October 19, 2025 • 8 mins
We spoke with General Manager Doug Hemphill about the new haunts, frights, activities, and eats at Lake Compounce's 2025 Phantom Fall Fest.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Good morning, Thank you for listening to Community Access. My
guest this morning is Doug Hempel. He is general manager
from Lake Compounds.
Speaker 2 (00:09):
Thank you for having me, very very glad to be
here with you.
Speaker 1 (00:12):
Oh it's the best when we have you guys in
from Late Compounds. You have your phantom fall that's going
on right now.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
We absolutely do. It's a guest favorite and all of
our guests really look forward to this time of year,
and so do we.
Speaker 1 (00:25):
Well, my grandson went yesterday and lost his ever love
and mind. He loved it best day ever.
Speaker 2 (00:33):
That's what we'd like to hear. You know. We try
to pride ourselves on making sure we have something available
for everyone in the family, from the kids, you know,
during the daytime and then as we kind of morph
over to a little more edgy, scarier environment at six
o'clock and you know, people like to be scared a
little bit.
Speaker 1 (00:53):
Yeah, there's something for all ages. If you don't like
the scary, you don't have to do it. So let's
go through the day. Do you want to start with
play all day?
Speaker 2 (01:01):
Absolutely? You know, you come in and obviously we have
all of our iconic rides that are open for phantom
Fall Fest, including our award winning roller coaster, Bouldered Ash,
which is a truly truly unique mountain side coaster, and
all of our kids rides and activities, and then we
kind of layer in some things for this time of year.
(01:23):
There is a roaming kids show that actually happens. We
have a couple of actors that actually have a vehicle
that goes out in the park and hits four different
spots throughout the park and they do a kids show
kind of a little song and dance thing, but kids
are really really enjoying it this year.
Speaker 1 (01:43):
Oh that's lovely.
Speaker 2 (01:44):
Yeah, we like it, and we try to do some
different things every year just to just to add a
little more variety for our guests. And then we also
have our Trick or Treat trail that goes throughout our
kids area where you can meet some characters in their
little huts and I'll greet you and interact with your
children and some adults if you want. And then they
(02:04):
also get a little treat.
Speaker 1 (02:06):
Oh nice. They have the Spooky hide and Seek.
Speaker 2 (02:09):
The Spooky the Square Pumpkin is a new addition to
our arsenal this year and he's throughout the park. They
do some games with kids, but they also have a
story time with Spooky that occurs daily.
Speaker 1 (02:23):
Oh nice. And then they have for the little ones
too or even the older ones decorate your pumpkin the
Spooky Slime Lab.
Speaker 2 (02:32):
There are there are many different types of crafts and
activities that also happen in that Kid's area of the
park throughout the day that everyone seems to enjoy. So
you can actually partake in that too.
Speaker 1 (02:43):
The stuff of Boo Bear and the fright Ship bracelets,
those are big ones.
Speaker 2 (02:46):
All there under one roof.
Speaker 1 (02:48):
You have a kid's costume parade coming up on October
twenty sixth. Is that the last day, That is the.
Speaker 2 (02:54):
Last weekend we're open Friday, Saturday and Sunday that weekend,
and usually it does culminate with that Kid's parade, which
is a fan favorite, and we usually get a lot
of participants for that. So get your kids in their
best costume, come on out and they'll get to parade
it on the around the park and participate in some activities.
Speaker 1 (03:15):
Were so precious to see the little ones all dressed
up like that.
Speaker 2 (03:18):
It really is, it really is.
Speaker 1 (03:21):
All right, Now we're going to get scary. Let's talk
about the haunted houses you have this year.
Speaker 2 (03:25):
Let's talk about them. Traditionally we've had four of them.
This year we added a fifth. We actually worked with
a local vendor here in the area out of New
Britain called Decimated Designs to write a storyline because we
knew we wanted to add a new house. And that
changed from storyline to storyboards to actually samples of fabrication
(03:49):
and determining what we really wanted to do, you know,
back and forth, and then they actually was, They manufactured, built,
helped us train and really staff this this attraction to
get it ready for us. It's our longest attraction, it's
our scariest attraction. It has seventeen rooms in this attraction
(04:10):
with twenty actors that man it. There's video, there's technology,
there's animatronics. It is post immersive creative Mayze house that
we have ever done. And the storyline is really based
on this gentleman who is a sleep scientist, particularly with children,
(04:37):
and what happens in children's dreams.
Speaker 1 (04:41):
Oh wow, So what would be a good age to
not go?
Speaker 2 (04:47):
I'd probably say maybe five and below. I don't think
I would take it. There are some dark areas and
the creatures are fairly dark, but there's some cool things too,
And as long as they're a little braceform, it's not
it's not really too much, you know, in your personal space.
(05:07):
It's far enough a way that you can walk through it.
But let's just say there's some some surprises in there
too with the animatronics. There's a room, my favorite room
where it looks like a living room but it's upside down.
Speaker 1 (05:21):
Oh wow.
Speaker 2 (05:22):
The couch actually at a certain point opens up and
this creature comes out. It's it's pretty amazing.
Speaker 1 (05:29):
Do you have these necklaces that are great for kids?
Speaker 2 (05:32):
They actually if they put the neck by the necklace
and put it on them and wear it around their neck,
an actor will not approach and engage with the kid. So,
whether that's walking around the park or in a house
or a maze, in any environment in the park, our
actors are trained not to engage with those kids because
we know that they may be a little more sensitive
(05:53):
than others.
Speaker 1 (05:54):
Wow, that's a great idea. Let's talk about the scarre zones.
Speaker 2 (05:58):
Sure there are so there are two arizones that we
added into the park this year. So these are just
areas as you're walking around the park on the midway
that you may encounter a little bit of creepiness and
horror as you're just kind of meandering through the park
on your journey. And one of them is outside of
(06:19):
our one of the mazes actually up on the hill
in what we call our Timberjack area. And then the
other one is down around our carousel. So and that
one involves clowns.
Speaker 1 (06:31):
Oh boy. So if you don't like clowns, you need.
Speaker 2 (06:34):
To stay away scary clowns.
Speaker 1 (06:37):
There's something for all ages. We have the play all day,
we have the Decorate your pumpkin, and all of the crafts,
we have the haunted houses, the scare zones. But my
favorite part, and you said this is the food.
Speaker 2 (06:50):
You know, it's it's integral to any park experience. And
you know, we've got a lot of things that revolve
around pumpkin, whether it's pumpkin ice cream, pumpkin fried dough.
But one of the interesting things that we bring back
for this time of year actually two of them, and
people just love it because we don't normally offer them
our turkey legs.
Speaker 1 (07:11):
Ah.
Speaker 2 (07:12):
Then you can also buy a kit where you can
make your own s'more, put it on a stick and
actually roast your own smore, and that can happen at
two locations throughout the park.
Speaker 1 (07:21):
Nice, really nice. We also have the poison candy apples, absolutely,
the skull mug Dippin' dots and you get to take
the skull mug home with you.
Speaker 2 (07:31):
And there are some adult treats too.
Speaker 1 (07:33):
I heard about that.
Speaker 2 (07:34):
Yeah, that some of those can come in a skull
mug and some of them are in a giant syringe.
Speaker 1 (07:40):
So yeah, that's very cool.
Speaker 2 (07:42):
They are quite tasty.
Speaker 1 (07:46):
You don't do it on the job, though, you do,
that's right. I'm speaking with Doug Hempel. He is general
manager of Lake Compounds. Phantom Fall Fast is going on
now through October twenty six. That is the day of
the Kid's costume part at four o'clock. For all of
these events and more, go to Latecompounds dot com. Thank
you so much for being here today, Thank you.
Speaker 2 (08:08):
For having me. Really enjoyed it.
Good morning, Thank you for listening to Community Access. My
guest this morning is Doug Hempel. He is general manager
from Lake Compounds.
Speaker 2 (00:09):
Thank you for having me, very very glad to be
here with you.
Speaker 1 (00:12):
Oh it's the best when we have you guys in
from Late Compounds. You have your phantom fall that's going
on right now.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
We absolutely do. It's a guest favorite and all of
our guests really look forward to this time of year,
and so do we.
Speaker 1 (00:25):
Well, my grandson went yesterday and lost his ever love
and mind. He loved it best day ever.
Speaker 2 (00:33):
That's what we'd like to hear. You know. We try
to pride ourselves on making sure we have something available
for everyone in the family, from the kids, you know,
during the daytime and then as we kind of morph
over to a little more edgy, scarier environment at six
o'clock and you know, people like to be scared a
little bit.
Speaker 1 (00:53):
Yeah, there's something for all ages. If you don't like
the scary, you don't have to do it. So let's
go through the day. Do you want to start with
play all day?
Speaker 2 (01:01):
Absolutely? You know, you come in and obviously we have
all of our iconic rides that are open for phantom
Fall Fest, including our award winning roller coaster, Bouldered Ash,
which is a truly truly unique mountain side coaster, and
all of our kids rides and activities, and then we
kind of layer in some things for this time of year.
(01:23):
There is a roaming kids show that actually happens. We
have a couple of actors that actually have a vehicle
that goes out in the park and hits four different
spots throughout the park and they do a kids show
kind of a little song and dance thing, but kids
are really really enjoying it this year.
Speaker 1 (01:43):
Oh that's lovely.
Speaker 2 (01:44):
Yeah, we like it, and we try to do some
different things every year just to just to add a
little more variety for our guests. And then we also
have our Trick or Treat trail that goes throughout our
kids area where you can meet some characters in their
little huts and I'll greet you and interact with your
children and some adults if you want. And then they
(02:04):
also get a little treat.
Speaker 1 (02:06):
Oh nice. They have the Spooky hide and Seek.
Speaker 2 (02:09):
The Spooky the Square Pumpkin is a new addition to
our arsenal this year and he's throughout the park. They
do some games with kids, but they also have a
story time with Spooky that occurs daily.
Speaker 1 (02:23):
Oh nice. And then they have for the little ones
too or even the older ones decorate your pumpkin the
Spooky Slime Lab.
Speaker 2 (02:32):
There are there are many different types of crafts and
activities that also happen in that Kid's area of the
park throughout the day that everyone seems to enjoy. So
you can actually partake in that too.
Speaker 1 (02:43):
The stuff of Boo Bear and the fright Ship bracelets,
those are big ones.
Speaker 2 (02:46):
All there under one roof.
Speaker 1 (02:48):
You have a kid's costume parade coming up on October
twenty sixth. Is that the last day, That is the.
Speaker 2 (02:54):
Last weekend we're open Friday, Saturday and Sunday that weekend,
and usually it does culminate with that Kid's parade, which
is a fan favorite, and we usually get a lot
of participants for that. So get your kids in their
best costume, come on out and they'll get to parade
it on the around the park and participate in some activities.
Speaker 1 (03:15):
Were so precious to see the little ones all dressed
up like that.
Speaker 2 (03:18):
It really is, it really is.
Speaker 1 (03:21):
All right, Now we're going to get scary. Let's talk
about the haunted houses you have this year.
Speaker 2 (03:25):
Let's talk about them. Traditionally we've had four of them.
This year we added a fifth. We actually worked with
a local vendor here in the area out of New
Britain called Decimated Designs to write a storyline because we
knew we wanted to add a new house. And that
changed from storyline to storyboards to actually samples of fabrication
(03:49):
and determining what we really wanted to do, you know,
back and forth, and then they actually was, They manufactured, built,
helped us train and really staff this this attraction to
get it ready for us. It's our longest attraction, it's
our scariest attraction. It has seventeen rooms in this attraction
(04:10):
with twenty actors that man it. There's video, there's technology,
there's animatronics. It is post immersive creative Mayze house that
we have ever done. And the storyline is really based
on this gentleman who is a sleep scientist, particularly with children,
(04:37):
and what happens in children's dreams.
Speaker 1 (04:41):
Oh wow, So what would be a good age to
not go?
Speaker 2 (04:47):
I'd probably say maybe five and below. I don't think
I would take it. There are some dark areas and
the creatures are fairly dark, but there's some cool things too,
And as long as they're a little braceform, it's not
it's not really too much, you know, in your personal space.
(05:07):
It's far enough a way that you can walk through it.
But let's just say there's some some surprises in there
too with the animatronics. There's a room, my favorite room
where it looks like a living room but it's upside down.
Speaker 1 (05:21):
Oh wow.
Speaker 2 (05:22):
The couch actually at a certain point opens up and
this creature comes out. It's it's pretty amazing.
Speaker 1 (05:29):
Do you have these necklaces that are great for kids?
Speaker 2 (05:32):
They actually if they put the neck by the necklace
and put it on them and wear it around their neck,
an actor will not approach and engage with the kid. So,
whether that's walking around the park or in a house
or a maze, in any environment in the park, our
actors are trained not to engage with those kids because
we know that they may be a little more sensitive
(05:53):
than others.
Speaker 1 (05:54):
Wow, that's a great idea. Let's talk about the scarre zones.
Speaker 2 (05:58):
Sure there are so there are two arizones that we
added into the park this year. So these are just
areas as you're walking around the park on the midway
that you may encounter a little bit of creepiness and
horror as you're just kind of meandering through the park
on your journey. And one of them is outside of
(06:19):
our one of the mazes actually up on the hill
in what we call our Timberjack area. And then the
other one is down around our carousel. So and that
one involves clowns.
Speaker 1 (06:31):
Oh boy. So if you don't like clowns, you need.
Speaker 2 (06:34):
To stay away scary clowns.
Speaker 1 (06:37):
There's something for all ages. We have the play all day,
we have the Decorate your pumpkin, and all of the crafts,
we have the haunted houses, the scare zones. But my
favorite part, and you said this is the food.
Speaker 2 (06:50):
You know, it's it's integral to any park experience. And
you know, we've got a lot of things that revolve
around pumpkin, whether it's pumpkin ice cream, pumpkin fried dough.
But one of the interesting things that we bring back
for this time of year actually two of them, and
people just love it because we don't normally offer them
our turkey legs.
Speaker 1 (07:11):
Ah.
Speaker 2 (07:12):
Then you can also buy a kit where you can
make your own s'more, put it on a stick and
actually roast your own smore, and that can happen at
two locations throughout the park.
Speaker 1 (07:21):
Nice, really nice. We also have the poison candy apples, absolutely,
the skull mug Dippin' dots and you get to take
the skull mug home with you.
Speaker 2 (07:31):
And there are some adult treats too.
Speaker 1 (07:33):
I heard about that.
Speaker 2 (07:34):
Yeah, that some of those can come in a skull
mug and some of them are in a giant syringe.
Speaker 1 (07:40):
So yeah, that's very cool.
Speaker 2 (07:42):
They are quite tasty.
Speaker 1 (07:46):
You don't do it on the job, though, you do,
that's right. I'm speaking with Doug Hempel. He is general
manager of Lake Compounds. Phantom Fall Fast is going on
now through October twenty six. That is the day of
the Kid's costume part at four o'clock. For all of
these events and more, go to Latecompounds dot com. Thank
you so much for being here today, Thank you.
Speaker 2 (08:08):
For having me. Really enjoyed it.
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