KSHB 41 reporter Marlon Martinez covers Platte and Clay counties in Missouri. Marlon learned about the Albertson's Holiday House KC by constantly checking social media pages in the Northland. Share your story idea with Marlon.
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When the sun goes down in the Northland, one family’s yard transforms into a Halloween wonderland of fog, flashing lights, and frightful fun.
For the first time this year, Blake and Natalee Albertson decided to go all out for Halloween — turning their front yard into a spooky maze filled with skeletons, monsters, and plenty of surprises.
“It’s been fun to walk out here every single night and see people smiling and laughing with their friends and family,” said Natalee Albertson.
The inspiration came from a former neighbor who used to decorate his house every year. The Albertsons’ kids loved visiting what they called “the spooky house.” But when that family moved away, the Albertson's decided to keep the neighborhood tradition alive.
"We bought his decorations and spent about three weeks decorating our house starting mid-September," said Blake.
Now the Albertson's look to carry that tradition.
"Everybody was super sad that he was gone and leaving. And everybody was like, Oh, this is our tradition. So when we got to announce that we were doing it, everybody was so happy”
The result is a full-blown Halloween spectacle that’s quickly become the talk of the neighborhood.
"Our first night was October 3,” said Blake. “We kind of had a big celebration. A local company, Eileen’s Cookies, donated hundreds of cookies. We had over 500 people here to watch the lighting of all this.”
Now, each evening, families stop by to watch as the lights flicker on and the monsters come alive — creating a community gathering spot built on fun and fright.
“It’s been so fun,” said Natalee. “Last year we’d drive to see the spooky house every night — now our kids get to play right here in our yard with all their friends.”
If you’d like to visit, the Albertsons' will be handing out candy starting tonight at 5 p.m. in the Kellybrook neighborhood and are expecting more than 2,000 trick-or-treaters.
The Albertson's Halloween display will be coming down this weekend to get ready for their Christmas decorations. Visit their Facebook page for updates.
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