HalloWeekends is back at Cedar Point

Blood is dripping in the bayou, and more monsters than ever are lurching through the midway.HalloWeekends 15 has arrived at Cedar Point.Last year, Cedar Point had nine haunted attractions -- four haunted houses inside buildings, and five outdoor "fright zones."This year, with the addition of the new Blood on the Bayou fright zone, there is a net total of 10 haunted attractions at Cedar Point, up from last year's nine.Last year's attraction on the Frontier Trail was scrapped, but it's been replaced with a new fright zone, Screamworks.The addition of a new haunted attraction means that Cedar Point has hired an additional 50 Screamsters, or actors who portray the unpleasant folks who haunt the park to entertain visitors.This year, there will be between 425 to 450 actors, John Taylor said. They hassle visitors with gusto, but are forbidden to actually touch any of the guests.Doing the makeup for all of them starts at 4 p.m. and lasts until 8 p.m.Taylor is known as Cedar Point's manager of graphic services, but that understates his importance to HalloWeekends. He designs all of the haunted attractions.Screamworks, the new attraction along the Frontier Trail, has a steampunk theme. Steampunk, a variety of science fiction and fantasy, is a Victorian look that includes machinery that the real Victorians never had. Old machinery from the park has been transformed under Taylor's guidance into relics of a colorful "past as it never was."Blood on the Bayou, which promises to be one of the park's most frightening attractions, begins with a hillbilly theme and then changes into a voodoo theme.HalloWeekends, which runs on Friday, Saturday and Sunday through Oct. 30, has become increasingly important to Cedar Point's annual season, said John Hildebrandt, the park's general manager."We have some of the biggest days of the season," he said.In recent years, Cedar Point's biggest weekends, depending on the weather, have been the first and second weekends of October.Many visitors describe HalloWeekends as their favorite time of year at the park, Hildebrandt said. Traditionally, HalloWeekends draws more of its guests from nearby cities such as Cleveland, Columbus and Toledo, he said.Cedar Point this year also has added a large sleeping giant (or ogre) on the midway, who wakes up and threatens the park's visitors.The part-time Screamsters assembled Thursday night for a final dress rehearsal in costumes and makeup included Dylan Lohr, 19, Upper Sandusky, a political science major from Heidelberg University.He wore an outfit that seemed to consist of vertical strips of brown and green cloth. Lohr works in the CornStalkers fright zone."We are supposed to blend in with the corn," he said.Peggy Bertsch, Screamster coordinator at Cedar Point, asked a group of actors, "Is there anyone who is supposed to be a bungee jumper here?"Andrew Limpert, 21, North Olmsted, stepped forward and told Bertsch he was one of them. He's assigned to Fear Faire, the park's medieval style fright zone."It's a great way to startle somebody," he said. "You're not expecting somebody to come flying toward you."HalloWeekends facts* HalloWeekends began on Friday and runs through Oct. 30. Hours are 6 p.m. to midnight Friday, noon to midnight Saturday and noon to 9 p.m. Sunday.* The 10 haunted attractions include four haunted houses (Happy Jack's Toy Factory, G.A. Boeckling's Eerie Estate, Club Blood and Eternity Infirmary) and six fright zones (Blood on the Bayou, Screamworks, Terror Island, CornStalkers, CarnEvil and Fear Faire.)* Many attractions suitable for young children also are offered, such as the Magical House on Boo Hill and the Peanuts Halloween Show.* Live shows are offered in numerous locations, including "The Edge of Madness -- Six Feet Under" in the Red Slaughter Saloon.* The following rides are available Friday: Maverick, Troika, Blue Streak, Midway Carousel, Raptor, Cedar Downs, Dodgem, Planet Spooky, Cadillac Cars, Matterhorn, Scrambler, Skyhawk, Wave Swinger, WildCat, maXair, Iron Dragon, Top Thrill Dragster, Wicked Twister, Magnum XL-200, Power Tower, Millennium Force and WindSeeker.* All of the rides are available Saturday, except for the water rides, which are shut down in the cooler fall months.* Official information: HalloWeekends.com.