Nightmare Hayrides on Sommerville St. Canceled Following the Passing of Founder H. John Kent
The Ellicottville community remembers H. John Kent, the man behind both Nightmare Hayrides and the Ellicottville Rodeo.
ELLICOTTVILLE - H. John Kent, founder of Nightmare Hayrides on Sommerville St. and also founder of the Ellicottville Rodeo, passed away on September 23, 2025. He was 73 years old. John, as everyone knew him, started the rodeo 36 years ago and Nightmare Hayrides 34 years ago with his wife, Karen, and their children, Tammie and John.
He enjoyed entertaining thousands of people over the years, always looking forward to seeing all the happy faces.
He started out working in a flour mill in Buffalo, then moved on to working construction when he bought a 10-wheel dump truck. When times got tough, he then started selling firewood and logging, which he did for 26 years. In the meantime, he purchased the farm where he opened a riding stable which the family ran for 9 years, and also started the rodeo and haunted hayrides.
The past 3 years, John and his wife had gone south for the winter, enjoying much deserved downtime which he thoroughly enjoyed and was looking forward to going again this winter.
H. John is survived by his wife of almost 53 years, just lacking 3 weeks; his daughter, Tammie McCulligh (Jeremy); his son John (Courtney Shackle); and two grandchildren, Jayden Doutt and Kole Kent.