William Westhoven

@wwesthoven

Fans of the Yankees and Mets who are tired of seeing scary-bad baseball can enjoy some scary-good fun next month at the former minor-league baseball park in Sussex County.

The new owners of Skylands Park in Augusta have temporarily transformed their idle stadium into “Scareland Stadium,” an interactive haunted attraction that opens for Halloween-season recreation the first weekend of October.

Skylands Stadium LLC Management, which bought the property last year, still hopes to bring minor-league baseball back to northwest New Jersey. In the meantime, the company, known for creating unique, interactive haunted attractions with gruesome characters, props and effects, is hoping to scare up some new business with this latest venture.

The company’s previous haunt, State Scare Belleville, operated over the past five years and was voted the scariest haunted attraction in New Jersey by Metropolis Nights.

The “lineup” at the stadium is said to be stacked with “terrifying coaches, an evil team owner and a field full of demonic zombie players, with more terrifying curve balls in store,” according to a press release.

“At Scareland, you are part of the attraction,” said Skylands Vice President Al Dorso, Jr. “Experience the draft pick as if you were a real rookie player, and come face-to-face with the twisted ballpark coaches who will be taking you through the tryout process.”

“Scareland Stadium” will be open Fridays through Sundays every weekend in October, and closes on Nov. 1.

Tickets are $15 and may be purchased at the door. A $3 discount coupon will be available at businesses in Morris, Sussex Counties, Bergen, Passaic and Essex counties. The coupon also will be available for download at www.SkylandsStadium.com and at www.StateScare.com.

Skylands Stadium led the revival of minor-league baseball in New Jersey when it opened in 1994 as the home of the Major League Baseball-affiliated Sussex Cardinals. The Cardinals played at the 4,200-seat venue until the team was sold and moved in 2005. An independent minor-league team, the Sussex Skyhawks, played there from 2006 to 2010.

The new management has renovated the stadium and says it is in discussions to bring baseball back by 2015.

Staff Writer William Westhoven: 973-428-6627; wwesthoven@dailyrecord.com.