My buddy Dave and I have been attending Knott’s Scary Farm together every year since 1996. It is an annual tradition. Some years there are up to 15 people with us and other years it’s just us and 1 or 2 of his sons. Either way, we always have a good time walking the mazes and watching the show “The Hanging”.
The last 3 or 4 years has seen the number of people attending the event go up, the lines get longer, and The Hanging lose some of it’s edginess.
I have always looked forward to watching The Hanging for it’s numerous pop culture references and bawdy humor. About 4 years ago, they changed the actor that played the main character, The Hangman, and pretty much eliminated all of the adult humor. It made the show nearly unwatchable. I hoped for better the next year and got the same boring show. Then, last year, they started bringing some of the humor back. This year they added a new devil character that I really enjoyed. He is irreverent, politically incorrect, and humorous. The show is not back up to it’s previous level but they are on a good trajectory. Unfortunately, the surprise ending may signal the end of the show’s run. We will have to wait until next year to find out.
We usually attend the 1st or 2nd Thursday of the event as going on the weekend is always a crowded nightmare. In years past we were able to go in every maze at least twice and maybe a ride or two. This year we barely made it through all the mazes once and the log ride one time. We walked through the last maze at 12:50 am, 10 minutes before the park closed.
This year, I purchased the Scary Farm annual pass and parking. This will allow me to attend the event as many times as I want and covers my parking as well. By my estimate, they will pay for themselves in 2 1/2 trips. Last year I went 5 times and this year I hope to make it 6 or 7.
I am going again next Thursday and hope that the park will not be as crowded as it was this time.
