One Algonquin Man's Very Own 'Halloween Town'

Most of us just buy a bag of mini-sized candies, put on a witch's hat, maybe hang a few fake cobwebs and call it a day. But for Algonquin resident Jim Haupert, quite literally his blood, sweat and tears go into tranforming his ordinary suburban yard into his very own Halloween Town each year.

Haupert is part of the Chicago Haunt Builders, a club for Halloween fanatics that get together to build yard decorations. Throughout the year, club members construct by hand gravesites, mummies, zombies and witches to put in their yards each fall.

Not a day goes by that Haupert doesn't think about Halloween, and he likes it that way. He said he gets most of his inspiration from when he attends the TransWorld Halloween & Attractions Show in St. Louis each year in March.

"When you pull up to the show, you see a whole bunch of people in costumes running around in the middle of March, which is always pretty strange," Haupert said. "Once you get inside, it's pretty much everything you could imagine—it's a combination of spirit Halloween meets Disney World, meets the horrow shows, meets Friday the 13th—it's pretty amazing."

Haupert's imagination is the limit for his annual "Halloween Town," although, for a man that thinks about Halloween 365 days a year, surprisingly, Haupert refuses to set up before Oct. 1.

"To me, before that, it's just wrong," he said.

When asked what Haupert's neighbors think of his hobby, he said, "They love it," with a laugh. "At least that's what they tell me."

Haupert's Halloween Town is located at 415 W. Parkview Terrace and can be seen from now until Oct. 31, from dusk until 10 p.m. on weeknights and 10:30 p.m. on weekends.