Halloween display, fun expands in Lonsdale

He's still relatively new to Lonsdale, but he's already made a name for himself.

He's the Haunted House Guy.

He is Rory Anderson, and after just one look at his haunted front yard, you'll know he's passionate about Halloween.

"I've always been crazy about Halloween," he stated. "I loved going out with my siblings and friends trick or treating when I was younger. We were always the first ones out and the last ones back home."

Over the years, Anderson has collected Halloween decor and other important items, such as 16 fog machines, flood lights, and a collection of especially spooky large, animatronic creatures of the night.

All of it gets set up in the weeks leading to Halloween, spilling from his garage into his front yard, which is now surrounded by a black cemetery fence Anderson made himself. (He called in an electrician friend to install an additional outdoor panel to accommodate the display.)

"Last year was our first Halloween here in Lonsdale, and we had 396 kids on Halloween, probably closer to 700 or more people if you count everyone. It was a lot of fun, and this year is going to be bigger and better," he said.

Because of the large crowd Anderson's display attracted last year, the Lonsdale Police have agreed to barricade Deerview Court SE this Halloween night, according to Anderson.

"There was so much traffic... and with kids running around... It was a safety concern. I'm happy the street will be closed this year," he said. "Our goal this year, is to have 1,000 or more people come through."

This year's display took Anderson and his friend, Tom Anderson (no relation), approximately 70 hours to set up.

"And, that's just the yard... We haven't even started in the...

To see more on this story pick up the print editions of the October 24, 2019 Messenger or The New Prague Times.