ST CHARLES, Mo. — There are a number of spooky places in the St. Louis area, but one on a small cul-de-sac in St. Charles doesn’t want to frighten you away. The goal is to invite you in to give.
You will see all kinds of displays there. Everything from pumpkins to skeletons to zombies and more.
“Halloween smorgasbord,” Denise Heuman described.
It is a smorgasbord meant to tingle the spine. The scary ideas come from their childhoods.
“What was I scared off as a kid or what creeped me out as a kid and then you go there,” Heuman told 5 On Your Side.
However, they don’t want to traumatize the young visitors.
“We don’t want to terrorize the kids, we want to have them jump and squeal and have fun,” said Brad Stockstrom.
They temporarily refer to their neighborhood as Halloween Town.
“Each yard has its own theme. When you move onto Tower Park Court, you better be ready to decorate,” said Stockstrom.
Stockstrom makes most of his decorations by hand.
“We build props all year long,” he said.
Once they’re ready for the season, the props are placed strategically in front of the house.
“There’s a white board in the garage, where we have to map everything out,” said Heuman.
The set up took 36 hours and is a tribute to a special person.
“Halloween Town started with my neighbor Cliff,” said Stockstrom.
Cliff Mossberger was a courage neighbor.
“I’ve never met anybody that was that brave,” said Stockstrom.
It was his brave fight against cancer that turned Halloween Town into a fundraising fight against cancer.
“He said, ‘what are we going to do with the money?’ I said, ‘well we’ll give it to Siteman Cancer Center cause they’re the ones that saved you,’” explained Stockstrom.
Sadly, Mossberger’s cancer returned.
“He beat it for five years, but it just came back at him,” said Stockstrom.
Mossberger passed away in 2020 and Halloween Town is dedicated to his memory.
“This is what Cliff wants,” said Stockstrom.
They have raised thousands of dollars over the seven years they’ve been accepting donations and were recently recognized by Forbes Magazine for their efforts.
This year, the goal is to raise $10,000. Those who donate to the cause will receive full-sized candy on Halloween.
You’ll find Halloween Town on Tower Park Court in St Charles.