For Linda Brungardt and her husband, Gene, Halloween is more than a single night of costumes and candy. It is a tradition that takes weeks of preparation and decades of decorating experience, all shared with the community at no cost.
The couple has decorated for Halloween and Christmas for about 40 years, opening their elaborate displays to the public for the past four years. Their Halloween attraction, known as Spooktacular Haunted Acres, features oversized monsters and themed scenes.
“Because we love Halloween and we love Christmas and we want to share it and we want people to be able to come and don't have to pay anything, they just come to enjoy it, bring their kids,” Brungardt said. “So if the kids are happy, we are happy.”
Preparing the display requires considerable time and help. Brungardt said she and Gene hired two to three additional people to help with the work, which began in mid-August and was completed by Oct. 1.
Mike Brewington, a friend of the couple who records the attraction with a drone, said the display continues to grow and change each year. His aerial footage is posted to YouTube under the name Spooktacular Haunted Acres.
The decorations also require significant storage space. Brungardt said the couple stores items in railroad cars on property down the road, as well as in the garage and guest house. The decorations extend beyond the outdoor displays.
“Not only is this all decorated, my whole house inside,” Brungardt said.
For Brungardt, the creative process and seeing visitors enjoy the finished product are the most rewarding parts of the project.
Once Halloween passes, the couple begins preparing for Christmas, which Brungardt said attracts even more visitors. The Christmas display is larger and brighter, and the property drew groups of visitors, including buses, last year.
The couple also welcomes trick-or-treaters on Halloween night, although Brungardt said they typically see about 40 children. Rain has affected attendance in recent years.
Brewington encouraged visitors to consider the effort behind the attraction.
“Look at the size and think what it takes to set it up,” Brewington said. “Yeah. It doesn't happen overnight.”
Although the rural location requires some visitors to travel farther, Brungardt said those who make the trip have enjoyed the displays.
“I know we're rural. It's kind of a ways out here for people to drive, but everybody that's come has really enjoyed it,” Brungardt said. “We just want more people to come and enjoy it.”
The Spooktacular display is located at 21304 NE 249th Ave., Battle Ground, and is open to the public to visit nightly through Halloween night from 5 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
