PETERSBURG, KY — For the past 15 years, Sandyland Acres farm has delivered frights and Halloween delights with its haunted hayride.
Things got scary this year for the farm's owners and manager when it looked as if the hayride might not happen due to the COVID-19 pandemic, said Gene Webb, a manager at Sandyland Acres.
"The haunted attraction is all we really have now to keep the farm afloat," Webb said. "Up until probably a month before we planned our opening date, we kept . . . 'Are we going to open? Aren't we going to open?'"
The first haunted hayride through Sandyland Acres took place Sept. 18 and will continue through Halloween weekend.
Webb said the seasonal event became the farm's main source of income five years ago when Sandyland lost a contract to grow tobacco for cigarette maker Phillip Morris.
"We've definitely had to adjust and we put the stuff into the safety issues," he said of operating the hayride during the pandemic. "We are definitely mandatory, anywhere on the premises and on the hayride you have to wear a mask. Even though it is outdoors, practicing everything most businesses are doing right now."
Webb said turnout for each night of the hayride has been good so far and that people are observing safety rules.
"Everybody wants to get out," he said. "Just, you know, festivals and other stuff is closed this year. They're just wanting to get out."
Sandyland Acres is located at 4172 Belleview Rd. in Petersburg. For more information, including ticket prices and hours of operation, visit www.sandylandacres.com.
