В Джоплинском парке ужасов Drachenmoor введут обязательную онлайн-регистрацию для парковки

The Brief - Drachenmoor, a popular Halloween attraction in Joplin, reopens October 7 with a mandatory online parking reservation system designed to reduce traffic congestion and unsafe behavior in the neighborhood. - Visitors must reserve free parking spots before arriving and present a QR code at the gate - The owners are seeking corporate and family sponsorships to cover the costs of new safety measures, including parking attendants and security personnel. - Reservation website it at the bottom of the article. JOPLIN, Mo. (KOAM) — After a year of renovations and planning, Drachenmoor will reopen its gates on October 7 with significant changes aimed at addressing years of traffic congestion and safety concerns that plagued the surrounding neighborhood. The Halloween attraction now requires visitors to reserve parking spots online before arriving. The free reservation system generates a QR code that guests must present to parking attendants upon entry. Without the code, visitors will not be permitted to access the property. "We kind of needed a year to change some things to kind of rethink what was going on," said Daniel Goepfert, co-owner of Drachenmoor. "The neighborhood really just isn't designed for the kind of traffic that we see. So we were having a lot of issues with crowds, with roads being blocked with bad behavior because there were such large crowds. So this year we've done some things to address that. The primary thing this year we're going to be instituting a timed ticketing system." The parking reservation system addresses what Goepfert identified as the attraction's most pressing challenge. Marian Goepfert, also a co-owner, explained the logistics of the new approach. "When you go online to book a ticket, you're booking a ticket for one car," Marian Goepfert said. "What will happen is you'll go online, you will reserve your parking spot, it'll give you a QR code. You bring that QR code with you. When you come here, they'll be parking attendants, and you'll let them scan your parking ticket, because you won't be allowed in if you don't have a QR code." The attraction operates two designated parking lots, with a possible third. The smaller lot on the north side of McClelland accommodates approximately 40 vehicles, while the larger lot on the south side of McClelland holds about 60 vehicles. Multiple occupants can arrive in a single vehicle, allowing families and groups to share parking reservations. Beyond the parking system, Drachenmoor has undergone substantial physical improvements during its closure. The property has been reshaped to create larger display areas, and the walking trails now extend several hundred yards longer than before. Two new bridges were installed to address drainage issues that previously caused flooding during heavy rains, which threatened the attraction's Halloween props. "Lot of new things this year," Daniel Goepfert said. "The time that we have not been open, we've been spending doing some pretty major work on the property. Things like reshaping the property to make larger display areas. We've got a couple of bridges that we installed and upgraded because we have drainage issues here. We have major flooding sometimes whenever we have big rain." The attraction will feature new props and entertainment elements, including an animatronic dragon that walks around the property. The dragon, named Zim, will make an appearance at the Joplin Tattoo Expo this coming weekend Sept, 11th. The expanded safety measures and infrastructure improvements come with significant costs. Daniel Goepfert emphasized the financial burden of implementing the new systems. "Because doing things like having parking lot security, parking attendants, time ticketing, all that stuff is not free cost a lot of money, and we can't really cover that expense," Goepfert said. "It's already extremely expensive just to put it on without having to cover those kinds of costs. So we really need some assistance if we're going to be able to continue in the future to do it at this scale." To offset these expenses, Drachenmoor is structured as a 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization and is actively seeking corporate and family sponsorships. Marian Goepfert expressed the owners' commitment to keeping the attraction free for the community while acknowledging the need for financial support. "We want to keep it free. We want to keep doing this. We just love providing it's fun for us. We love providing for the community," Marian Goepfert said. "I get a lot of that support online. But it doesn't always reflect for assistance here, whether it's monetary or volunteers. This year we've got a few more volunteers than usual. But monetary support still 50/50. And there are some that can and obviously we're doing it for free because there are many who can't." The owners face a tight timeline to complete preparations before the October 7 opening. Daniel Goepfert noted that the summer heat has slowed construction efforts. "About six weeks. 5 to 6 weeks. We have kind of a hard deadline. Our open date is October 7th," Goepfert said. "Normally wouldn't be so much of an issue, although the hot weather is really slowing us down because basically afternoon, you don't have any energy to do anything." Prospective visitors should review all rules and requirements before booking their parking reservation online. Daniel Goepfert emphasized the importance of understanding the attraction's policies. "Everything you need to know will be listed. Just pay attention whenever you go online and sign up," Goepfert said. "There will be probably a long page of disclaimers and things like that, but there are a lot of important rules on there that you really do need to know before you come. Things like, you know, no firearms, no smoking, don't bring your pets. This isn't that kind of thing." To learn more on the park and to reserve a parking spot, visit Drachenmoor. COPYRIGHT 2026 BY KOAM NEWS NOW. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THIS MATERIAL MAY NOT BE PUBLISHED, BROADCAST, REWRITTEN OR REDISTRIBUTED.