'Haunted carnival' in Rolling Meadows
Around Halloween each year, one guy's creative outlet is a neighborhood's showpiece.
Frank Tysl, a nine-year Rolling Meadows resident, puts together a front-yard display that trick-or-treaters eagerly anticipate visiting Oct. 31.
It's all made from scratch and features a spooky-looking pirate ship manned by a crew of skeletons. Haunting creatures are placed all around the yard and even on the roof. Lights at night give the display an eerie feel, as do the fog machine and the creepy music that's played.
Tysl, a graphic designer, began the tradition years ago at his previous home on Sigwalt Street. He and his wife, Michele, moved to their current house at Cardinal Drive and Sigwalt about four years ago, and the display has grown each year.
"Once it started, the neighbors had a great reaction to it so I kept going," he says.
Tysl, 36, starts thinking of ideas months before he builds the display in early fall. This year he made a "haunted carnival" theme with a ticket booth, and he may add a game of sorts for trick-or-treaters.
"You'll get an extra treat or something if you do it," he says.
He uses PVC pipe to form the characters. He keeps costs down by reusing materials and adding just a couple of things each year.
Tysl is happy to add to the season's festiveness. "I've met so many neighbors. They bring other people over to see it," he says. "The neighborhood's gotten so used to it; I'd be afraid not to put up stuff."
Jump-start your Halloween: Rolling Meadows Park District's annual Halloweve Trick or Treat Path is open tonight to children ages 1 to 6. It runs from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Community Center, 3705 Pheasant Drive. It's a safe, lighted (not to mention climate-controlled) environment where children can wear their costumes, play games and trick-or-treat for goodies. The cost is $8; parents must attend but do not pay. For information, call (847) 818-3200.
• Colleen Thomas' column appears Fridays. She welcomes your news about community events and people. Call (847) 427-4591, or e-mail her at cthomas@dailyherald.com.