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Resourceful Norwalk Teens Conjure Up Spooky Haunted House

NORWALK, Conn. — George Washington died here, says one sign.

Norwalk resident Grace Godeski covers a window in the old carriage house of the St. Philip Church in Norwalk on Monday in preparation for the church's annual haunted house.

Norwalk resident Grace Godeski covers a window in the old carriage house of the St. Philip Church in Norwalk on Monday in preparation for the church's annual haunted house.

Photo Credit: Jay Polansky
Norwalk resident Grace Godeski -- and other members of the church's youth group -- cover prepare the old carriage house of the St. Philip Church Monday for the church's annual haunted house.

Norwalk resident Grace Godeski -- and other members of the church's youth group -- cover prepare the old carriage house of the St. Philip Church Monday for the church's annual haunted house.

Photo Credit: Jay Polansky
The St. Philip Church's haunted house contains many Halloween-themed signs.

The St. Philip Church's haunted house contains many Halloween-themed signs.

Photo Credit: Jay Polansky
The St. Philip Church's haunted house contains many Halloween-themed signs.

The St. Philip Church's haunted house contains many Halloween-themed signs.

Photo Credit: Jay Polansky
The St. Philip Church's haunted house contains many Halloween-themed signs.

The St. Philip Church's haunted house contains many Halloween-themed signs.

Photo Credit: Jay Polansky
The St. Philip Church's carriage house attic contains many Halloween-themed props.

The St. Philip Church's carriage house attic contains many Halloween-themed props.

Photo Credit: Jay Polansky
The St. Philip Church's carriage house attic contains many Halloween-themed props.

The St. Philip Church's carriage house attic contains many Halloween-themed props.

Photo Credit: Jay Polansky

I must listen to my teacher or else she will take my other ear, says another.

The signs paint a clear and spooky picture: The St. Philip Youth Group Haunted House is back in Norwalk.

Those seeking a scare — and maybe a laugh — are invited to tour the house Friday, Oct. 23, and Saturday, Oct. 24, from 6 to 9 p.m.. The house is behind the school building on the campus of the St. Philip Church at 25 France St. in Norwalk.

Church youth decorated the house Monday as a way to raise money for a trip to a youth conference. 

Admission is $6 for those ages 6 and up and $4 for those under 12.

Each week the teens meet in the house for the youth group. Come October, they decorate its rooms for Halloween.

“It ends up being very professional,” Director of Faith Formation & Youth Ministry Kali DiMarco said as she watched several teens decorate the walls with colorful paper.

DiMarco said there used to be many haunted houses in the area. But those houses have disappeared like ghosts in the night.

“They’re used to be tons of haunted houses,” DiMarco said. Now, she said her church’s haunted house is one of the few — if only — left.

The youth have chosen different themes for each of the 13 years the church has decorated the house. Past themes include “RIP Fridays ‘Retch-aurant’” and “Little Pet Shop of Horrors.”

The carriage house's attic is a treasure trove of Halloween relics from past iterations of the house. A mean-looking three-headed dog — one of many props — takes up residence under the wooden rafters.

Terry Aloise, an adult who was working with the teens to set up the house, said the house allows the teenagers to connect with each other without the use of electronics.

“It’s a place where you can put down your cellphone,” he said.

The teens will also have plenty of opportunities to meet others at the National Catholic Youth Conference, which 10 of the youth group members plan to attend  this November in Indianapolis.

“It’s loads of fun from what I’ve heard,” Norwalk Resident Barry Belardinelli said as helped give a Daily Voice reporter a tour of the house. “I’m excited for the opportunity.”

The church property, once the site of the Manice Deforest Lockwood estate, had been a small onion farm for generations.

And, now, at least temporarily, the campus sits waiting for Halloween visitors.

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