Things that go bump in the night spur record 'Eakfest'

It began as a simple family Halloween celebration, bobbing for apples in the backyard and hayrides in a utility trailer.

Christopher Fretto, Bellport, N.Y., mans his post on the "Haunted Trail" at the annual Eakfest held at the Pioneer Hose Fire Company on Oct. 10. More than 100 volunteers donated their time for the fundraiser, which benefits the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. That was 13 Halloweens ago. Things have changed.

Alicia and Christopher Eak's annual "Eakfest" has grown from its humble beginnings to a true community event.

More than 1,000 people paid $5 on Saturday night at the Pioneer Hose Fire Company to venture down the Haunted Trail, listen to music provided by the Shore Five, play games like Bowling for Ghosts, and indulge themselves on a variety of desserts.

"When we hit the 1,000 mark at 8:30, I was just in awe," Alicia Eak said. "By 8:30, we ran out of tickets. The line for the trail was probably a two-and-a-half-hour wait," she said. "I was worried about the people waiting in line for hours."

"We had to stop at 1,000," Christopher Eak said. "And people were sneaking in."

Jessica Valenti (l) and Paul Valenti, both Brick, celebrate at the annual Eakfest Halloween party on Oct. 10 to benefit the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. More than 1,000 people attended the party, organized by Alicia and Chris Eak. All of the proceeds from the annual event, after some minimal expenses, go to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. The Eaks decided several years ago to turn Eakfest into a fundraiser for the organization, after their teenage daughter Jackie was diagnosed with the illness.

The family began advertising for volunteer "monsters" this summer to play parts along the trail.

"Needed are people to serve as "scare-actors," the ad read. "The role of these actors will be to frighten people on the haunted trail…"

They got plenty.

More than half of the monster volunteers were "complete strangers," Alicia Eak said.

"They just love to do this," she said.

The Haunted Trail's main attraction was the 10-foot-high gate that Alicia's father Steve Applegate and Christopher built, complete with a scaffold and creaking hinges. Zombies performed a dance number to Michael Jackson's "Thriller."

"Some of our monsters were walking or hanging on the scaffold," she said. "They were so creepy. It was amazing."

And even Alicia wasn't prepared for what she saw when she hit the zombie pit, which featured "tons and tons" of volunteer zombies.

"We had a huge pit of zombies," she said. "When I walked through it, I was creeped out, and I knew it was coming."

The trail, which was set up in the woods behind the firehouse, was a 15-minute window of Halloween horror. Jackie Eak served as one of the guides. She played a ventriloquist, a friend was the dummy. But Jackie's mouth was taped shut.

"It looked like the doll took control of the ventriloquist," Alicia Eak said.

Then there was the man in the electric chair, who received jolts on a regular basis; the doll collection with a human doll in the middle; a "twisted" Alice in Wonderland scene; a group of creepy clowns; a knight in shining armor; and of course the zombies.

Alicia and Christopher said the event could not have gone off as well without the help of many people. That includes the Strittmatter family from Brick, who offered the Eaks their entire "house of props" for the volunteers; Mark and Mary Ellen Reulbach, who took over the organization of the trail; the fire company; and the Partenfelder family from Brick. The Partenfelders made all the carnival games, bought all of the prizes, and ran the games.

Entenmann's donated 200 boxes of desserts. Volunteers made cupcakes, brownies and cookies.

"There was tons of desserts," she said. "You paid $5 and you could eat as much as you wanted to."

The Shore Five played "nonstop," Alicia said.

"I don't think they took a break," she said.

Local vendors, like Capones from Toms River, sold pizza, hamburgers and cheese steaks.

And unlike last year, when it rained nonstop, the weather was made to order.

"We couldn't have asked for a better night," she said. "A little nip in the air for Halloween, no monsoons."

The Eaks began preparing for the event in March. They were up at 6 a.m. last Saturday morning.

"We didn't get home until two in the morning," Alicia Eak said.

The weary but happy couple spent most of Sunday taking down what had taken them months to put together.

"We were at the firehouse at 8 a.m. on Sunday," Alicia said. "It's all cleaned up, spic and span. The fire chief said it was cleaner than before."

"We're pooped," Chris said. "But it was great. It was fantastic."