More than 20 years ago, Mike Larios purchased a small motorized spider he could hang in his home for Halloween. It was the beginning of a tradition for his family, and needless to say, things have gotten a bit bigger.
Mike and his family were selected by the Iola Pride group as having the best decorated home for the Halloween season. There were 15 entries in this year’s contest.
“Every year it gets bigger and bigger,” Larios said Tuesday evening. Duane McGraw stopped by to congratulate them and hand out their reward — a homemade pumpkin pie.
The Larios home, 717 S. Sycamore, is not easily missed. This year’s display is littered with spiders, black cats, cobwebs, lights and the main attractions — different animatronic contraptions. These motorized gouls and goblins stand at human-size, if not larger, and the Larioses have everything from a headless horseman, werewolf and witch stirring a cauldron.
Mike and Kim Larios’ grandchildren raced around the yard during the cool fall evening, enjoying a break in the rain. They have been covering up the electronics to protect them from this week’s wet weather.
Larios said he gets most of his decorations from stores like Target and Walmart in the region, as well as online. It takes them about three weeks to set up, and he said the whole family pitches in. He held up the spider he purchased in Manhattan that started the yearly decorations.
“That’s what started this,” Larios said. “Kim and I love Halloween.”
Kim Larios said as a child, her parents did not let them participate in many of its festivities; they believed it was too dangerous. Now, she and her husband are more than happy to have the whole family involved — if they’re not too scared, that is.
“It has got to look realistic,” Larios said, surveying this year’s myriad collection of bloody ghouls and green goblins. He and his family moved from Junction City 21 years ago, and after buying that $20 spider, they started their collection.
“Twenty bucks at the time was a lot for us,” Larios said. “Now it turned to this. I love it.”
The displays will be set up through Halloween, ready for trick-or-treaters to test their bravery against the witches, werewolves and zombies. Then, it’s time to take everything down, until next year.
“Every bit of my family pitches in,” he said, and then laughed. “It’s funny, afterward no one’s around when it’s time to pick up.”
Other winners from this year’s decorating contest were: Shayne and Teri Shaughnessy, 624 S. Washington, second; Lyle and Brenda Kern, 417 E. Jackson, third; Danny and Regina Cochran, 516 S. Walnut, fourth; and Brian Shaughnessy, 702 Kansas Dr., fifth.
Larios family carries on spine-tingling tradition
