Don't miss Wellington's home haunt

Halloween has become a family affair for the Forbes family. For six years now, Shane and his wife Bobby have converted their Wellington front yard into an enticing, sometimes petrifying experience for children. This year is no different.

A week before Halloween, the haunted house was up and a row of gory skulls marked off a danger zone. All the details were not yet in place but it was obvious that the spookiness was going to be as good as ever. Shane was out tinkering with finishing touches on the structure when his dad, Les, showed up with a big bag of leaves to add atmosphere.

Les is the master carpenter for the project. “I give them some guidance and then they do the work,” Les said. Bobby was on the scene too, contemplating final details to be added to the “meat locker” room in the haunted house. Trick-or-treaters are likely to encounter a zombie, a mad scientist and who knows what else as they proceed through the different areas of the house. The row of realistic-looking skulls that greets the kids was made by Shane’s mother.

“We’ve been doing this long enough that the kids expect it,” Shane said. Last year they handed out 300 pieces of candy. “We don’t give candy to those who take a second trip through the haunted house,” Shane said, so there were likely well over 300 kids who tromped through.

Over the years themes have included ogres, spiders, aliens and pirates. When asked when they begin planning for the next year, Bobby said, “Nov. 1.” They’re always on the lookout for new ideas and already have tentative plans for the next for the next two years.

Shane, who majored in English in college and who now works building power plant control systems for General Electric, says, “It all boils down to imagination.”

Wellington home haunt at 7061 Mt. Nimbus, will be open between 5 and 9 p.m. on Oct. 31. Admission is free and the Forbeses plan to keep it that way. “A whole lot of work and it’s over in four hours,” Shane said. “But we love doing it.”