One man’s Halloween display was so large in Philadelphia that it took over his neighbor’s yards as it brought kids and kids-at-heart to celebrate for nearly 30 years.
Starting in early August, 54-year-old Tyrone Money had been adding to his terrifyingly big Halloween display on Thouron Avenue near East Mount Airy Avenue in Mount Airy. Money said he was grateful for his neighbor.
“She had seen it getting cramped. ‘You know, you can put stuff on my lawn,'” Money said. “And then, my next-door neighbor next to her said, ‘You can put stuff on my lawn.’ We didn’t get quite that far yet, but we’re working on it.”
For 26 years and counting, Money brought nearly a dozen animatronics, countless props and tons of Halloween fright and fun to Mount Airy.
“When the adults, the grandparents, bring the little babies,” he took a breath. “It’s an indescribable feeling.”
But, he had not been at this alone.
“Let me make sure my baby is OK,” Laura DeJesus, Money’s girlfriend of nine years, said.
Money walked through the yard, introducing her favorite inflatable.
“This big dragon is our good friend ‘Scott’. So, he just comes out and hangs with us,” Money said. “Every year, we bring him out. And, I do. I love all the animatronics. I love all the caricatures. And, I just love to make sure that the children feel welcomed.”
Along with Freddy, Jason and Candyman, the display stopped traffic for neighbors like Ruth Smith, who said she brought her granddaughter last year.
“My grandbaby was so hyped,” Smith said. “And, oh! She was so happy.”
That joy kept Money adding to this display year after year.
“The kids love it. I love it,” Money said. “I think I love it.”
Money welcomed families to his front yard on Thouron Avenue between Easton Road and East Mount Airy Avenue to see the display all lit up on Friday night.