BALLWIN, Mo. — It's no secret that the Halloween season can be a bit spooky, but a St. Louis County couple is using their seasonal display to try and scare away deadly diseases.
These days it seems that everyone has a neighbor that likes to do things a little differently.
“We are that neighbor,” said Kathryn Sebek.
Three years ago Kathryn and Dave Sebek decided to start celebrating their favorite holiday by adding a 12-foot-tall skeleton to the front yard.
“Somebody just couldn’t resist to run out and buy one as soon as he could find it,” said Kathryn Sebek.
“It just kind of exploded from there,” said Dave Sebek.
Today, it seems everywhere you look in the Sebeks “Skele-Zoo” you can spot something different.
“I really love the fish tank,” said Dave Sebek. “You’ve got a little octopus that you might miss if you’re just driving by. There’s a skeleton frog and a skeleton mermaid. There’s a stroller in the yard with a skeleton pushing a stroller.”
Their yard now includes so many displays the Sebeks have lost count.
Limited on space the “Skele-Zoo” has expanded into a neighbor’s yard.
“I think it would be neat if we could do the whole street kind of like Candy Cane Lane,” said neighbor Wendy Jacobsen.
The Sebeks make no bones about the fact that every ghost and ghoul is there for the sole purpose of supporting St. Jude.
“It’s something that’s near and dear to my heart,” said Dave Sebek. “I had a cousin and her husband lose a child to cancer.”
Using a simple QR code in their front yard the Sebek’s accept donations for Skeleton’s for St. Jude’s.
“The Skeletons for St. Jude’s team has raised nearly $75,000 so far this year,” said Kathryn Sebek.
That’s why the Sebeks have made it their mission to help those facing a scary prognosis.
“It’s just so neat that we’re taking our little fun that we’re doing and turn it into something that’s such a great cause on a global scale, and that so many people understand the significance of this fundraising,” said Kathryn Sebek.
The Sebek's plan to keep the "Skele-Zoo" in place as long as the weather allows.
You can get a look at the display at 831 Westrun Dr. in Ballwin.
If you would like to see a list of holiday displays across the region click here.