Kids birthday magic by Chad Wonder

The Reinkes’ Story

Back in 1968 Greg and Chris Reinke started exploring the “Haunted Attraction” business at the local fishing hole. Their father didn’t like fishing so the boys were on their own. After a full day of floating worms Greg and Chris began their glorious career by hooking their first business asset, a shopping cart. After a rigorous cleaning of their new equipment the boys set up shop, in the basement of their parent’s home. Borrowing a plaster skull from their older brother Don, and their father’s footlocker for a coffin they began to construct the walls, blankets hung from the rafters of their new empire.

Halloween was fast approaching and they were anticipating a great season. Soon their first customers approached. Ding-dong the doorbell rung and the first of their twenty-six clients of the evening were paying their penny and descending the stairs to the basement. “Climb in and be prepared to be scared” Greg would exclaim. Pushing the cart through the maze of blankets, props and scenes Greg would pull strings to cause movement in each room to terrorize their clients. Strings were cutting edge of animatronics at the time. As Chris fed the extension cord, which ran the electrical grid for the “Mansion of Terror”, providing power to the strobe light mounted on the front of the cart (It was a good effect).

Soon the woman who vaulted the brothers into the limelight came to the door. Not being able to climb into the cart she began her walking experience and with amazement she asked, “What would you charge to build this Haunted House for Saint Mary’s Carnival?” Greg thought quickly and said “Fifty dollars.” The boy’s career had begun!

The moral of the story is, teach your kids to fish!