HALLOWEEN
HOUSE
HALLOWEEN
HOUSE
Photos of years past.
Halloween House 2001 Web pages with descriptions
Halloween House 2002 photo links only
Halloween House 2003 photo links only
Halloween House 2004 Web pages with descriptions
Halloween House 2005 Several pages of photos
Halloween House 2006 A few pages of this years nonsense
Halloween House 2007 A few pages, a few videos and lots of photos
Halloween House 2008 Photos of what's up so far, more every few days.
Halloween House 2009 Photos of the oddity so far this year.
Halloween House 2010 Photos of the oddity so far this year.
2011 Eastside Big Tom Fright Night
Friday, October 28th ~ 8:30 a.m - 10:30 p.m.
2023 4th Ave E.
Olympia, WA 98506
NOTICE
No display on North Street this year due to a high number of unpleasant encounters prior to opening. There's become this sense of entitlement with visitors that are now trespassing through the back gates, onto our deck and won't leave when asked. They seem to think that we owe them entertainment on demand even when our lights are out and the place is locked up, and it's a week early.
There will be the all day fundraiser for the Thurston County Food Bank at Eastside Big Tom on Friday the 28th. 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.
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EASTSIDE BIG TOM, just down the street from Ralph's Thriftway. Look for the spooky stuff
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A brief history
Halloween House started out in 1999 as a simple obsession that we turned into a fundraiser for the Thurston County Food Bank. Our new neighbors, worried at first by what appeared to be a permanent fence made of pure evil, soon embraced our cause and have been more than supportive of the disruption for the month of October. This ran from 1999-2002
In 2002 we sold everything the day after Halloween. The whole venture had gotten out of hand. 5,000 people in 6 days wiped us out physically and mentally. We had to have 22 volunteers, a civic group to help with the donations, 4 police a night for traffic control and were spending $200.00 a day to feed everyone.We were spending all our time managing people rather than enjoying the looks on visitors faces or getting to interact with the crowd. We just weren't having fun anymore so away it all went.
With that in mind, in 2003 I decorated entirely by myself with only what I could build and install in eight hours on Halloween. It was a blast. I had only 80 visitors and got to visit with them all. I scared a lot of folks after they were done telling me that it wasn't spooky anymore. That was a hoot.
In the fall of 2004 while talking with the Food Bank I discovered that they missed the annual load of food that we dropped off and that no one had picked up where I'd left off.
After Halloween 2003 I'd given everything away. So, I was ready to start building again. The difference being that I built one new prop each day and put it out in the morning and took it down at night. The goal was 31 props in 31 days. I made it to day 29 and fell apart. I was sleeping only a few hours a night and I just couldn't make those last couple of days. The yard was open in the evenings at that point and I had to sleep. On Friday, October 29th I started putting them all out again or at least close to all of them. Some of them had had dual purposes so I had to decide which to sacrifice. Folks were be able to look on-line at every prop built so if they're weren't able to come by on Halloween to see which one they wanted, and they won the drawing we were having, they could pick from the files found on-line. The raffle was so much fun that instead of giving away one prop I gave away a bunch of them.
2005 we put a fence back up so we could leave things out. Gave away a whole bunch of stuff again that year.
2006 we gave away 10 major props. The Shredder, Frank-N-Family, Skull fountain, Tombstone and Skeleton, Mr. Pig, PumpkinRot, Hope in her coffin, The BBQ, Jack Skellington and The Bottomless Pit. We were having so much fun having the director of the food bank draw names that we had him just keep going. Now I get to build a bunch of new stuff for 2007.
2007 was huge. We had record turn out as the weather was perfect every day. 2008 will be weird as they're tearing our road out and my not have it back in time for 2008.
2008 It's the last week before we're supposed to open and it's going to be nip and tuck. We've got sidewalks across most of the property and there will be some pavement at least at our end of the road. Folks will be able to park at both Masonic buildings the nights we're open. Yard display will encircle the whole house this year. What's that mean for you? You're going to be scared.
2009 and things are looking spooky. I've got more gore in the front yard then I've ever had this early on. There's sidewalks on both sides of the streets now and better lighting so it'll be a lot safer for the crowds that gather each year. Once again, we're running the display all the way around the house and out the back gate. I've got several new tricks up my sleeve for visitors this year.
2010 and things are different. I'm buying the family business, Eastside Big Tom, and have no real time to decorate on North Street this year. Most of my display is set up at Eastside Big Tom and at our house next to it. Drive by, you'll see it. We'll be having an all day fundraiser for the Thurston County Food Bank on Friday the 29th. Come by, check out the display and help us help those less fortunate in our community. On Halloween this year, I will be decorating here at the house on North Street. Not my usual over the top display, just whatever I can put up by myself in ten or twelve hours. Front yard only and far more graphic than what you usually see in the front yard.
NOTICE
No display on North Street this year due to a high number of unpleasant encounters prior to opening. There's become this sense of entitlement with visitors that are now trespassing through the back gates, onto our deck and won't leave when asked. They seem to think that we owe them entertainment on demand even when our lights are out and the place is locked up, and it's a week early.
There will be the all day fundraiser for the Thurston County Food Bank at Eastside Big Tom on Friday the 28th. 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.