That was all Nate Taylor, 49, a part-time DJ and stay-at-home dad in Traverse City, MI, needed.
asserted
Taylor → stay → City
He met the woman giving away a holiday collection spanning 20 years.
asserted
He → meet → years
You want us to take this?” he asked.
asserted
he → want → this
She was downsizing due to a recent divorced, so the answer was a resounding yes.
asserted
answer → downsize → divorced
It took Taylor three trips in his truck to transport the animatronics and other decorations back home.
asserted
It → take → animatronics
He then set to work making a plan to display as much as possible in front of his Cape Cod-style home with a 40-foot-wide yard near Kid’s Creek Park.
asserted
He → set → Park
Most of the decor wasn’t really weatherproof, so Taylor had to construct a makeshift tarp, anchored by a sizable branch of a big tree in the yard.
asserted
Taylor → have → yard
He was so proud of what he had though, in 2017, he invited passersby and neighbors to enjoy the display—and he had a decent turnout.
asserted
he → invite → turnout
Being located close to Munson Medical, the city’s biggest hospital, many visitors who stopped by had family members in the hospital.
asserted
who → locate → hospital
As the display leaned more toward whimsical, not scary, it was a welcomed respite.
asserted
it → lean → ?
“I’m not into blood and gore or jump scares,” Taylor says.
asserted
Taylor → ’m → blood
Inspired, the next year, Taylor created a bigger covered area and put out more decorations, including a big graveyard with headstones.
asserted
Taylor → inspire → headstones
Word had begun to spread, and out-of-town guests were starting to arrive to see his display.
asserted
guests → begin → display
Year after year, Taylor and his wife kept building on the display.
asserted
Taylor → build → display
By 2021, they started going “all night,” which started to draw anywhere from 30 to 40 visitors are night, by their estimation.
asserted
visitors → start → estimation
“That doesn’t sound like a lot, but for a seasonal display, it is.
asserted
it → sound → display
They wanted to share the joy with even more people, especially neurodivergent and special needs kids and groups.
asserted
They → want → people
Taylor has two kids on the autism spectrum, and had long been disappointed that during Halloween, there is “nothing for special needs kids to do overall.”
asserted
kids → have → Halloween
That’s really his goal in doing this–to create a safe, entertaining space that is “easily accessible and free” to the special needs community.
asserted
that → ’ → community
“We have never charged a dime–not one–for any ticket,” he says.
asserted
he → charge → ticket
A scare in the plan
In 2023, Taylor put out a guestbook, and that’s where he saw that several people suggested he put out a donation box.
uncertain
he → put → box
“We didn’t need it,” he says.
asserted
he → need → it
“I am grateful my wife has a decent job at the hospital.”
asserted
wife → have → hospital
But the build does take him two months, which is time away from family and home responsibilities.
asserted
which → take → responsibilities
In mid October 2023, he followed the suggestion and added a donation box.
asserted
he → follow → box
It brought in $1,200.
asserted
It → bring → 1,200
Taylor insists that “every penny helps with the build,” and that by “no means” is anyone charged to see his display.
asserted
penny → insist → display
In 2024, his neighbors helped him get his Dead Ends on Spruce display up on Facebook so more families could enjoy it.
uncertain
families → help → it
That year saw the biggest crowds, with Taylor estimating that 18,000 people, including six school groups, visited throughout the month of October.
asserted
people → see → October
Then Taylor took 2025 off to care for two ailing family members, including his mother who was fighting colon cancer and has now had a full recovery.
asserted
who → take → recovery
He was ready to come back strong in 2026.
asserted
He → come → 2026
As he does every year, he started on August 1 by meeting with fire marshals and the city manager in charge of code enforcement to share his plans.
asserted
he → start → plans
He also requested that his street be shut down to traffic on Halloween night as an additional safety precaution, something he started doing in 2024.
asserted
he → request → 2024
The city had always consented and there had never been a problem–until this year.
asserted
city → consent → year
According to Taylor, one of his neighbor’s complained to the city, accusing him of running a business from his yard by “selling tickets” for the display.
uncertain
one → accord → display
In response, Taylor said the city sent him a “four-page letter from the city’s lawyers” outlining the rules and regulations that need to be followed for home operations.
asserted
that → say → operations
“They think I am a business,” Taylor says,” I am not.”
asserted
I → think → ?
(Realtor.com reached out to city officials for comment on this story, but did not immediately hear back.)
asserted
Realtor.com → reach → story
In reading the letter over, there was one rule in particular that would be especially hard to enforce: No more than eight car trip ends.
asserted
that → read → letter
In other words, no more than eight cars at a time can park in front of the display.
asserted
cars → park → display
…and 22 more, not listed.
The Aporia
