Big scare: Man's haunted lawn also serves as charity fundraiser

The haunted lawn at 2230 Sussex Drive will come to life Halloween night with mechanized monsters and wailing witches to provide scares in one of Cape Girardeau’s most popular neighborhoods for trick-or-treating.

Over the past five years, Cape Girardeau entrepreneur Luke Sample’s Halloween display has drawn trick-or-treaters by the thousands to Wyandotte Acres subdivision in Cape Girardeau.

Beginning in 2013 with a motionless display of horror props, Sample’s supply of scares has grown each year, adding a hangman prop he built in 2014 and a screaming electric-chair prop in 2015.

With this year’s additions of a swinging scarecrow, a witch jumping from her chair and a 15-foot-tall Grim Reaper; it takes Sample nearly a week to set up his eight moving props.

“Most of the big moving pieces are all pneumatically driven (with) air compressors. There’s a little bit of air, a little bit of electrical engineering and a little bit of computer programming,” he said.

A Halloween monster jumps out from Luke Sample's Halloween display Monday in Cape Girardeau.Andrew J. Whitaker

At the end of his display, a cauldron hangs where visitors may donate money to Stray Rescue of St. Louis.

“Last year was our biggest year,” Sample said. “We did over $2,500 last year, and the year before, I think we crossed $1,000.”

His neighbors have noticed the display’s increase in popularity over the years as well, with one neighbor giving out 4,000 pieces of candy before 8:30 p.m. on Halloween 2016.

The amount of traffic has grown as well, with one neighbor spending about 45 minutes to get to his home from the subdivision’s entrance.

To help avoid neighborhood traffic jams, Sample recommended parking on a side street and walking up to view the decorations.

Luke Sample poses for a photo with his Halloween display Monday in Cape Girardeau. Sample said it usually takes all week to make sure everything is up and working by Halloween.Andrew J. Whitaker

Despite the nuisances it creates, Sample said the neighborhood tolerates his annual display.

“I think the neighbors, seeing the kids’ reaction and them just talking about it up and down the street,” he said. “So I think they’re like, ‘OK, we’ll put up with the noise if the kids are having a good time.’”

The display is free to visit and will be open tonight, weather permitting.

bmatthews@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3652

Pertinent address: 2230 Sussex Drive, Cape Girardeau, Mo.