Portageville haunted house raising money to pay for firetruck

PORTAGEVILLE, Mo. -- Halloween ghouls, ghosts and goblins are making Portageville residents just a bit safer.

Thanks to those characters and others who have reserved a room at Portageville's Haunted Inn, the Portageville Rural Fire Department Association funded the purchase of a rescue vehicle. In this third year of the Haunted Inn, funds raised will go to pay for the new firetruck that arrived in town earlier this year.

The truck was funded through a $71,500 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, $40,000 from the city of Portageville and a USDA loan of $58,500 to the rural department. To pay off the loan, the department's kicked off the Haunted Inn earlier this month; it will continue through Oct. 31.

The old truck may have been a bit scary in itself. "It wouldn't start," said George DeLisle, secretary for the rural fire department. "Some days we just couldn't go down the road, so we kept a chain in front so we could pull it to start it."

The day the 2009 Freightliner four-door firetruck arrived, it was immediately put to work answering a fire call.

"It really makes putting out fires more effective," said fire chief Bill Foster.

The Portageville Haunted Inn is just off the Interstate 55 ramp on Highway 162. It is open from 7 to 11 p.m. Fridays and 7 to midnight Saturdays every weekend up to Halloween. On Oct. 31, the final night, the scares are scheduled from 7 p.m. to midnight. Tours take 30 to 45 minutes.

Cost is $8 per person with group rates available.