Silverwood Theme Park's season-extending strategies, which include community promotions in September and converting the park to a spooky attraction in October, help the park continue to set new attendance records, says Nancy DiGiammarco, Silverwood's marketing director.

Scarywood, a Hallo-ween-season incarnation of Silverwood that the North Idaho theme park debuted in 2009, has exceeded initial expectations in its first few years, DiGiammarco says.

Last year, Scarywood drew 46,000 people in the 11 days it was open in October, bringing Silverwood's 2011 attendance to 659,000, up from 33,000 Scarywood customers and a total Silverwood attendance of just over 600,000 a year earlier in 2010.

This year, she's expecting even higher attendance during Scarywood as the park is expanding its haunted attractions, staying open an hour later, and adding three Wednesdays to the Thursday-through-Saturday schedule, which runs Oct. 5-27.

Scarywood also extends employment for much of Silverwood's staff, she says.

"Many of our good employees and management staff are seasonal, and they're able to get an additional month of employment," DiGiammarco says. "Plus, Scarywood opens up to talented actors."

Scarywood employs 540 people, consisting of a 350-person operational staff, 150 actors, and a technical crew of 40, DiGiammarco says. By comparison, Silverwood employs 600 people in the height of the summer, she says.

"With expanded attractions, Scarywood will be able to handle far more guests this year," she says.

Full-priced Scarywood tickets will be priced at the gate at $25 to $35 each, depending on the day of the week. Advance tickets for sale online are discounted $5 each.

DiGiammarco says online sales have been brisk so far, and some days might sell out despite the increased capacity at Scarywood.

So far, Scarywood has attracted a wider following than originally envisioned, DiGiammarco says.

"Scarywood totally turned the demographics of that type of event from what the norm is," she says. Typically, theme parks that offer haunted attractions appeal to young men in the 13 to 33 age group, she says.

Now, Scarywood is nearing its fourth year, and its customer base has become more gender and age balanced, DiGiammarco says.

"We're still seeing that young male demographic, but it became a couples' night. There would be three or four couples coming together."

While such an effort to extend the season originally targeted the local market, its appeal has spread to attract people from beyond the Inland Northwest.

"A fairly high percentage of guests are coming from outer markets as far away as Portland and Seattle," DiGiammarco says.

Scarywood is open during the traditional shoulder season for hotels, so it is helping to extend their season, she says, adding that about 25 Coeur d'Alene and Spokane hotels are promoting Scarywood package deals.

One of those is the Holiday Inn Express & Suites, in Hayden, about 12 miles south of Silverwood.

Jennifer Ross, marketing director at Holiday Inn Express, says the hotel has seen a 21 to 26 percent increase in bookings when Scarywood is open, compared with October dates in the years preceding Scarywood.

"We're thrilled with Scarywood," Ross says. "It brings more guests into our facilities for overnight stays."

The hotel, which is attached to the Triple Play fun park, offers room packages that include passes to Scarywood and the Triple Play's Raptor Reef indoor waterpark.

Ross says such deals have regional appeal.

"We've had people come from the Seattle area, the Tri-Cities, Montana, Spokane, and even Canada," she says.

The hotel anticipates even more guests this season, because Scarywood has included three Wednesdays in its schedule that weren't included last year.

"We're always thrilled when we can get people midweek," she says. "We're hoping to get more stays during that time."

Cedar Mountain Farm Bed & Breakfast, in Athol, offers its guests discount Silverwood tickets, says Lew VanDeMark, the general manager there.

VanDeMark says he's glad to see Scarywood's schedule extended to include three Wednesdays, although most guests who take advantage of the Scarywood incentives are weekend travelers.

Some guests, though, have extended their stay, after a day at the theme park, he says.

"Some say they're having such a good weekend that they stay another day if they are able to do so," VanDeMark says.

DiGiammarco says Gary Norton, who opened the family-owned theme park in 1988, took a serious look at Halloween attractions at other parks before deciding to create Scarywood.

"Scary attractions have been done in other theme parks," she says. "Knott's Berry Farm is the master of it."

Silverwood's first presentation of Scarywood was a modest affair, DiGiammarco says.

"The first year we did it, we decided to go in on a very low budget," she says. "The second year, we invested more than $1 million and took it to a new level."

The park hired experts in the field of creating scary attractions. "To create Scarywood, Silverwood is totally transformed from the norm," DiGiammarco says. "Beautiful flowers and gardens are replaced by bales of hay and fog and various creatures."

Before Scarywood, Silverwood extended its season beyond Labor Day by remaining open weekends in September.

In the past few years, Silverwood has boosted September attendance by dropping the full price significantly—this year to $26 per person from $43—and holding a community food drive.

"This year, for every ticket purchased in the last three weekends in September, Silverwood will donate $4 to area food banks," she says. "The goal is to increase attendance to the point we're raising over $70,000 for food banks."

She says such efforts have helped double September attendance at Silverwood, compared with years prior to community appreciation days.

Extending the season also has helped Silverwood to continue to mark new heights in attendance each year.

This year, that escalating trend was threatened by a slow start to the peak season due mostly to heavy rain in June and July.

"If it hadn't rained, we would be sitting here now with a huge record," DiGiammarco says.

Attendance numbers climbed back up in August and have held at high levels, she says.

"Right now, with what we're experiencing in park attendance and presales for Scarywood, I believe we'll be up again and set another record."

Looking at extending its calendar yet again, Silverwood has been investigating options to open for winter operations around the holidays.

"We have for many years looked at a Christmas theme," DiGiammarco says. "No decisions have been made. Right now, we're going to stick with the model we have."

Silverwood doesn't disclose revenues, however, the Idaho state Department of Commerce reported that the theme park is the state's most-attended attraction, and its 2011 economic impact in Idaho totaled $79.5 million.

Silverwood's contribution to the economy is expected to grow, as it has nearly 100 more acres of land on which to expand in the future.

"We're always looking at new attractions and ideas to expand the park," DiGiammarco says.

Silverwood also has entertained visions of a hotel with hundreds of rooms for a number of years, she says.

"A hotel is still on the drawing board," DiGiammarco says. "Eventually we will see a hotel at Silverwood and it will become Silverwood Resort."