A&J’s Halloween House Circus in Bay View puts Creepy Fun into Fundraising

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There’s something about Halloween. Its rites possess us. Front yards turn into graveyards and social media is abuzz with trick-or-treat tips and questions whether Humboldt Park is holding its pumpkin carving fest. I’ve already watched that weird old classic movie Carnival of Souls to get into the mood.

Speaking of carnivals, front yards, and Bay View, the husband and husband duo of realtor Andy Reid and florist Jamie Beauchamp-Reid have again pulled out all the stops for their A&J’s Halloween House at 2943 S. Clement Avenue.

For 17 years, they’ve decorated their home in tribute to a popular sci-fi flick, horror movie or something as un-Halloweeny (but just begging for parody) like the musical State Fair that they turned into “State Scare,” replete with an 18-foot tall Ferris wheel. In 2018, in celebration of their marriage a year before, they created a “Just Buried” scenario with a skeleton horse-drawn hearse cum wedding carriage. Of course, sometimes the concept is picked randomly for the sheer ghoulish lark of it. While the actual construction gets underway Sept. 1, concept and designs have been a work in progress for months prior.

Super Creepy

This year, it’s a circus … and not your grand-daddy’s Barnum and Bailey variety. Jamie Beauchamp-Reid explained the choice, “We take turns picking the theme. This year it was my turn. I’ve wanted to do something super creepy and so I did.”  It must be said that there have been some creepy scenes in the past, so “super creepy” is a challenge. To be fair, the result is indeed super creepy and then some. Animatronics, always part of the show, seem to be even more prevalent this year, adding action sound and even smell to the scene’s already hyper-sensory visual impact.

It’s a circus after all so clowns abound (they’re especially creepy). One drives an out-of-control cotton candy truck as it careens down an embankment, crashing through a fence, all the while puffing sweet, unmistakably cotton candy scented smoke. A little girl spins haplessly trapped in the cotton candy machine. A pair clap-activated trick-or-treaters with jack-o-lantern heads chatter away through their saw-toothed grins. This year, neighbors, too have been enlisted to provide sites for clown barkers that have been stationed to lure in visitors. And it’s all overseen by a two-story skeletal ringmaster.

But, beyond the scary seasonal homage, there’s method to the couple’s Halloween madness. According to Beauchamp-Reid, about 10 years ago, the annual extravaganza became a fundraiser and since 2015, Pathfinders, an empowerment and support organization for homeless and abused youth, has been the traditional beneficiary. “Last year’s Ghostbusters themed display brought in over $7000 for Pathfinders, a record-breaking amount we hope to surpass this year,” Beauchamp-Reid said.  A collection box is located on site. Donations may also be made on line through pathfindersmke.org/ajshalloweenhouse/

Of course, the fun comes to a climax on Halloween when hundreds of trick or treaters are expected.  When a freakish snow put a damper on Halloween trick or treating, the couple donated their stores of candy along with the money raised to Pathfinders The decorations come down immediately thereafter.

This A&J’s Halloween House is among the 10 finalists of Kelly and Ryan’s Live’s Spooktacular Halloween House Contest in which fans vote for their favorite. A link to the contest may be found at A&J’s social media page.

For additional information and photos go to facebook.com/ajshalloweenhouse