Fort Worth Weekly Classifieds // October 22-28, 2025

Page 1


METRO

No Kings Rally Draws 8K

Like nearly every

other protest across

the

country,

Fort Worth’s was peaceful and powerful.

Through rain and shine, Fort Worthians filled Burk Burnett Park yesterday for the city’s second No Kings protest of the year. Organizers with the progressive group Indivisible 12 estimated between 7,000 and 8,000 attendees, the largest protest in Fort Worth’s history. The rally was part of similar rallies across the country. Estimates indicate that nearly 7 million

Americans participated in more than 2,500 cities and towns. By most accounts, every rally was peaceful.

Throughout the march downtown, protesters carried signs calling for the protection of democracy, comparing the president to other fascist leaders, and demanding the release of the Epstein files.

Like other recent protests across the country, a few Fort Worthians wore inflatable costumes of both real and mythical creatures — a trend popularized by the viral TikTok of cops pepper-spraying the Portland Frog at an ICE protest.

While the national No Kings movement originated to challenge the rise of fascism within the federal government, community speakers brought the importance of local issues to the forefront.

EJ Carrion, host of 817 Podcast, addressed the recent restrictions to city council public comment meetings. “We can now only speak at council 10 times. Imagine you having a problem and you gotta find the one time you can speak, maybe that month.”

Patrice Jones, activist and founder of Southside Community Gardens, pointed out the lack of representative leadership in the majority-minority city, stating, “Our local leadership continues to reflect the few, not the many. … City leaders smile in our faces while they dismantle accountability and erase empathy.”

Alisa Simmons, County Commissioner for Precinct 2, said, “You’ve watched these clowns systematically dismantle the social safety net in this

county that took generations, generations to build,” referencing cuts to hospital budgets, the elimination of health and human services departments, and the local shutdown of 125 polling places.

Other speakers included City Councilman Chris Nettles, Texas State Rep. Nicole Collier, activist Chris Tackett, and others.

Whether discussing Mayor Mattie Parker’s ties to conservative church Mercy Culture, the high rate of inmate deaths in Tarrant County Jail with little accountability, County Judge Tim O’Hare’s gerrymandering, or unconstitutional ICE detentions, the message across all speakers was consistent — get involved in local government, encourage others to do the same, and vote like democracy depends on it. l

Haunting the Houses

For most scare actors, the fun is not in the money (or lack thereof) but in making patrons pee themselves out of fear.

Night begins to fall outside a dilapidated 80-yearold former warehouse on Chester Street when a call echoes through the dimly lit, cavernous interior: “Turn out the lights! Let’s go!”

That’s Sabian Hernandez’s cue to heft his chainsaw, adjust his mask, and stretch to his full height of well over 8 feet. Striding into the gathering darkness, he swings the buzzing blade menacingly at people lined up along a wall.

It’s the start of another shift for Hernandez and 30 other scare actors at Junkyard Haunted House, located on a backstreet behind the Southside headquarters of the Humane Society of North Texas. As the night gets underway, Hernandez reveals himself as a man who loves his work.

Perched atop 3-foot-tall stilts, clad in a tight striped costume, and wearing a black-and-white mask that Gene Simmons would approve of, Hernandez lunges energetically toward patrons waiting to enter the haunted house. Some cower before the roaring saw — actually a harmless prop — while others capture the scene on phones.

On any weekend night in October, hundreds of other scare actors across North Texas are similarly gesticulating, making faces, tottering like zombies, uttering ghastly screams and weird laughs, and otherwise plying their craft. Many work long hours, usually for no pay, often wearing hot and heavy costumes and not infrequently fending off rowdy and disrespectful customers. The actors say it’s all worth it.

“It’s a feeling you can’t explain,” Hernandez said of scare acting, also known as “haunt acting” or simply “haunting.” “Most people will never understand it — the fun of putting real fear into people.”

What does real fear look like?

Hernandez paused. “They pee,” he finally said, “or they take off running.”

For Hernandez, this sort of fun runs in the family — both his parents worked at Cutting Edge, the venerable Fort Worth fright attraction recently voted the nation’s top haunted house in a contest run by USA Today. With a decade at the gig, he’s practically an elder statesman on the local scare-actor scene.

dripping blood-red makeup, and named Mallory Chambers. Like most scare actors, Ryan created her own backstory to give her character depth.

“She was a girl who dared to break into an attraction at night,” Ryan said. “She didn’t make it out, and now she’s one of the monsters.”

As Mallory, Ryan lurks atop an old refrigerator and lunges down to claw at the faces of patrons squeezing through a narrow passageway. Shifts can be long.

“There have been nights when I’ve acted until 3 a.m.,” she said, and she drives nearly two hours each way to work from her home in Sanger.

None of this is too much sacrifice for Ryan, who dabbled with traditional acting before trying haunting. “I fell in love and decided this was the kind of acting I want to do.”

Part of the fun is the freedom. Scare actors typically have no script to work with, so improvisation is the rule.

Scare acting can produce income as well as fulfillment — Junkyard Haunted House pays actors $100 a night — but most performers labor for love alone. In fact, Ryan says this is her first paid scaring job, after nine years of volunteering at other scare attractions.

Junkyard owner Ricardo Hernandez (no relation to Sabian) said he was surprised to learn that most venues, including some of the area’s bestknown, expect actors to work for free.

“We’ve always paid our employees,” said Hernandez, who also operates a Junkyard Haunted House in Dallas.

In Fort Worth, scores of people queued up to pay $25 a head within minutes of opening time on this mid-October evening. The fee is slightly less than at other venues, but seemingly even a lower-priced haunted house can produce ample black ink.

“It’s a good business,” Hernandez said. “It’s a very good business.”

Behind the profit, it’s not all gore and games. Ryan says that in addition to long hours of usually volunteer labor, haunters must cope with significant on-the-job hazards. These can include respiratory ailments caused by inadequately disinfected fog machines, lack of water breaks to hydrate, and frequent physical abuse from unruly patrons.

“I’ve been grabbed and hit,” Ryan said. Sometimes, she said, this happens when surprised customers reflexively throw up a protective hand and accidentally contact a performer who pops up without warning.

At times, the physicality goes further and descends into intentional and even sustained violence.

“The girls, unfortunately, get groped,” Sabian said.

Not surprisingly, actors hope for more from their workplaces. Ryan has recently formed a group to advocate for better working conditions in scare attractions.

Risk to actors varies by venue. A performer at Six Flags Fright Fest says the theme park has security personnel who will respond quickly to an actor’s call for help. However, sometimes the damage is already done.

“We had someone who got knocked out cold when somebody punched her,” said the actor, who is not being named because she didn’t have the venue’s permission to speak.

Whether they work at one of the more desirable venues, such as Junkyard and Six Flags, that pay actors and provide breaks and responsive security or a volunteer gig where performers get fewer of both niceties and necessities, scare actors need to be physically robust. Six Flags’ job description includes constant standing, talking, climbing, reaching, stooping, crouching, bending, kneeling, and other activities.

More unusual talents may also be called for. Sliders, for example, are specialist actors who wear knee pads and armored gloves and slide across floors to frighten guests. Being a little wild probably won’t hurt. The popular Bedford haunted house Moxley Manor advertised job openings with the tag: “We’re looking for actors and makeup artists to help us scare the cr*p out of our victims.”

All this must be done wearing costumes weighing up to 20 pounds, often including masks, wigs, gloves, thick makeup, and little ventilation.

“My costume is really heavy and stiff,” the Six Flags actor said. “At the end of the night, all of us can hardly walk to our cars.”

If this sounds appealing, getting a gig as a scare actor is likely possible, even for beginners. Auditions, which usually happen in late summer, tend to be relaxed. Especially at voluntary venues, nearly anyone willing and able can get onboard.

Hours can reach 40 a week or more when houses start scaring seven days a week as Oct. 31 approaches. And some run from September through early December. A few open other times of year for Friday the 13th or Bloody Valentine shows.

However, generally speaking, this is parttime seasonal work that actors do either as a brief annual dramatic endeavor or as one of a variety of jobs throughout the year. That describes Sabian Hernandez.

“I’m the Easter Bunny, I do Uncle Sam, I do birthday parties,” he said. “Last year, I was part of the Dallas Christmas parade. I’m an entertainer.”

Then Sabian smiled, pulled on his mask, picked up his saw, and headed out to see if he could make somebody wet their pants. l

Fellow Junkyard haunter Vanna Ryan plays a character clad in a torn white dress, adorned with
Of her character Mallory Chambers at Junkyard Haunted House, scare actor Vanna Ryan said, “She was a girl who dared to break into an attraction at night. She didn’t make it out, and now she’s one of the monsters.”
Standing 8 feet tall on stilts and wielding a (prop) chainsaw, Sabian Hernandez is ready to greet you into the scary dark at Junkyard Haunted House in Fort Worth.

If you walk into Harris’ store on Camp Bowie Boulevard today, you’ll find racks groaning under theatrical costumes depicting characters from the cultures of Native Americans, the Middle East, and many other places. You’ll find makeup that will let you tint your skin any color you like — and, if you appear ready to cross a cultural line, you’ll also get some gentle guidance.

You Can’t Wear That

Cross-cultural

costumes are OK as long as they’re respectful — and don’t cross the line.

When Fort Worth’s oldest costumer opened in 1949, state law required separate Black and white seating on buses. Poll taxes and prison terms for interracial marriage were also on the books. This was 22 years after Al Jolson performed in Blackface in The Jazz Singer , eight years after the infamous crows scene marred Disney’s and a dozen years before Mickey Rooney donned yellowface as Mr. Yunioshi in at Tiffany’s

Back then, the issue of cultural appro priation likely wasn’t on the radar at Harris Costumes, which then specialized in dressing C&W musicians, or anywhere else. Times have changed. Now, it pays to be careful what you sport for Halloween — or even what you suggest others wear. Just ask Megyn Kelly, who was bounced from NBC in 2019 after defending a white actor who darkened her skin before going as Diana Ross to a Halloween party.

“We’ve had people come in who are obvious about wanting to be someone of a different race,” says Lauren Rachall, a 15-year employee of the store who specializes in Beauty and the Beast costumes. “I try to steer them toward something different.”

For Halloween revelers aiming to avoid offense, it may not be enough to eschew skin-darkening. Cultural appropriation happens

Pretty sure Blackface is considered racist these days — unlike when Al Jolson donned it in The Jazz Singer.

LIVING LOCAL ART

The Wedgwood Historical Association is back with the fourth installment of its historic home tour, the 2025 Parade of Homes, the largest fundraiser for the local nonprofit that seeks to sponsor

the nomination of Wedgwood as a historic district on the National Register of Historic Places.

This year’s tour features three homes that uniquely showcase the midcentury flair of one of the most established planned neighborhoods in Fort Worth, including a 1956 contemporary ranch with all its original interior, a 1964 international-inspired ranch, and a 1963 colonial ranch that has been artfully restored with period finishes following damage from a water main break. A first this year will be the opportunity to explore some of the neighborhood’s historic commercial spaces, including the former Wedgwood Theatre, which operated from 1967 until the mid-1990s. The tour will feature exterior and interior docent-guided tours of the properties. (Read more in Blotch at FWWeekly.com.)

Check-in will take place at the Wedgwood Shopping Village (5928 Trail Lake Dr), where tickets may also be purchased on the day of the event. Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 on the day of the parade (children 10 and younger are admitted free). The event is rain or shine, and no pets or strollers will be permitted. For more information or tickets, visit WedgwoodHistoricalAssociation.org.

Parade-goers will get to tour a 1956 contemporary ranch and several other properties on Saturday.

STUFF

They Came, They Saw …

The North Texas

Ghostbusters have built their own official video game for the Nintendo Game Boy.

Believe it or not, North Texas has a Ghostbusters franchise. No, it’s not a sign of the end times or a sudden spike in the amount of psychokinetic energy in North Texas the same size as a Hostess Twinkie approximately 35 feet long and weighing 600 pounds.

The North Texas Ghostbusters are a nonprofit fan group inspired by the film franchise and are one of many across the country known as “franchises,” who build screen-accurate uniforms, proton packs, and other specter-tracking and exterminating equipment. They also use their love for the films and prop-building by meeting and greeting the public to help raise money for charities and engage their communities.

Some franchises take their love for the films further than others, and that’s what the North Texas Ghostbusters do. Along with appearing at conventions and events with a full-size replica of ECTO-1, the long, modified 1959 Cadillac from the movies, the North Texas group also raffles off handbuilt pieces of equipment to raise money for charity. They’ve taken over downtown Denton’s Visitors Center & Gift Shop and remodeled the space to serve as their temporary headquarters during the city’s 31 Days of Halloween celebration.

Now, the franchise has their own video game for the portable Nintendo Game Boy system. The North Texas Ghostbusters is not a physical cartridge. It’s a ROM, a memory file that means

Zach Hidalgo, webmaster for the North Texas Ghostbusters, premiered the official Nintendo Game Boy game at their temporary headquarters in Denton’s Visitors Center & Gift Shop during the city’s 31 Days of Halloween celebration.

“Read-Only Memory,” that can be downloaded from GhostbustersNews.com and played on a Game Boy emulator on a computer or smartphone.

The local Ghostbuster who designed and built the game is Zach Hidalgo. The webmaster for the North Texas Ghostbusters had previous experience with the system, but “this is the first full game I’ve ever made.”

The North Texas Ghostbusters game puts players in control of Chris Uzzle, the president of the local franchise, sent on a call to a fancy hotel to rid it of the spooks, specters, and other nonliving entities haunting its hallways. It’s only one player, so there’s no risk of crossing streams.

“It all takes place in one big hotel,” Hidalgo said. “I thought it would be funny, and the layout makes no sense.”

The game is very tongue in cheek with funny dialogue that references other movies and games, and all the enemies are ghosts and monsters from other video games like King Boo from Super Mario Bros., metroids, and the ghosts from Pac-Man, who escaped from a cursed television. A Pokémon enemy also serves as the perfect stand-in for the terror dogs from the movies.

“I wanted enemies that people would recognize,” Hidalgo said. “I wanted little kids to be able to play it, too, so I wanted the levels to be very linear.”

Hidalgo said it took two and a half months to build a playable version. It was quite a challenge, even for a modded version of an old Ghostbusters game.

“In order to mod it, I had to basically tear down all the code to figure out how everything’s coded in,” he said.

Players walk around the hotel flinging proton streams at ghosts and other enemies to wear them down before throwing out a ghost trap to transfer them to the group’s custom-made storage facility.

Hidalgo said there were moments he thought he wouldn’t be able to build a workable game. He felt a great sense of relief and pride when he put the final pixel in place.

“It was a great feeling to know that it is playable because I was getting a little worried I might not have enough time,” he said. “Once I got to the point when it was playable, I was really hyped.”

Once he finished the game, the other members of the franchise got to take it for a spin. The group also premiered the game at its temporary Denton headquarters, where anyone can play the game through Halloween.

The North Texas Ghostbusters scored even more traction when Ghostbusters News uploaded the game to its site and posted a news item announcing its release, so fans and franchise members all over the country could play it.

“Everybody really likes it,” Hidalgo says. “I think it’s a silly little game. I didn’t think it would be this popular. It’s just really cool to see people really enjoy something I spent a lot of time to build.” l

The North Texas Ghostbusters fan franchise and nonprofit designed and built a video game for the Nintendo Game Boy.

BULLETIN BOARD

ADVERTISE HERE!

Email Stacey@fwweekly.com today.

Are You Road-Trip Ready?

CALL COWTOWN ROVER!

With our handy pick-up and drop-off services, having your car checked out could not be easier. www.CowtownRover.com

3958 Vickery | 817.731.3223

CELEBRATION

Located at 908 Pennsylvania Ave in Fort Worth (817335-3222), Celebration has services on Sundays at 10am. Want to check out a nonjudgmental, inclusive church at home before attending in person? All services can also be viewed on YouTube! (@CelebrationCommunityChurch130)

CONSUMER CELLULAR

We offer the same reliable, nationwide coverage as the largest carriers. No long-term contract, no hidden fees and activation is free. All plans feature unlimited talk and text, starting at just $20/month. For more information, call 1-833-926-4234. (MB)

DENTAL INSURANCE

From Physicians Mutual Insurance Company. Coverage for 400 plus procedures. Real dental insurance - NOT just a discount plan. Do not wait! Call now! Get your FREE Dental Information Kit with all the details! 1-888361-7095 www.dental50plus.com/fortworth #6258

EMPLOYMENT

CLERICAL ASSISTANT

We are seeking a reliable and detail-oriented Remote Clerical Assistant to join our team. This is a work-fromhome position, 25 hours per week (Monday–Friday), paying $860 weekly. Candidates must have strong computer skills, excellent attention to detail, good customer service skills, experience handling cash and items, and the ability to complete small tasks as needed. If you are organized, dependable, and ready to work remotely, please email recruitment@thedebbiestaffing. com for more details

GET PUBLISHED!

Dorrance Publishing, trusted by authors since 1920, is accepting submissions. Book manuscripts are currently being reviewed. Comprehensive services include consultation, production, promotion and distribution. Call 1-866-256-0940 or go to DorranceInfo.com/ftworth for your free author`s guide and become a published author. (MB)

HIGHER PURPOSE

Everyone has a higher purpose. Find yours at Higher Purpose Emporium (505 W Northside Dr, FWTX, 682-2075351). For more info, visit HigherPurposeEmporium.com.

HISTORIC RIDGLEA THEATER

THE RIDGLEA is three great venues within one historic Fort Worth landmark. RIDGLEA THEATER has been restored to its authentic allure, recovering unique Spanish-Mediterranean elements. It is ideal for large audiences and special events. RIDGLEA ROOM and RIDGLEA LOUNGE have been making some of their own history, as connected adjuncts to RIDGLEA THEATER, or hosting their own smaller shows and gatherings. More at theRidglea.com

INSTANT SHADE!

SunSetter: America’s Number One Awning! Instant shade at the touch of a button. Transform your deck or patio into an outdoor oasis. Up to 10-year limited warranty. Call now and SAVE $350 today! 1-855-6287701 (MB)

ONE BITE & YOU’LL KNOW!

Send 100% guaranteed, delivered-to-the-door Omaha Steaks! This package comes with 8 FREE Burgers! Call or visit online and mention code 76946ATS. Order The Classic Cookout Collection! ONLY $129.99. (mb) OmahaSteaks.com/OneBite2728 1-855-404-9674

LIFE INSURANCE

Up to $15,000.00 of GUARANTEED Life Insurance! No medical exam or health questions. Cash to help pay funeral and other final expenses.Call Physicians Life Insurance Company- 844-782-2870 or visit www. Life55plus.info/ftworth

LIZ BUYS HOUSES

We Buy Houses for Cash AS IS! No repairs. No fuss. Any condition. Easy three step process: Call, get cash offer and get paid. Get your fair cash offer today by calling Liz Buys Houses: 1-877-509-9772. (MB)

OMAHA STEAKS

when you want the best, you want Omaha Steaks! 100% guaranteed and delivered to your door! Our All-Time Grill Faves comes with 8 FREE Omaha Steaks Burgers ONLY $99.99. Mention code 76946ENT when you visit OmahaSteaks.com/OneBite2263 or call 1-888-703-0342 today. (MB)

PICKLE LOVERS REJOICE!

The World’s Largest Pickle Party 2025 is coming November 8th to Globe Life Field and Texas Live. Celebrate National Pickle Day at The Big Dill® and get ready for a dill-icious celebration like no other! For event details, visit our website: BigDill.com

PLANNED PARENTHOOD

We’re not going anywhere. PPGreaterTX.org

POTTER’S HOUSE

Join the Potter’s House of Fort Worth (1270 Woodhaven Blvd, 817-446-1999) for Sunday Service at 8am and Wednesday Bible Study at 7pm. For more info, visit us online at www.TPHFW.org.

PREPARED for OUTAGES?

be ready with a Generac Home Standby Generator. Act now to receive a FREE 5-Year warranty with qualifying purchase. Call 817-752-957 today to schedule a free quote. It’s not just a generator. It’s a power move. (MB).

PUBLIC NOTICE

The following vehicles have been impounded with fees due to date by Texas Towing Wrecker, 205 S Commercial St, Fort Worth TX 76107, 817-8770206 (VSF0000964): Apollo, 2016, Street Bike, VIN L08YCNF08G1000065, $447.88; Bumper, 2020, Pull Trailer, No VIN, $1732.54; Cam Am, 2024, Maverick, VIN 3JBVNAV42NE004237, $2314.07; Gomaco, 2000, TC600 Cure Machine VIN MC1996845T, $1213.07; Jeep, 1961, Willys, VIN 5526863754, $989.85; Kawasaki, 2019, Ninja 600, No VIN, $1165.20; Kaiser, 1981, M818, VIN 05C72571C12413984, $1213.07; Lamar, 2012, Pipe Handling Trailer, No VIN, $1732.54; Rex Con, 1999, Concrete Placer, VIN 10953, $1213.07; and Stewart-Stevenson, 2004, M1078, VIN AT010961BDJG, $1213.07.

WHAT’S YOUR STORY?

We work with guest contributors to publish SEO articles and press releases. For more info, email Marketing@ fwweekly.com.

WINDOW NATION

New windows from Window Nation. Special money saving offer: zero down, zero payments, zero interest for TWO years AND buy 2 windows and get 2 FREE! Offer is valid for select models. Labor not included. Other restrictions apply. Call Window Nation today! 877-9190521 (MB)

Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.