City Tavern scares living daylights out of customers for a good cause
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. >> For the third year in a row, the Saratoga City Tavern put on its haunted house. This year, though, they did things a little differently.
“The first two years, Saratoga Adventures asked us if we would hold a haunted house here, and they worked with us on it,” explained Patrick Fitch, who coowns the City Tavern with his brothers Jason and Adam. “This year, we’re striking out on our own, and we decided to donate the proceeds to the ALS Association.”
City Tavern is already known for being a charity-minded business. They host about a dozen events a year that benefit a variety of charity organizations. This time around, the Fitch brothers had a very personal reason behind choosing their charity.
“Our uncle was diagnosed with ALS a year ago, so we decided to start putting our efforts to that cause,” Patrick explained.
The City Tavern’s haunted house ran for two nights, on Oct. 30 and 31. It took about 60 hours to put it together, starting on Sunday and finishing Wednesday afternoon. Challenges with construction included figuring out a way to prevent the fog machines from tripping the bar’s smoke detectors. Participants who were 21 or older paid $20 for a ticket, which included a cocktail or drink on the house.
“We’ve done something different every year,” said Patrick about the house’s design. “This year there were three levels. The second floor of the building was a haunted penitentiary, the third floor was a haunted cemetery, and the fourth floor was a haunted Christmas scene. It’s a lot of fun, it’s gotten bigger and crazier every year.”
The haunted house concluded on City Tavern’s rooftop, where local breweries offered samples of their product. The first floor of the building was open for business as usual. After going through the haunted house, patrons returned to the first floor by elevator where they could get their free drink and perhaps a bite to eat.
The haunted house featured many classic aspects of a good scare tour, including black lights, strobes, fog machines, and plenty of jump scares. About 25 people, all employees and patrons of City Tavern, worked hard to scare the pants off of the people going through.
“I love Halloween. I like doing scary things, and I like being scared,” said Jenna Morrow, who helped out with the haunted house for the second year. “I’ve always liked haunted houses, so it’s fun to be on the other side.”
“I love the enthusiasm of the brothers,” added Kelly Donnelly, who is helping out for the first time. “It’s great that they’re supporting such a good cause.”
“It’s a good thing to be a part of,” agreed Morrow.
Both young ladies agreed that the fourth floor’s haunted Christmas was their favorite part of the tour.
“It’s very twisted,” commented Morrow.
“You never see that in a haunted house,” said Donnelly.
Now that Halloween is over, City Tavern has returned to normal, continuing to serve up fine food provided by Chef Adam and a large selection of beers and cocktails.
Customers can follow them on FaceBook, Twitter (@ Saratoga City T av ), or Ins tag ram( saratoga_ city_ tavern) to keep up with their calendar and learn about the next upcoming charity event.