It’s fitting, if a little frustrating, for Mark Hennig to have last-minute problems cropping up before the opening of this year’s Night on a Dark Trail, Oct. 9 and 10.

“Gremlins are coming out of the woodwork to impede our progress,” Hennig said in a phone call last week.

Since the show is basically a haunted trail walk — “we try to incorporate scary stuff and funny stuff… if they’re looking for gore, they probably won’t see it here,” says Hennig — the gremlins should be right at home. But after five years directing “Night on a Dark Trail,” Hennig is used to gremlins and usually dispatches them with little trouble, until last year’s heavy rain and high winds forced the cancellation of the two-nights-only event.

“Last year is the year we don’t talk about,” Hennig joked.

That makes this year the first for the show’s new location, the former Leisure Time Resort just off the Snoqualmie Parkway and Interstate 90.

Hennig is excited about the new location, but even more excited about the diversity of his cast, which includes actors from throughout the Upper and Lower Valley, ages 10 to 70, with seasoned actors and complete newcomers to the stage and trail.

“The people who come out and perform for us, I feel a tremendous amount of pride and respect for them, and honored,” Hennig said. “Cast members cannot be weak of heart, or less than enthusiastic.”

Rehearsals for the show, which is different every year, but always includes acting, singing and dancing, start in late August, and continue up to opening night, which is Friday.

“Everything we do is double-cast,” Hennig noted, bringing the volunteer count up significantly. He estimated, with cast, crew, parking help from the Snoqualmie Valley Food Bank in North Bend and pre-trail entertainment by Cascade Dance Friday and Ignite Dance and Yoga on Saturday, that the production will involve about 120 people in all.

Snoqualmie Valley Food Bank is the event’s beneficiary, receiving all proceeds from the show after costs are met.

Tickets for Night on a Dark Trail are $10 per person. The event runs from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Oct. 9 and 10; the show is about 45 minutes long. The address is 34500 S.E. 99th St., Snoqualmie. Parking is free.

To learn more, visit http://nightonadarktrail.org.