With Halloween around the corner, creepy and colorful decorations are popping up in neighborhoods throughout the region. Each home provides its own spooky flair. So what makes the Halloween display at 11 Mucklehany Ln. in Sterling special?
You might think it’s the 200-plus animatronics and inflatables that cover the property. But it’s actually Kellan Reisinger, the 8-year-old mastermind behind this over-the-top yard.
Before Kellan was born, his parents — Lindsey and Tyler Reisinger — would only display a few inflatable decorations to celebrate the holidays. It wasn’t until 2021 that the family took things to the next level.
A Spooky Hobby
“I think it started with Christmas originally, like inflatables,” says Lindsey. “He’d sleep with them in his room. They were everywhere. Then [Kellan] had to have been 4 or 5 — that’s when he got really into Halloween.” From there, his interest took off.
This will be the family’s fourth year putting up a massive Halloween display and the third year of it being a walk-through design. “He was very sensitive to the [animatronics] breaking. In younger years, he was very protective of them,” says Lindsey. “Now he wants everybody to see them. He wants them on display.”
Labor of Love
The yard’s transformation begins in mid-August and runs until Halloween. For over two months, Kellan and Tyler test animatronics, build new buys, create their own animatronics, and meticulously place each decoration in its designated area.
Kellan enthusiastically toured me around the yard while wearing his Jack the Reaper costume from Spirit Halloween. For nearly an hour he showed off every animatronic and decoration. While his display is extraordinary, the fact that he was able to quickly name the manufacturer, where he bought it, and what it cost was even more impressive.
Out of 200 animatronics, Hugz the Clown is Kellan’s favorite. (He even dressed up as Hugs for Halloween.) The Reisinger family was able to add Hugz to its collection after Lindsey wrote a letter to a neighbor about how much her son loved the now-retired animatronic about four years ago. Lindsey got a text out of the blue nearly three years later offering to sell the creepy clown.
Delighting Crowds
Word has caught on about Kellan’s scary designs. Lindsey explained that “even on a bad weather night, there are 20-plus cars coming by.” Come Halloween night, the family can see around 300 trick-or-treaters.
The cul-de-sac has gotten in on the fun, too. Four houses down, a neighbor had decked out his house with skeletons enjoying a day at the beach — complete with flamingo, alligator, and piranha skeletons.
While the Reisinger’s display is free to explore, this year, the family is collecting donations to support Type 1 Diabetes awareness through Breakthrough T1D. The haunt will be open for viewing through Sunday, November 2.
11 Mucklehany Ln., Sterling
Feature image of 11 Mucklehany Ln., Sterling by Michele Kettner
