ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. – Halloween is getting closer and closer, and St. Louis families are getting creative in their front yard displays.
It’s been a tradition for 24 years for this South County couple, creating and crafting together a Halloween display every October.
“This is the first time we’ve named the theme,” Gene Butler said. “So, it’s Tesson Terror Resort. We’ve got the waterslide. This is my favorite part being creative. I’m the prop guy and (Jill is) the finishing touches. She’s the one that places all the flowers.”
The couple has an arbor where they grow gourds on it all summer long.
“When we took it down, we didn’t want to take the leaves and the vines off because we knew we wanted to use the arbor for the Halloween display this year,” Jill Butler said.
When Halloween ended last year, this South County couple began dreaming up their 2021 display and came up with a most ghoulish stop in the Gateway City. The Tesson Terror Resort is complete with an otherworldly waterslide.
“With the lights, it’s got in here that twinkle at night, and then the cellophane was just an added thing that I thought would make it pop during the day,” Jill Butler said.
The couple also enjoys making displays at Christmas, St. Patrick’s Day, and Easter. They say this fun, whimsical resort complete with Chip the skeleton waving at drivers is their favorites.
“People will actually stop or bring their kids over here and take pictures,” Gene Butler said. “They’re actually really kind and thank us. We just got a card from a stranger just thanking us for putting it out. She loves Halloween just as much as we do and that makes us feel good. It’s kind of that icing on the cake.”
A spooky cake, the kind you might find at the Tesson Terror Resort.