Expansive ghoulish grave yard scene on Center Street an ode to father’s memory
By Dan Spalding
News Now Warsaw
WARSAW — What appears to be the biggest Halloween display in Warsaw resides at the corner of Center and Bronson streets, where a dozen frightful creatures have taken over two sides of the yard.
The display features a scarecrow, a witch, and skeletal creatures, some of which stand 14 feet tall. Some can move and will utter ghoulish howls.
Dark lights and a fog machine add to the environment at night.
Homeowners Alisha McDonough and Jonathan Brown have been building the collection — better known by some as Halloween animatronics — for several years.
Alisha says it’s a tribute to her late father, Kenneth McDonough, who grew up in North Webster.
“He would dress up, pull a little wagon around town, pass out candy close to the cemetery. And he did it every year, but then he got cancer, and he passed away,” Alisha said. “So me and my mom (Rose) just kind of carried on the tradition in his honor.”
This year’s project has a graveyard theme.
Many of the smaller displays were handcrafted by Alisha, including a ghoulish character that lights up and is surrounded by intricately painted lava (or perhaps innards).
The tallest of the collection is a witch, standing 14 feet and topped with the remnants of a hat that flutters in the wind.
The burgeoning display has become expensive and time-consuming.
The biggest and most complicated creatures can cost between $350 and $400, they said.
“A lot of money and a lot of time,” Alisha admits.
Jonathan says the hobby requires a lot of upkeep.
“As expensive as they are, they are definitely prone to a little bit of failure here or there,” he said.
They’re able to store the collection in a large shed and said they have another ten items that were not even part of this year’s display.
Theft has never been a problem, they said, in part because the intersection is well lit and well traveled.
The couple, who have been together for some 17 years and have two children, both love horror movies and Halloween, and enjoy sharing their animatronics with the community.
“It’s for everyone else to enjoy. We get a lot of people driving by. They holler at us, telling us they like it — thumbs up,” Alisha said.
“It’s just for the neighborhood.”
See more News Now Warsaw photos of the display by Dan Spalding.
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