Laughing through a pandemic... at a distance

Another Halloween is done.  Now I just have a bunch of plastic and latex haunt toys strewn around the gardens and roof that my neighbors would like to see put away.  I can appreciate that.  

In 2021, please come visit us to celebrate a re-opening of sorts.  I plan to get fairly overkill with the display.  Let's see if the weather or next pseudo-apocalypse foils my plans.

Can't stop. Won't stop.

 

The old and rapidly dying mulberry tree having one last year with some hangers-on. 

 

Just hanging out in the garden

 

 2020 brought back some of the AtmosFX classic video projections

Zombie Invasion inside, Bloody Walls outside.

 A Halloween without Trick-or-Treaters

El Paso experienced a surge in Covid-19 infections after months of people getting relaxed about precautions.  That led to the El Paso Dept of Health issuing a T-O-T ban (that I disagreed with).  The mayor promoted this.  Soon after, hospitalizations increased, leading to some on the City Council to call for a return to non-essential lockdowns.  The mayor, facing reelection, opposed this.  Apparently, people can spread Covid during Trick-or-Treating, but not in restaurants and stores.  When Halloween night came around, people were understandably absent.  This is a good thing.  It is sad that kids missed out this year, but Halloween will return for another try next year.  

But wait, there's more.  Despite having no visitors, we still get a decent amount of cars that pass by.  The Kerbey House still had an audience!  Halloween could still be celebrated, if only from the safe distance of a slowly passing car.  The pictures you see are what awaited anyone in the street.

We will be back.  And unless things go horribly wrong in 2021, we will have a walkthrough haunted patio and Trick-or-Treating again.  

 The rose garden has a problem

The ghouls have been pushed away from the house and have taken up residence in the rose garden, attempting to taunt passing drivers.  I do not suggest for anyone to attempt to engage with them, as the rose bushes also tend to bite.  There has been much swearing and bleeding today.  

Again, there will be NO CANDY this year.  Covid-19 took that away.  However, the ghouls will remain in the garden to help to keep the spirit of Halloween alive.  El Paso will get through this.

 The Kerbey House 2020, ver. 4

January 2020:  This year's haunt will be epic, with clowns and werewolves, and massive spiders, and (simulated) fire, and lasers!

March 2020:  We can still do the walkthrough haunt, but maybe try to space out the line of visitors.

June 2020:  Maybe a patio walkthough is a bad idea.  I can still aim for epic in the gardens.

August 2020:  New yardhaunt theme!  Plants Vs. Zombies!  Trick-or-Treating lives!

Early October EP Dept of Health advisory "ban" announced.  I am annoyed.

EP infection numbers increase further.  

EP hospitals are filling up.  Bonus: a nearby zip code is one of the worst hit areas.

Late October 2020:  Forget about handing out candy for real.  Also, reduce the near-house display to not attract hopeful candy-seekers.

Halloween must live on!  Light up the house, decorate the roof and front rose garden jungle to give passing cars a show.  

At this point, this is the best case, more responsible thing that a home haunter can do this year.  It is not yet a total loss.  Things could be worse.  

Wear your masks, eat candy, watch horror movies, and maybe drive around to find and admire those few houses that are still celebrating.  

If you drive near The Kerbey House, feel free to briefly jump out to take pics and give us a wave.

 Although this Halloween will be subdued compared to past years, the spirit will live on.

See more of the artist's work at https://casperspell.wordpress.com/

 Zombie Jerky

 Our El Paso desert climate should be a good place to wait out any future zombie horde apocalypse.  Stock up on bottled water beforehand.  

One of our zombie maidens enjoying the rose garden. 

 If you sing on Halloween night, she might dance for you.  

Letting on of my first year's corpse props back into this year's show

He can be found lurking under the olive tree

 

 The Kerbey spiders claiming another victim

A challenge will be on how to light it at night, or risk it disappearing into the darkness of the garden.

 Hug-A-Tree, El Paso Halloween edition

 The first of the infected has taken its position in the garden.

Halloween will go live from 5:00p to 9:30p, with T-O-T occurring until we run out of candy.

The Kerbey House in El Paso, Texas

Getting the extended family excited for their show in a few weeks.

Candy hours are from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.

The displays are vest viewed after dark

 Trick-or-Treat candy  ✅

Haunt Display with animated props, lighting, and sound ✅

Wearing PPE and providing hand sanitizer ✅

Scenes set up to promote taking selfies ✅

Walkthrough haunted house ⛔ (postponed until 2021)

 The Infected Rise Again!

2020 has already given us in El Paso so much to worry about. October has arrived, and it appears that the massive spiders have returned, and the bloodthirsty hordes of a past plague (2015) have stumbled into the gardens again, bringing new friends along with them.  

Bonus: one of them has been playing with matches. 🔥

A few are still contained in the garage.  They will be released on Halloween night.  PPE masks have been provided for them.  Unfortunately, none seem willing to wear them correctly, defeating the purpose.  Try to keep at least 6 feet away to minimize contamination risk.  

To further reduce infection transmission, the will be no walkthrough haunted house / haunted patio this year.  But please try to visit us and take you picture with some of the mob lurking in the gardens.

The Kerbey House Presents 

"The Wicked Garden, 2019"

 

Witches and Scarecrows take over for Halloween.

The El Paso news media said that a great freeze would arrive, and that Halloween may be ruined.  And people should stay home.  Or at lease dress like a blizzard was coming.  The media, as usual, overstated things.

Because of this, we had maybe 1,500 visitors, which was a reduction from the previous 3 years.  However, we also had a walkthrough haunt location and structure that proved to be immune from the winds that destroyed the haunt the prior year. Its walls will be reusable for the return of the walkthrough planned for 2021.  

TKH 2019 Wicked Garden (direct link)

 A Short Compilation of the 2017 TKH Haunt

Running just under 1.5 minutes.  Give it a quick look.  💀

2017 TKH short (direct link)

 KVIA broadcast from The Kerbey House 

We have been fortunate to have reporter Julio Cesar Chavez from KVIA visit our home haunt in both 2017 and 2019 to conduct live broadcasts and haunt visitor interviews.  Both times, the crowds have welcomed the attention.  From these visits, I have learned that almost everyone drowns in awkwardness, myself included, when presented with a microphone.  So I appreciate the skill that goes into being a local reporter trying to put together a 20-60 second piece for broadcast. 

I have a few pictures from the 2019 visit.  Unfortunately, I was not able to get a copy of the video that was aired on Halloween night.  You will have to settle for my under-lit amateur videos I posted to YouTube.

Faces of Halloween 2019

 

 El Paso Halloween is not canceled!

There is not a real ban on Trick-or-Treating.

There is not a real ban on Halloween parties.

There will be no fines or citations.

Wear a protective PPE face mask with your costume.

The City of El Paso is "strongly recommending" that people stay home on Halloween to reduce Covid19 risks.   

All of this was confirmed with a call to the El Paso mayor's office.  There is no enforcement associated with the announcement of a ban.  The virus is real, it should be take seriously, and all should wear PPE in public, but Halloween is no more risky than going to a store.  Any proposed ban is fearmongering.

The local media is spreading clickbait about a toothless ban that the city officials announced, with the part about it really being a recommendation being buried in the details.

Every few years, there are attempts by the media and some politicians to scare people and ruin Halloween. This is the 2020 version.

The Kerbey House home haunt will be operational, with candy and scares at the ready.  

However, due to Covid19, we will postpone the haunted walthrough / patio haunt plans until 2021, when hopefully the worst has passed and things are closer to normal again.

Wear a mask.  Wash your hands.  Enjoy Halloween.