Thrills and chills

Danette Goulet

NEWPORT BEACH -- Parents beamed with pride as children shrieked with

terror.

A mother barely contained a chuckle as her daughter burst into tears.

It meant the haunted house that several Andersen Elementary School

parents stayed up all night to build was a success.

“I thought it would be little kid stuff, but it was really scary,”

said Alex Burkhead, 10, who is in the fifth grade at Andersen.

An elaborate haunted house was the main attraction at a fund-raising

event that also boasted a pumpkin patch, bounce houses, games, train

rides, a barbecue and raffle.

The event was put on by the Andersen DEANs, Dads Eliminating Andersen

Needs.

The group was formed four years ago to raise money to fund the

school’s enrichment programs, such as music, art and physical education,

as well as provide teacher aids, after-school programs and anything else

needed at the school.

Last year, along with the PTA, the group installed a computer lab at

the school.

“These guys are unbelievable,” said Mary Manos, Andersen’s principal.

“They even stayed overnight to guard the pumpkins they are so dedicated.”

The Halloween festival, which was visited by hundreds of families

throughout the day Sunday, was the vision of parent Mark Murtaugh.

He and two other dads, Scott Tucker and Rich Anderson, paid for the

event, except for a few donations from Gelmans grocery store and Price

Club, and put it together with the hope of bringing in $2,000 to $3,000

for the school.

“We thought, ‘Let’s see if we can make this fly,’ not knowing going

into it if it would work,” Murtaugh said. “We really went out on a limb.”

If the crowds milling about all day or the cash box that was already

heavy halfway through the event were any indication, the trio’s hours of

hard work were well spent.

“I liked the haunted house the best,” said Alexa Friedman, 11. “It was

scary. Then I figured out who everyone was, and it wasn’t scary anymore.”