BERRYTON (KSNT) – The Shawnee Heights Orchestra brought the community together for a night of Halloween fun Saturday at Shively Farms, hosting its third annual Haunted Corn Maze fundraiser to support students and their music education.
The event featured a live performance from the orchestra, food, activities and a haunted corn maze. Orchestra students also volunteered to serve as the scarers inside the maze, with about 40 students signing up for the role.
Ryan Masotto, Shawnee Heights Orchestra director, said the fundraiser started three years ago after Jay Shively of Shively Farms reached out to him about working together on the event.
“I’m a big fan of not doing fundraisers that sell things to people and that provide an engagement, engage an experience for people, a bonding experience for the kids, especially,” Masotto said.
He said the event has been a rewarding experience for both him and the students, giving them an opportunity to connect with the community outside the classroom.
Halloween candy sales are off to a slow start amid high chocolate prices and affordability concerns
Masotto said the orchestra program includes about 100 students at Shawnee Heights High School, with approximately 350 orchestra students across the district.
The money raised through fundraisers like the Haunted Corn Maze helps make playing an instrument more affordable for students. It also supports activities throughout the school year, including taking orchestra students to perform for elementary school students and hosting end-of-year banquets.
“Anything we can do to make the cost less for kids to play an instrument, that’s what we’re trying to do,” Masotto said.
The fundraiser is also helping support an upcoming international trip for the orchestra program. Masotto said about 100 people are expected to travel to Salzburg, Vienna and Prague in March.
During the trip, students will perform two concerts in historic venues. Masotto said one performance will take place in a church, while another will be at a venue that was destroyed during World War II and has since been restored.
He said the trip will be a transformational experience for the students, and fundraising and donations are important to making opportunities like it possible.
Beyond the financial support, Masotto said events like the Haunted Corn Maze help keep the orchestra visible in the community, which he considers especially important for arts programs.
“It’s important to be visible, especially when you’re in the arts. You got to leave your mark somewhere and this is how we do it,” Masotto said.
Masotto said he hopes the Haunted Corn Maze will continue in future years so the orchestra can keep bringing the community together and supporting its students.
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