Shea Foley

Shea Foley
Born in 1972, Shea Foley grew up a child of the 70s/80s era of Halloween. Late nights with friends and returned home with pillowcases full of candy. In years since, Halloween had become too PC; too sanitized. In 1996, out of a love for all things Halloween, Shea, with his background in film and visual arts, along with co-founder and writer Rick West, decided to put on a little Halloween display for the neighborhood at his mother’s house in Irvine, CA. The modest display consisted of nothing more than a few homemade tombstones, a fog machine, a few clamp lights and a scary music CD. As the next three Halloweens passed, Boot Hill grew considerably, adding more and more each year and running for multiple days. In 1996, after 4 successful years, Boot Hill was packed away, not knowing if it would ever reappear.

In 2004, after a 5 year hiatus, Shea partnered up with longtime friend Glenn Schmidt to bring Boot Hill into the new century. The Boot Hill crew has gone from 2 to over 10 individuals that put in time and effort each and every year for free, simply for the love of the scare and the look on the kids (and adults) faces as we leap from the dark. In 2005, In addition to bringing the Halloween event back from the dead, they also partnered with CHOC (Children’s Hospital of Orange County) and have since raised thousands of dollars for the charity by taking donations and offering merchandise for fans. Striving to create a new experience, they add new effects and modify the overall feel to keep things fresh for returning visitors as well as making an impression for first-timers. Since its modest beginnings, Boot Hill has grown from a small one night happening at a home in Irvine, into a full blown multi-night event (last year, Boot Hill was open for 9 nights during the month of October). Over all the years, it’s always a question on whether our lives will allow time for our love of Halloween to take over. Boot Hill celebrates its 14th year in 2013….I guess there is ALWAYS time for Halloween.