A pair of entrepreneurs are looking to bring thrills to downtown Greensburg this fall, planning an immersive entertainment experience just in time for the Halloween season.
Jason Goad and Tonia Matney, owners of Big Dream Entertainment, will present Over the Edge Haunted Attraction every Friday and Saturday in October and on Halloween. Construction is currently ongoing in the Main Street building between the Russ Goff law office and Windstream.
“We want to place our customers in the middle of a horror movie and tell the story of an orphan from birth through his descent into madness at the Burg Asylum and after death,’ Goad said.
The attraction, the pair said, is not your typical random haunted house, but is based upon a story line which has been crafted over a lengthy psychological study including trips to other such attractions.
“We have been researching this for three years and we take it very seriously,” Goad said. “ We think  the story atmosphere will surprise people.”
The pair are fans of such professional  attractions, which are called haunts  in the industry terminology, and believe they will introduce innovative ideas to the industry,
“I have been to over 100 haunts and I have never seen anything like this is going to be,” Matney said. “We love the industry and have taken ideas from here and there, and then made it even better.”
The attraction will include animated displays and one section will even require people to crawl over a special effect portion for n even more up-close encounter. But, the well-being of the customers will  be the topmost priority at the experience, Goad said.
“People like to be scared and we will provide that, but we take safety very seriously,” he said. “All the staff members will be trained to r3dcognize warning signs and how to handle situations.”
The attraction will have no age limits but the suggested ages are 12-and-up. And while the horror element is the reason for the attraction, Goad and Matney aim to entertains instead of terrify.
“We want to be know more as a Disney World than as a ‘House Down the Street,’” Goad said.
The 12,000-square-foot building will give them plenty of space to exercise their creativity and imagination. An estimated 35 minutes will be required to tour the entire attraction.
The City of Greensburg is supporting the attraction in the wake of the success of the Scream Zone held each October. The site of that event is being turned into s domestic violence shelter and Goad and Matney have pledged 10 percent of Over the Edge profits to the Shelter House project.
“Finis Wayne Durrett (the building owner) has bent over backwards to help us,” Goad said. “We are fortunate to find such an ideal location.”
Staff for the attraction this first season will be on a volunteer basis and anyone interest in applying for a position can find more information on the on the monsters wanted page at the web site www.overtheedgehaunts.com or at Big Dream Entertainment’s myspace site. For more information email bigdreamentertainment.com
The pair are hopeful the attraction will draw visitors from out of town, but also find a place in the hearts of the local populace.
“I grew up here and I know there is nothing for teen-agers to do here,” Matney said. “Hopefully this will provide a safe place they can come during the Halloween season.
This is Big Dream Entertainment’s first major project and the company plans to branch out into such areas as festival planning and concerts..