Chepachet Halloween display supports The Autism Project
CHEPACHET, R.I. (WJAR) — “The First House on Second Road” is a walk-thorough Halloween display in Chepachet.
Chris Carlow is the creator of it all, saying he’s been decorating for at least eight years now.
“I make almost everything out of either carved spray foam or out of paper clay that’s sculpted like traditional paper mâché,” Carlow said.
“With spray foam, you have to spray it and wait for it to adhere and then carve it,” he said.
Carlow, along with his 13-year-old son, Cian, led NBC 10 News on a tour of their display Thursday night.
It features life-like depictions of Frankenstein, Pennywise, creepy clowns, skeletons, and more.
The scarecrow, Carlow said, is mechanically operated, as he used a windshield wiper motor to make it move.
There are also special effects, with strobe lights, LED lights, smoke machines, and music, as well as inflatables on the lawn.
“That’s Kiddleland over there,” Carlow said, with inflatables such as the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man and Slimer, who are villains in the popular 1984 movie, “Ghostbusters.”
Cian has a favorite prop, which Carlow introduced to the display in 2019.
“The clown head,” he said, with the clown’s mouth serving as the entrance to the walk-through.
In 2020, Carlow added two evil trees to the lawn, plus crafted a new sign this year.
There’s also a donation bin for The Autism Project, a non-profit comprised of “a unique collaboration of parents, professional, and community members that offers family navigation, support, education, and community,” according to the organization’s website.
“We’ve been collecting for them, I think, for the past three or four years,” Carlow said.
Joanne Quinn, who is the executive director for The Autism Project, said she can’t wait to visit the display.
“I want to bring my son,” she said, adding that he’s on the spectrum. “We are just so grateful for families and people who put on events and different things for us, especially around the holidays. It helps us. These come in as unrestricted funds, so we can use it to support our social skills group, or parent education -- wherever the need is. It really helps us after COVID to help fill the gaps so we can continue our programming.”
She also said she’d like to visit a few other displays in Southern New England, adding that she used to live at 47 Cavalcade Boulevard in Warwick, where Anthony and Daniel Rayhall host an annual display.
“I want to introduce myself,” she said. “My oldest was 2 years old when we moved from there and now he’s 32.”
Carlow’s display is open Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from sunset to 10 p.m.
“I encourage people to go and support them because putting up these displays takes so much work,” Quinn said. “I’m sure on Nov. 1, he’s planning for next year. We understand it’s a passion of theirs to do things like this, but there’s so much work involved and we are so appreciative of them in supporting our friends and families. It makes a difference.”
Learn more about the display on Facebook.