Inside Brooklyn FFA Chapter’s Member-Run Hayride

Tucked away on a 320-acre campus south of Hattiesburg, Miss., the Brooklyn FFA Chapter at Forrest County Agricultural High School turns its school grounds into a massive Halloween attraction every fall. With around 200 head of livestock on site and plenty of open land, the ag department already has a full operation running—which makes transforming the back fields into a spooky trail all the more impressive. For visitors, the trip out to the remote trails is a complete surprise.

As Brooklyn FFA advisor Mary Helen Lett puts it, “Everything’s a surprise when you go through on the trailer. You can’t see anything as you drive up… It’s all hidden until it isn’t.”

Pulling off an event of that scale takes 50 to 75 student volunteers stepping up on opening night.

Months of Work for One Big Night

While summer brings early brainstorming, the real work kicks off in September. Lett notes that the students handle the heavy lifting of bringing the vision to life. “All of our ag students take part in doing so… they design the sets, they meet with people to bring in donations or supplies and materials.”

Beyond planning and collecting supplies, students build the actual sets and props right during class, picking up real-world construction and teamwork skills along the way.

Behind the Scenes on the Farm

The trail winds through hidden parts of the school property, weaving right through the chapter’s working farm:

• An old, creepy bus parked out in the middle of the hayfields.
• A butcher-themed scene set up using the chapter’s livestock facilities.
• A circus tent with a clown theme alongside a witch setup.
• A headless horseman riding an actual horse through the dark.

As the hayride grew more popular over the years, the chapter had to shift the trail away from active pastures. Lett explains how they adapted the layout. “It just got to be too much with putting in generators and lights and scenes and all that kind of stuff that they could mess with or hurt them… as we needed more trailers and more room and more scenes, we had to move it to a side of campus that is more remote.”

More Than Just Scares

For the Brooklyn FFA Chapter, the hayride is much more than a seasonal event—it is a lesson in sticking with a massive project from start to finish. “Our chapter is founded upon hard work … our entire basis is being dependable, having a work ethic, and following through to make sure that we finish, no matter what the challenges ahead of us,” Lett shares.

Working on the project daily in class gives students hands-on practice in problem-solving and collaboration. At the same time, the event pulls in huge crowds from nearby towns like Hattiesburg, Wiggins and Gulfport, raising vital funds for the chapter’s spring trips and competitions.

Seeing It All Come Together

After months of building, designing, and late-summer planning, the best part for everyone involved is watching the gates open.

“Just to see the final event come together … to ride the hayride with the customers and see the customers’ reaction and hear them say, ‘Oh my goodness, look how this is so well done’ or ‘Man, that kid really got me, they really put their all into it,'” Lett says.

As the chapter gears up for Oct. 30, the hayride stands as clear proof of what students can accomplish when they roll up their sleeves and put in the work.