The entry of the haunted maze. (By Lindsay Perry/Student contributor)
By HANNAH NIEDERRITER
Student contributor
Greenway Horrors, a potentially unfamiliar name, is a startup business founded by Tyler Cosmiske, a senior journalism student at Cranberry. What originated as childhood fun has and continues to develop into a potential career in the world of haunted mazes in the chilly month of October.
At the age of nine or ten, Cosmiske’s admiration for his neighbor’s elaborate Halloween displays developed into a slight rivalry. He felt as though he wanted a cool display of his own for the spooky season. Although in the beginning these displays weren’t particularly large or impressive, they brought sparks of joy.
It wasn’t until the year of 2017 that these displays advanced to a maze rather than just decorations. Some past exhibits of the Halloween cheer included graveyard paths leading to candy, but they weren’t as extensive as the maze produced more than a year prior. At that time, it was just some kids in cheesy costumes, but now the maze includes actors as well as special effects makeup (which Cosmiske has begun instructing students at Cranberry High School about).
Following this past Halloween, several individuals, including Danielle Peterson’s mom, Tonya Peterson, encouraged him to turn this hobby into something more professional. Greenway Horrors, a name combining Cosmiske’s street name with something scary, came about after a conversation comprised of future career options between Tyler and Mrs. Peterson. At first, doing haunted houses and mazes for a living hadn’t even been considered.
“I knew that’s exactly what I wanted to do because there’s very little in this world that I enjoy more than making these mazes and seeing how happy people are when you terrify them,” Cosmiske explained.
From that point on, Danielle, her mother, as well as several other people have all contributed to the creation and maintenance of Greenway Horrors. As fun as this annual event is, a lot of time, effort, and labor go into producing such an intricate production. Beginning in the early summer months and continuing practically nonstop until the night of Halloween, hours upon hours of work are spent building props until approximately two weeks before trick or treating. At this point in time, Cosmiske and any helpers begin setting up the entirety of the maze, haunted house, etc.
On the financial side of this preparation, a notable amount of effort is also required. Along with support from family and friends, almost all of the materials used are collected, borrowed, or paid for by Tyler recycling old metal and wire. Cosmiske is very grateful for the continual aid and support.
With all the preparation, funds, and time involved with this sort of project, you might wonder, “Why?” Why would someone put this much effort into a once-a-year occurrence? Cosmiske’s answer to that is simply because he enjoys it. He loves the reactions of fright that spawn from his creations. The praise of participants keeps him hopeful and motivated to continue, a specific example of this being when a stranger noted how special and unique Cosmiske’s haunted event was for the neighborhood.
Looking forward to 2019’s upcoming spooky experience, Cosmiske has already begun brainstorming and contacting businesses. Permission has already been given for the use of the Transit Building, but he would rather conceal his big plans for now. However, in addition to expressing his excitement for this year, he would like to hint that it involves masks and a straight jacket.
Cosmiske would like to end by noting that whether this works and becomes huge or doesn’t go anywhere, he still plan on building a maze for trick or treaters in his front yard free of charge just like how he started out.
A glimpse inside the maze (By Lindsay Perry/Student contributor)
Hannah Niederriter and Lindsay Perry are students at Cranberry High School and members of Cranberry Chronicles, the school’s journalism/publications group.
