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Updated: October 22, 2022 @ 10:46 pm
The Buterbaughs started with a few pieces and have grown the display.
In addition to blow molds, Jeremy Buterbaugh’s display features key scenes from horror movies, like this scene from Stephen King’s “IT.”
The Buterbaughs said they are already thinking about their Christmas display, which will begin to go up as soon as Halloween comes down.
The display at the Peel home starts the planning stages in February.
DRIVING BY the home of Shelly Peel may have you feeling like you have been transported into a ghost town.
One of Peel’s favorite decorations this year is an inferno skeleton that lights up with lifelike eyes.
Shelly Peel said that the display is a family effort that begins when she starts making plans in February each year.
The Buterbaughs started with a few pieces and have grown the display.
In addition to blow molds, Jeremy Buterbaugh’s display features key scenes from horror movies, like this scene from Stephen King’s “IT.”
The Buterbaughs said they are already thinking about their Christmas display, which will begin to go up as soon as Halloween comes down.
The display at the Peel home starts the planning stages in February.
DRIVING BY the home of Shelly Peel may have you feeling like you have been transported into a ghost town.
One of Peel’s favorite decorations this year is an inferno skeleton that lights up with lifelike eyes.
Shelly Peel said that the display is a family effort that begins when she starts making plans in February each year.
Driving near Hillsdale, you might find yourself transported into a ghost town populated with, well, ghosts. Not to mention skeletons, zombies and more spooky citizens of a display put together by Shelly Peel.
Peel’s house at 1357 Hillsdale Road has been completely decked out with Halloween decorations and scenes, a sight that has only grown in the 15 years since she started her decorating endeavor.
It began with a trip to the Spirit Halloween store when it first started setting up shop in Indiana.
“It was the first time I had really seen big props,” said Peel. “I got one of them and I was thrilled and I just kept getting more. Me and my sister have traveled around to haunted houses to see their setups and the more I saw the more I wanted to do bigger displays and keep buying my own props. I stared small, but I’ve accumulated a lot. I try to upgrade and update it every year.”
This year’s efforts boast a bigger light display that turns different colors and matches music that plays.
“I really wanted to do a music and light show,” Peel said. “So this year I’ve upgraded it a bit. I’ve got animatronics including a 12-foot skeleton. There’s also a saloon with a talking bartender skeleton. There’s a water pump that has him pouring some gross green liquid into a glass and another cowboy skeleton that looks like he’s throwing the drink back up again.”
Peel also said that there are three different videos that play throughout the display that also includes fog machines and lots of lights, including one of Peel’s favorites, an inferno skeleton that lights up with lifelike eyes.
Some of the other decorations were wood patterns that she and her family made and then added lights to. Many other elements were also made by Shelly and her family.
“We made all the zombies ourselves,” she said. “The zombie house features a light show with a video of zombies running across the doorway. There is also a video of zombies dancing while the whole light show for that area is synchronized to the song ‘Thriller’ with two large faces on either side singing it.”
Other music synchronized elements include a red reaper on the porch that is lit up to “Don’t Fear the Reaper” on a loop.
Peel said that the display, as a whole, is a family effort that begins when she starts making plans in February each year. The actual set-up itself takes about two weeks.
“The hearse, zombie house and saloon were all hand made by my dad, John Peel,” she said. “He’s really the brains behind the carpentry work. I dream it up and he builds it. He’s also really good with electrical stuff. My uncle, Tom Peel and my mom, Jeannie, really help out a lot as well.”
Sometimes, Peel even makes appearances in her display, dressing up as an added bonus.
“Last Halloween I gave candy out at the road for those who were brave enough to stop,” she said.
And many people throughout the community do come to visit.
“I really like the way the community enjoys it,” said Peel. “We don’t really have a lot out this way, so a lot of kids really love it. One little girl comes every year; she was 3 years old when she started coming. She can always tell me what it was I did in prior years. Her mom told me that she asked her what her favorite part of Halloween is and she answered ‘it’s you!’”
It’s sharing that love of Halloween that makes Peel hope to continue her display for many years to come, to keep giving something back to her “lifelong little town of Hillsdale.”
“I have always had a love of horror and Halloween from the first haunted house my dad took me to when I was around 5. Halloween represents adventure for me with a spooky edge to add spark to my life,” she said. “I would love to run my own haunted attraction. It is truly my passion and I love that it has reached so many people and made them smile. The kids love it as well as the adults. It has become something that many look forward to and has become a year-round work in progress for me.”
This widely shared love of Halloween is also what has driven Jeremy Buterbaugh, of Home, to create a display of his own.
Gazette readers may remember Buterbaugh from an article last winter describing his Christmas blow mold display at the home he shares with his wife and the home of his parents, Ernie and Brenda Buterbaugh, next door.
A collection of blow molds, hard plastic light-up figurines that are mostly vintage, command a good portion of the two yards along Blosser Road in Home. There aren’t as many blow molds made for Halloween, though Buterbaugh has most of the ones available.
“My yard alone has 221 blow molds,” Buterbaugh said. “There’s easily about six or seven thousand lights as well.”
The display takes some time to set up, as Buterbaugh works in the gas and oil field and sets it up as he has time. “I spent one full weekend on the blow molds alone,” he said. “But some friends came over this year to help out. Just seven years ago we only had five molds in our display and now we have this.”
The blow molds have been an important part in Buterbaugh’s decorating and tie in with his love for the holiday, a sentiment that is shared with his wife, Melissa.
“We’ve both been into (Halloween) for as long as we can remember,” he said. “We love dressing up. We have costumes for about every horror character you can imagine.”
The couple even got married on Halloween, waiting for the holiday to fall on a Saturday so they could hold their nuptials. They even had some of of the blow molds at the reception.
“It’s really great and a lot of fun,” Buterbaugh said. “We try to keep it family friendly and not too scary since kids love to come and see it. Our one neighbor comes up with his kids multiple times while we have it set up since they love to look at it.”
In addition to the blow molds and lights, Buterbaugh has some key scenes from horror movies featured in his display. This year, his favorite section features a scene from Stephen King’s “IT.”
“I made the little scene myself,” he said. “It’s got Pennywise coming up from the sewer.”
Another part of the display is a donation box. The Buterbaughs collect donations for Four Footed Friends, a cause close to their hearts.
“We got our cat, Chester, from there three years ago,” he said. “We would always see that they’re looking for donations so we thought it would be a great cause to collect for. We collected $337 last year from our Christmas display and we’re hoping to get some this time around.”
Speaking of Christmas, though it’s still a few months away, Buterbaugh is already gearing up for his winter display this year.
“We’re definitely going to do it again,” he said. “In fact, we’re going to start putting it up as soon as Halloween comes down. Though, we’ll probably leave it up until the first week of November.”
The Buterbaughs’ displays can be seen at 28 and 98 Blosser Road in Home. It runs from dusk until about midnight or so. Peel’s display runs from the time it gets dark until about 10 p.m. on clear nights. In inclement weather, some of the display is covered for protection.
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