“It was a dark and stormy night” could have been the theme of Rotary’s annual nine-night fundraiser, “The Nightmare at Beaver Lake”, running through Halloween.

Not only did the rains and winds come, one night was cancelled due to lightning and thunder to ensure the safety of participants and actors.

Overall, the fundraiser was a great success with its trebuchet, rotating tunnel of clowns, Wizard of Oz sets, the Village, Salem Witch trials, abandoned chemical factory, and a whole lot more spread throughout the path from Beaver Lake’s ball fields through the pavilion next to the lake.

Hundreds of actors and behind-the-scenes volunteers staffed the nine-night extravaganza, and thousands of area residents raised thousands of dollars for Rotary’s community and international causes, which include college scholarships for Sammamish’s three high schools. More than $40,000 was raised for direct services. Thousands of canned goods were donated during the nine nights to benefit the Eastside Domestic Violence Program, and the Renaissance School raised funds with its concession booths each evening.

We especially thank our nonprofit partner, Scare Productions, for its expertise in set design, makeup, casting, actor training, security functions and so much more to bring such realism to the haunt. We are also most grateful to the Sammamish Parks Department and the Seattle Youth Board for their annual partnerships, and to the King County Explorer Scouts for their major security roles.

Sammamish resident Dana Young is to be commended for her thousands of hours of set design, makeup, and overall production of so much of the annual haunt.

Thank you, all!

Norm Bottenberg

President, Sammamish Rotary