Field of Screams Donates More Than $23,000 to Mountville Community Organizations

Field of Screams in Mountville, Pennsylvania, has donated more than $23,000 to several local organizations, continuing its long-standing investment in the same community where the nationally recognized haunted attraction began.

Co-founders and brothers Gene and Jim Schopf, who grew up in Mountville and founded Field of Screams in 1993, have contributed to projects benefiting Mountville youth athletics, local students, and community recreation spaces. The donations include funding a new batting cage for the Mountville Youth Athletic Association, helping sponsor an outdoor classroom at Mountville Elementary School, and ongoing support for the Mountville Community Services Foundation.

Quick Info

  • Attraction: Field of Screams
  • Location: 191 College Avenue, Mountville, Pennsylvania
  • Founded: 1993
  • Owners/Co-founders: Gene and Jim Schopf
  • Donation Total: More than $23,000
  • Organizations Supported:
    • Mountville Youth Athletic Association
    • Mountville Elementary School PTO
    • Mountville Community Services Foundation
  • Donation Highlights:
    • $5,000 to fully fund a new MYAA batting cage
    • $5,000 sponsorship toward Mountville Elementary School’s outdoor classroom
    • More than $13,000 donated since 2014 as a Gold Sponsor of the Mountville Community Services Foundation golf outing
  • Attractions at Field of Screams: Haunted Hayride, Den of Darkness, Frightmare Asylum, Nocturnal Wasteland
  • Also on Property: Corn Cob Acres, a daytime fall family attraction
  • Website: fieldofscreams.com

TSF Insights:

This is the kind of story we think more haunt fans should see.

It is easy to look at a major haunted attraction and only think about the scares, the crowds, the sets, the actors, and the ticket sales. But long-running attractions like Field of Screams often become something much bigger than a seasonal Halloween event. They become part of the local community.

What stands out here is that these donations are not random. Gene and Jim Schopf are investing in places that are personally tied to their own Mountville roots: the ballfields where they grew up playing, the elementary school serving local kids, and the community spaces that families use outside of haunt season.

For the haunt industry, this is also a reminder that haunted attractions can be powerful community partners. A well-run haunt can bring tourism, seasonal jobs, charity opportunities, local pride, a variety of experiences, and real financial support to the area around it. When a haunt does that year after year, it strengthens the argument that haunted attractions are not just entertainment businesses; they are community businesses.

Field of Screams has already built a national reputation as one of the most recognizable haunted attractions in the country, but this kind of local investment adds another layer to its legacy. Scaring people may get guests through the gates, but giving back to the town that helped build the attraction is what helps ensure that legacy lasts.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Field of Screams Donates More Than $23,000 to Mountville Community Organizations
Co-founders Gene and Jim Schopf fund a new MYAA batting cage, an outdoor classroom at Mountville Elementary School, and ongoing support for the Mountville Community Services Foundation

MOUNTVILLE, Pa. (July 2026) Field of Screams has donated more than $23,000 to three Mountville organizations, funding a new batting cage for the Mountville Youth Athletic Association, an outdoor classroom at Mountville Elementary School, and more than a decade of support for the Mountville Community Services Foundation. Brothers Gene and Jim Schopf, who co-founded Field of Screams in 1993 and remain its co-owners, grew up in Mountville and spent their childhoods playing baseball through the MYAA. When the association needed a new batting cage at a cost of $5,000, Field of Screams stepped up to the plate and funded the project in full. A banner now hangs on the batting cage at the baseball diamonds on the Froehlich Park property, and a Field of Screams sign hangs on the left field fence at Veterans Memorial Park, the same field where Gene and Jim played as kids.
At Mountville Elementary School, the PTO set out in 2025 to build an outdoor classroom for the school’s teachers and students. Field of Screams and Corn Cob Acres served as the project’s main sponsor with a $5,000 donation. The outdoor pavilion is now complete and in regular use, and a plaque at the site recognizes the sponsorship.
Field of Screams has also been a Gold Sponsor of the Mountville Community Services Foundation’s annual golf outing every year since 2014, donating more than $13,000 to date. The foundation maintains Froehlich Park and the Mountville Community Pool, where a Field of Screams banner hangs on the pool fence.“Mountville is where Gene and I grew up, played ball, and went to school, and it is where Field of Screams was born,” said Jim Schopf, co-founder and co-owner of Field of Screams. “Supporting the MYAA, the elementary school, and the Community Services Foundation is our way of investing in the same places and programs that shaped us.”About Field of Screams: Founded in 1993 by Mountville natives Gene and Jim Schopf, Field of Screams is located at 191 College Avenue in Mountville, Pennsylvania, and features four haunted attractions: the Haunted Hayride, Den of Darkness, Frightmare Asylum, and Nocturnal Wasteland. Ranked the number-one haunted attraction in America by USA Today and featured by the Travel Channel, Time, and Newsweek, Field of Screams has welcomed more than one million visitors. It is the original Field of Screams and is independently owned, with no affiliation with similarly named attractions elsewhere. The property is also home to Corn Cob Acres, a daytime fall attraction for families.
Learn more at fieldofscreams.com.
Media Contact Jim Schopf jim@fieldofscreams.com (717) 285-7748 https://fieldofscreams.com/
Field of Screams Press Release
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