interactive scenes. -Courtest of Hawai‘i News Now
by Hayley Davis
Special to Ka ‘Ohana
As Halloween creeps closer so does Hawai‘i’s first ever haunted drive-thru titled “Dead End: The Asylum” hosted by Habilitat, a non-profit drug and alcohol rehabilitation treatment program in Kāne‘ohe. The drive-thru starts Oct. 4 and continues every Friday, Saturday and Sunday until Halloween at Aloha Stadium.
The event, which includes six chilling interactive scenes, was put together by Becky Harrison, marketing director of Habilitat. Harrison experienced addiction in her own life and wants to give back.
“Habilitat showed me how to live a life that is fulfilling, and it means a lot to me to be able to show others that they can do the same thing,” she said.
According to Allie Morales, an employee in the marketing department of Habilitat, the residents of the treatment program came up with the theme by voting.
Safety will be of the utmost priority, she added.
“Individuals attending will remain in their cars for the entire event,” Morales said. “If customers need to use the bathroom or exit the vehicle for any reason, they will have their temperature taken. If they have a temperature, they will be instructed to remain in the vehicle and will be given further instructions.”
Harrison said that event logistics were planned with safety in mind. Participants will be directed into the haunted house area five cars at a time.
“Once they are at the first scene, they will be directed to put their cars into park and engage the emergency brake,” she said. “They will then be advised to turn their radio to a station that will be playing the background music for the scene. They will proceed through the six scenes in this fashion.”
Harrison and Morales said people should attend the event because Habilitat is geared towards an important cause and has a bespoke method of achieving results. Instead of the 12 Steps that programs like Alcoholics Anonymous use, Habilitat targets the behaviors of its clients and attempts to retrain them to become better people. The program is based on the idea that good behavior and positive choices can lead to a break in the cycle of addiction. The organization’s mission statement is “to guide and empower individuals to make positive choices in their own lives.”
“Habilitat is a local non-profit that saves lives,” Harrison said. “It teaches people how to change from being substance dependent to being happy, successful, productive members of our community.”
Habilitat was not able to hold its lū‘au fundraiser this year due to COVID-19. So the haunted drive-through will help the non-profit raise money so it can keep its doors open. Another reason Harrison cited to attend is the “normalcy it will bring back to people’s lives during the pandemic, not to mention the fun.”
Tickets are $65 and are available online at www.oahuhauntedhouse.com. For more information, go to www.habilitat.com.
