As Halloween rapidly approaches, Whitewater is getting back into its “Second Salem” spirit. Spooky decorations are filling yards, but a local dog rescue has put its own spin on a typical haunted house. Albert’s Dog Lounge Rescue, a senior and special needs dog rescue, also doubles as a drive-up haunted house named Nightmare on Woodfield Lane for the month of October.
Nightmare on Woodfield Lane was created by Mandy Lewis and her husband, Darren, the owners of Albert’s Dog Lounge Rescue and Clyde’s Closet, a free pet food pantry. The haunted house was open for the first time last year although never advertised to the public, but an official Facebook page for Nightmare on Woodfield Lane has boosted visitor numbers in 2025.
“We’ve been sharing it on our community pages, and our pet pantry has really taken off so we see a lot of foot traffic with that,” Lewis said. “It’s been really awesome because we have a much higher turnout this year. We have kids here almost every night.”
Albert’s Dog Lounge Rescue is also the home and headquarters of Lewis and her husband. The idea behind Nightmare on Woodfield Lane came from Lewis’ love for Halloween and the many decorations she and her family had accumulated over the years, while Lewis says the inspiration to make it a drive-up came from the large parking area outside of the pet rescue.
(Chase Keller)
A large portion of visitors are families with young children, so Lewis says a major focus of Nightmare of Woodfield Lane is to appeal to families by creating a less gory approach to a haunted house.
“We love Halloween, but we want to make it fun for everybody, so it’s not very bloody or gory,” Lewis said. “We have a little photo op place where the kids can sit in a skull chair with a skull arch. There’s characters, so it’s like a Disney animatronic mix of Halloween, not super scary.”
The expansions of Halloween activities and landmarks in Whitewater are becoming more prevalent as years pass due to the relationship the city has with the paranormal. The Landmarks Commission is currently working with the city to preserve the Starin Park water tower due to its connection to the “Witches of Whitewater,” which is one of many ways the city is honing in on the spookiness.
“This year, we added our first lighted figure in the park and displayed a giant pumpkin at City Hall, and we’ll continue to expand those efforts in the years ahead,” Whitewater city manager John Weidl said. “Whitewater is often described as ‘Second Salem,’ and we see the Halloween season as a way to celebrate that heritage with community programming, decorations and events.”
The creation of Nightmare on Woodfield Lane has brought smiles and scares to the Whitewater community, but it has also been a way for Lewis to spread the word about Albert’s Dog Lounge Rescue and Clyde’s Closet. In fact, Lewis says there is a way to donate to both organizations just by visiting the haunted house.
“We do have some signs that do have a QR code available, and any donations that we receive would be 100 percent tax deductible,” Lewis said. “Those donations would go toward Albert’s Dog Lounge Rescue and the pet pantry, which would provide both cat and dog supplies for people in our community who need a little help to keep their pets in their homes.”
Nightmare on Woodfield Lane is located at N7285 Woodfield Lane in Whitewater. The haunted house will be open through the Halloween weekend, closing for the season on November 2nd.
For more information on the haunted house, visit Nightmare on Woodfield Lane’s Facebook page.
