Halloween display born of heartbreak leads to a son's laughter and longevity

The display covers the owners' entire lawn and is even scarier at night, they say (Rochester Voice photos)

ROCHESTER - The heartbreak of a boy born with severe developmental disorders became the inspiration of an effort by his mom and dad to build one of the most elaborate and beloved Halloween lawn displays that Rochester has ever seen.
The father, who asked not to be identified for privacy reasons, sat down with The Rochester Voice on Monday to describe what led him and his wife to embark on such a time- and energy-consuming mission each and every year.

The Boat and Grim Reaper, one of the more popular exhbits on Sunset Drive

"We have a medically fragile son," he said. "He can't talk, he can't walk and he eats through a tube. The real miracle is when he was born the doctors said he would only live two days. He's 23 now and the size of an eight-year-old.
"But when we first started doing this a few years ago, I would get my ladder up against a tree and start stringing lights, and he would sit in a chair by the window and watch me and just laugh and laugh and laugh. We would finally have to come in to tell him to stop and breathe he'd be laughing so hard."
His boy's joy and laughter inspired him to build a lawn display like no other.
"He likes, this" his dad said. "And we're gonna keep doing this. He loves to sit by the door and watch

The expanisve display has some 200 exhibits, many of which move and speak

people looking at the displays and he just starts laughing."
The display can be viewed at the corner of Sunset Drive and Rochester Hill Road, where some 200 spooky characters are arrayed across the lawn on both sides of their driveway.
They include many vintage and longstanding favorite Halloween displays like Lilly the Lethal Witch, the Boat and Grim Reaper, Fairy of the Dead, Bones and Thrones and, of course, a hearse.
"This fall we took a trip down to Massachusetts with our trailer and picked up the Bones and Thrones and the Hearse," the dad said.
He said they started setting up on Sept. 9 and both he and his wife worked about eight hours a day, putting the finishing touches on their masterpiece just last week.
"I'd say we put in about 200 hours getting it ready," he said.
Some of the displays are motion activated and some are time activated, so visitors never know when one of the spooky characters will come to life.

He added that the display is even more spooky at night.
Unfortunately, they are roped off so you can't get up close and personal with some of the spookier characters.
"Well, there's more than 200 extension cords spread throughout the yard," he explained. "Talk about a tripping hazard!"
Anyone who likes this incredible display, make sure you come back later this year for their Christmas display, which is just as impressive.

To learn more go to their Facebook Page, key words Holiday on the Hill.