Nate Taylor, a 49-year-old part-time DJ and stay-at-home dad from Traverse City, Michigan, came across a Craigslist ad that simply read: Free Halloween decorations. That’s all it took for him to connect with a woman who was giving away her extensive collection accumulated over two decades.
“Really, ma’am? You want us to take this?” he asked, surprised. She was downsizing after a recent divorce, so she was eager to let it go.
Taylor made three trips in his truck to haul the animatronics and decorations to his home. Once back, he began planning how to showcase as much as he could in front of his Cape Cod-style house, which sits on a 40-foot-wide yard near Kid’s Creek Park.
Getting started
Most of the decorations weren’t designed to withstand bad weather, so Taylor had to rig up a tarp, supported by a sturdy branch from a large tree in the yard.
He felt a sense of pride about the display and, in 2017, began inviting neighbors and passersby to check it out, leading to a decent turnout.
Being near Munson Medical, the city’s largest hospital, many visitors were families with loved ones there. Since Taylor’s display leaned towards the whimsical rather than terrifying, it offered a pleasant distraction.
“I’m not into blood and gore or jump scares,” Taylor noted.
Encouraged by the response, he expanded the display the following year, creating a bigger area with more decorations, including a sizable graveyard adorned with headstones. Word spread, and people from out of town began showing up to see the attraction.
Each year, Taylor and his wife have continued to enhance it. By 2021, they started keeping the display open “all night,” attracting around 30 to 40 visitors each evening, which, while it might not seem like a lot, felt significant for a seasonal event.
They yearned to share this experience with even more people, particularly those who are neurodivergent or have special needs. With two kids on the autism spectrum, Taylor had often felt disappointed that Halloween offered very few options for special needs kids.
Creating a safe and entertaining space that is easily accessible and free for the special needs community is really his main goal.
“We have never charged a dime—not one—for any ticket,” he emphasizes.
A scare in the plan
This year, Taylor introduced a guestbook and found that many suggested he add a donation box.
“We didn’t need it,” he explained. “I’m grateful my wife has a decent job at the hospital.”
However, the build takes him a couple of months, which takes him away from family and personal responsibilities. So, in mid-October 2023, he followed the suggestion, and the donations totalled $1,200.
Taylor stressed that “every penny helps with the build,” reiterating that there’s no cost to view his display.
In 2024, his neighbors assisted him in establishing a Facebook presence for his “Dead Ends on Spruce” display, hoping to reach more families. That year marked the biggest turnout yet, with Taylor estimating about 18,000 visitors, including six school groups, throughout October.
In 2025, he took a break to care for two family members, one of whom, his mother, has since successfully battled colon cancer.
Returning in 2026, Taylor kicked off preparations on August 1, meeting with fire marshals and the city manager in charge of code enforcement to discuss his plans. He also requested that his street be closed to traffic on Halloween night for added safety, a practice he began in 2024.
The city had always approved this, but this year was different.
A tradition out of hand?
According to Taylor, a complaint from one of his neighbors claimed he was operating a business from his yard by “selling tickets” for the display.
As a result, Taylor received a “four-page letter from the city’s lawyers” detailing various rules and regulations regarding home operations.
“They think I’m a business,” he remarked, “but I am not.” (The city officials did not immediately respond to inquiries about this matter.)
One specific rule stood out as particularly difficult to manage: a cap of eight cars allowed to park at any time in front of the display. If a ninth car showed up, he could face a shutdown.
Taylor contended that this was all spurred by a complaint that hadn’t been thoroughly looked into.
“So I requested a meeting,” he explained.
He attempted to reason with them, saying, “They had a tip that I had 18,000 people, but if you spread that out over 30 days, it’s no busier than a large garage sale. Nobody is blocking driveways.”
He also emphasized that he keeps noise to a minimum, ending the events by 10 pm, and ensures his light displays don’t bother neighboring properties.
More money, more problems
The real issue, according to Taylor, seems to be financial.
When he took the break in 2025, he found it challenging to get things started for 2026 and, amid that, he shared his Venmo account online, asking supporters for help.
“We got maybe $400,” he confessed. In the meantime, he even started selling some DJ equipment to fund the project.
“We have been scrimping to make this display work,” he added.
He didn’t have the resources to hire a lawyer to address the complaints, but several reached out, offering their help.
Ultimately, Taylor and his attorney sent a letter to the city, seeking clarity about their intentions, emphasizing that his Halloween display was a time-sensitive issue that required adequate notice for setup.
“We never heard back,” Taylor said.
This month, his display has been open every night, estimating around 400 visitors on the opening night alone. He has reservations from 25 special needs groups to visit during the season, for which he will make special accommodations.
“We haven’t had a single city official come,” he mentioned. “It has been absolutely successful.”
This year, the display is in full effect, featuring about 25 different animatronics, each ranging from 6 to 12 feet tall, and all with their unique scenes. There’s a 12-foot headless horseman and a 7-foot werewolf, with forty speakers creating the sounds of rain and thunder. Taylor even trenched 400 feet in his yard to set up his own fog system.
He hopes to welcome around 25,000 delighted visitors this year.
