In 2002 a small tragedy struck Holiday, Florida.
While nobody was seriously hurt, the Lakeview Rodeo was burned to the ground in a raging fire.
Before it met its untimely demise, the rodeo was a local hot spot in the community.
Photo credit: Tom Zobel
The Raging Fire in Holiday, Florida
Updated 2/10/2020 – Many Holiday residents went there for drinks, conversation and line-dancing.
While the rodeo never had issues with spectres before the fire, many locals believe the spot where it once stood is now haunted.
Rumor has it that residents driving by the area have seen misty apparitions and feelings of sudden unease as they drive by.
While the spot is now home to a chain donut shop, employees have not experienced anything within the building.
Those who have seen the mysterious figure state that they have only seen him outside of the building, and therefore the building itself is not haunted, but rather the location where it stands.
For Florida native Savannah, seeing the apparition of a man was shocking at first, but she became used to it after the third time she saw him.
“It’s certainly something extraordinary, but after the second or third time, you come to expect it, you know?” she said.
“You don’t fear it so much by then.”
But the fourth time Savannah witnessed an apparition where the beloved Lakeside Rodeo stood, she was not prepared for what she saw.
Can you tell us about that night, Savannah?
“It was late, and I was coming home from a friend’s house.
“Dunkin Donuts was long since closed, so naturally I didn’t expect to see anyone as I drove by.
“But as I drove closer, I saw a figure moving around near the parking lot.
“I didn’t pull over or anything, but I started to slow down to see what was going on,” she said, recalling the memory.
“I shifted lanes so when I approached, I was parallel to the building.
“Now, usually the man that haunts where the Lakeside was looks like an ordinary man, only transparent,” she explained.
“But the figure I saw was nothing like that.”
A Terrifying Encounter
Photo credit: facebook/JDPortier
What did you see?
“It was a man—or I think it was a man, but he was wearing some creepy mask or something.
“I stared at him as I drove by, and it’s like he could sense it, because he watched me from the second I came into view.
“I was in serious panic mode, but I kept telling myself that it was okay, that I was in my car, and it wasn’t like he could run to catch up with me or something,” she nodded.
“I was about a mile away when I genuinely started to relax…
“But when I casually looked into my rear view mirror, I saw…”
Savannah took a breath, fighting back tears.
What did you see?
“I saw him looking back at me, from the back seat.
“I was so shocked and so frightened, I immediately swerved off the road.
“I wound up nearly hitting a telephone pole actually,” she admitted.
“As soon as I came to a stop, I was out of that car, running as far away from it as I could.
“I love Holiday, I really do…but ever since that night I have dreamed about moving someplace else.
“I don’t want to live in a town that I fear.”
Address
2401 U.S. 19.
Holiday, FL
United States
