Sammamish Mayor Tom Vance and Councilman Ramiro Valderrama-Aramayo were among the dignitaries who turned out to cut the ribbon last week, officially opening this year’s “Nightmare at Beaver Lake.”

Both joined Sammamish Rotary president Cary Young and Scare Productions president Curt Madden for the ribbon cutting Thursday, Oct. 16, at Beaver Lake Park.

“We are so proud of the Rotary and all that they do for this community,” Vance said.

The night also marked a preview and dress rehearsal night for “Nightmare,” inviting families of volunteers to experience the expanded, 33-set indoor and outdoor haunted house attraction, requiring as many as 120 volunteer actors to put on every night.

Starting from the main gate near the Beaver Lake baseball fields, “Nightmare” winds across Beaver Lake State Park, beckoning patrons inside elaborate sets meant to startle, scare and disorient, ending with a haunted hotel constructed into the Beaver Lake Park pavilion.

In addition to the return of Goliath, the animatronic gargoyle that was missing last year while under repair, “Nightmare” also features headless horsemen moving through the crowds atop real horses.

The event runs nightly until Oct. 31, except for Mondays and Tuesdays. Tickets are $18 per person. For more information, visit www.nightmareatbeaverlake.com.