GIBBON — What is waiting in the woods? KneeKnocker Woods has introduced a new theme to its trail for its 11th season serving fright up in the fields and woods just outside of Gibbon.
Kylee Olson, whose family is behind the KneeKnocker Woods experience, said that they introduced a whole new theme to this year’s trail.
The past theme had been focused Grandpa Grimm, a farmer who was plowing his field and accidentally overturned a lost graveyard and let all the zombies out who now inhabit the maze.
This year, Olson said that Grimm was finally able to get rid of the zombies and can finally enjoy his retirement.
The new theme is “Savage Jack’s Trail of Terror,” and the props and decorations are jack-o-lantern or pumpkin themed. Olson said that pumpkin visages tower over the trail.
In addition to the trail, KneeKnocker Woods also has rebranded their corn maze and is now called, “Demons of the Underworld.” The maze is five acres and has its own special features this year in addition to the demon clad actors.
Olson said the record getting through the maze this season has been seven minutes, but she said that some larger groups have taken an hour trying to find their way out.
Along with the new themes, Olson said that new food items have been added this year, including mini chocolate chip cookies and artisan pizzas.
The games out front have also been changed to match the new theme and the escape room this year is more than just a puzzle and features its own scares.
KneeKnocker Woods opened the first weekend of October and Olson said their numbers have already been slightly higher than last year.
Olson noted that they have also seen a higher number of first-time visitors, several who have said they have driven past for years and finally made the decision to stop.
Conversely, Olson said she has encountered many people this year who have said that coming to KneeKnocker Woods for the Halloween season has become a tradition for them and their families.
For those still 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 said those who want to experience the scares but avoid the crowds, Sundays are the best day to attend. She said they will see over 1,000 people on Fridays and Saturdays, but the Sunday crowds are in the hundreds.
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.
For larger groups, Olson said there is dedicated bus parking near the site for party buses or larger vehicles.
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 grandpagrimm@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.
