl family will host the 6th Annual Support Our Troops Haunted House at the Dakota County Fairgrounds. This will be the first year the event is open to the public and held outside the Beyl back yard.

"I do it for community awareness, but most of all I do it for our soldiers. Not just my own sons, but for all the sons and daughters who serve," Beyl said.

The Beyls have two sons in the service, Sfc. Grant Beyl of the 173rd Airborne Division and Ssg. Brandon Beyl of the 2/135 34th Infantry Division, Minnesota National Guard.

This year's haunted house will feature scare stations of easily recognizable Halloween characters, including Dracula, Frankenstein, and Freddy Krueger. There will also be a "Wall of Heroes" photo display to honor local Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans, organizers said.

Proceeds will help provide care packages, memorials, cards, and letters for local military personnel who are or have been deployed overseas.

"It's not about what we're doing. It's about what they're doing," Beyl said of the troops. "We have so much to be thankful for because of them. Because of the willingness to serve and the sacrifices they make on a daily basis for us, we can enjoy the freedom that we have to do things like the haunted house."

The idea for a haunted house started in 2003 after the Beyl's eldest son, Grant, was deployed to northern Iraq. The Beyl family and several close friends organized a private haunted house event where each person donated an item to be included in care packages and sent overseas. That year, the one-day event brought in enough items to fill more than 40 large boxes to Beyl's squad, said Germaine, the haunted house coordinator.

The following year, Germaine's other son, Brandon, was deployed to Baghdad with the Minnesota National Guard. When Brandon asked his mother to do another haunted house that year, Germaine decided to make a promise.

"As long as there are still soldiers out there, we're still going to continue to do something for them," she said. "We're going to keep doing it until they all come home."

Since then, the friends and family of the Beyl brothers have continued to find ways to pitch in, including participating in the 34th Infantry Division Minnesota National Guard program "Supply the Future" in 2006. The Beyl group sent more than 200 two-gallon Ziploc bags, 30 backpacks, and various school supplies to be distributed by the soldiers to Iraqi schoolchildren that year.

Joanne Mack of Apple Valley has been involved with the Beyl haunted house every year since 2003. She joins about 50 other volunteers helping out at this year's expanded two-day event.

"I think we all have such a good time doing it," Mack said. "The people that come every year just enjoy the entertainment and going through the house and knowing it's for such a good cause."

Mack, who is a real-life surgical assistant, will play one at this year's haunted house alongside Dr. Demented.

The Support Our Troops Haunted House is being held in partnership with the local nonprofit Castle Rock-Empire-Eureka-Farmington Enhancement Group. Matching funds will be provided by Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, where Germaine's husband, Grant, works as a senior financial consultant.

Germaine, who starts planning for each year's haunted house in January, said people often ask her if it's worth the amount of preparation for the one day, and now two, the haunted house is open each year.

"Is it really worth it? Yes, it's worth every minute of it," she said. "To me, it doesn't feel like we're doing enough. I wish we could do more."

Jeannine Aquino • 952-882-9056