GIBBON — Prepare for a decent into the unknown. KneeKnocker Woods is leaning into its new theme for its 12th season serving up fright and delight in the fields and woods just outside of Gibbon.
Kylee Olson, whose family is behind the KneeKnocker Woods experience, said that last year they introduced a whole new theme which was “Savage Jack’s Trail of Terror.” Many of the props and decorations were jack-o-lantern or pumpkin themed.
This year the jack-o-lanterns and pumpkins return with the theme “The Trail of Terror.” The trail is a mile long, winding through cornfields, forest and an abandoned riverbed, it will be packed with brand new scenes and demons this year, Olsen said.
In addition to the main trail, the corn maze this year has been branded as “Nana’s Corn Maze” which will be a fun no scare maze which will be suited to children, families and those who prefer their fall with less fear.
Olsen said while the maze has no scares, the atmosphere can still be eerie with the wind rustling the corn.
“Stroll through the cornfield, find your way through the twists and turns and enjoy the crips autumn air, all without the jump scares at Nana’s Corn Maze,” per KneeKnocker Woods.
Olsen noted that KneeKnocker Woods is more than just a haunted walk, but a full Halloween experience with all kinds of different attractions.
Those include several skill games including axe throwing, a shooting simulator and brand new this year, for only the bravest of heart, a buried alive coffin escape activity.
Olsen said the new escape game features participants climbing into a real coffin and feeling the experience of being loaded on a funeral hearse and then the sensation of being buried in the ground.
The tag line for the activity is, “escape the coffin…or join the dead.”
Brand new this year is the Haunted Night Market which will be located on the midway and will feature different small businesses. The staples at the market include CornHub Popcorn, J/A Designs, 18th Ave. Candles and Magic Mix. There will be other different vendors every night of the season.
The Monster Food Stands are back this year and with a fresh line up including the Demon Dogs, famous loaded hot dogs with everyone’s favorite toppings, artisan pizzas, loaded chili and Rich Monster Hot Chocolate.
Another new feature will be special themed nights, which include Student Night, Hell Night and Scardey Cat Night. Check Facebook or the KneeKnocker’s website for a full calendar to plan your visit.
For those planning to attend this year, Olson said they are entering their busiest weekends of the year as Halloween approaches. The easiest way to purchase tickets is online and visitors can even purchase VIP tickets to help avoid the lines.
Olson noted that it is free to get on the property and people are not required to go down the trail or corn maze. She said families or groups can come out, grab some food, play games and just enjoy the atmosphere and experience.
KneeKnocker Woods opening night is Friday, Oct. 10 and new this year, the main trail will open at 6:30 p.m. which is earlier than they have opened in the past.
Olsen said this option may be better for those who prefer to see better when walking the trial, but the diehards can still wait until after sunset for the full frightful experience.
Ticket booths open at 6 p.m. and close at 10:30 p.m. If you have purchased a ticket that night, you can still go through the trail. The trail itself closes at 11 p.m.
The out-front games open at 6 p.m. and close at 10:30 p.m.
To keep up to date with the latest happenings, or checking out frequently asked questions, Olson said the KneeKocker Woods Facebook page is updated several times per day.
The website for KneeKnocker is kneeknockerwoods.com and they can be found on Facebook and Instagram at “KneeKnocker Woods”.
The Trail to KneeKnocker Woods
The story of KneeKnocker Woods cannot be told without Icon Poly, a custom 3D fabricator that specializes in the use of high-quality rubbers and resins.
Kyle Vohland said the business was started 25 years ago after he exited the computer business and was working to find a new career path. He said sculptures had always been a hobby and would work on making molds.
Vohland said the trick was being able to reproduce items accurately to sell them.
The path to creating items that range from corporate mascots, signs, sculptures, trade show displays, functional replicas and interactive displays, all started in an interesting place – a fire hydrant.
Vohland said his brother, a firefighter, asked if he could create a replica fire hydrant for his child, as a real one would have been too heavy and a safety issue.
From a resin mold, Vohland created a practically life-like fire hydrant, but it only weighed 15 pounds. He said people were intrigued by this and he got orders to produce more.
After producing multiple replica fire hydrants, Vohland was eventually contacted by the company that built the actual fire hydrants, likely with a cease-and-desist letter waiting.
Rather than a court battle, Vohland and the company struck an agreement for him to produce the replica hydrants, something that would help save their salesman’s backs when showing off the product.
These fire hydrants would eventually connect Icon Poly to Hollywood.
Vohland said that nearly everything on a movie set is a replica and these must be produced somewhere. The same fire hydrant company Vohland was producing the replicas for sent a request by a movie maker to Icon Poly.
One of the first replica hydrants featured in a movie was the 2003 film “Bruce Almighty” starring Jim Carrey and Morgan Freeman.
Icon Poly capabilities today include computerized sculpting, 3D foam milling, and laser digital sculpture enlargement.
Monster Mash
Icon Poly was eventually contacted by the producers of the Travel Channel’s “Making Monsters” television show.
The show followed the Greely, Colo., based company Distortions which created animatronics for haunted Halloween attractions.
While filming the show on the Icon Poly property near Gibbon, Vohland said one of the Distortions staff looked around at the adjacent acres of farmland and noted it would be the ideal setting for a haunted maze attraction.
After consultation with experts, the Vohland family decided to jump into the venture in 2013. Thus, KneeKnocker Woods was born.
The name is a nod to the property itself, which features a wooded area along the Wood River that snakes through the area.
Vohland said during their first year they included thousands of dollars in animatronics and around a mile of wire. So much has been added to the maze that now they need two miles of wire.
Each year, KneeKnocker Woods employs around 100 people and around 60 to 80 are on site each night helping everything run smoothly.
The walking path for the trail is around half a mile through the wooded area and corn field. The time it takes varies by how fast a group walks – or runs.
Olson said that KneeKnocker Woods has become an adventure for their family, and they all have their own role to play. She said it takes every single one of them to make it happen.
