The Consigliere family will commence their annual haunted house on Halloween, Oct. 31 to seek donations to support a wounded war veteran that suffered traumatic injuries in Afghanistan.
Following approval by the Town Council on Sept. 15, the Harrison-based family was granted permission to temporarily close down a partial section of Webster Avenue, between the corners of Ellsworth Avenue and Post Place, for their third annual haunted house.
Three years ago, the Consigliere family started the event as a way to support veteran, Cpl. Joshua Hotaling, 29, who on May 13, 2011, while serving as a Marine in Sangin, Afghanistan, was injured by an improvised explosive device, IED, bomb, which left him with traumatic amputations of his legs and several hand-related injuries. Hotaling served alongside close friend and Harrison police officer, Rocky Consigliere, one of the founding members of the family’s haunted house.
“The most rewarding thing for me is to be able to tell Josh’s story,” said Rocky Consigliere. “He made such a sacrifice at a young age, and unfortunately his life was changed forever. For me, it’s important to do this every year to raise money so he can have a bit of a decent lifestyle.”
The haunted house, which is currently being built by several members of the Consigliere family, will feature six volunteer actors from the Rye Neck High School drama program, a number of individuals from the Consigliere family and friends of the family.
Mayor Ron Belmont, a Republican, said, “People are always giving back to the community and it’s what makes Harrison a great place to live.”
According to Dan Consigliere, a cousin of Rocky Consigliere who also organizes the event, the family raised $6,000 for Hotaling during last year’s event. “Last year, it got bigger and more people started paying attention, so we decided to advertise it,” he said. “This year, we’re making it even bigger with more costumes and actors.”
While the event currently does not have any local sponsorship from organizations within the community, Dan Consigliere mentioned that the family, which does not charge individuals to enjoy the haunted house, hopes that members of the community donate whatever they can to support the wounded veteran. “We strongly recommend donations for the cause,” he said. “We don’t want any credit either. We just want to show veterans that we care.”
Dan Consigliere also mentioned that he hopes this year’s outcome will lead to a possible expansion of the event for next year, in which they can raise money for more veterans. “As the years go on, we’d like to expand support not just to one single veteran, but for many other veterans too, as a little way of thanking them for putting their lives on the line year in and year out.”
The haunted house will be open between 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 31 at 86 Webster Ave., as of press time.
