Family in spooky spirits

By RICHARD LUKEN
Register Reporter

Gene and Teresa Weatherbie show some of the Halloween decorations they have on display at their farm north of LaHarpe. The Weatherbies are inviting area youngsters to check out the decorations and try to make their way through a hay bale maze.

LAHARPE — What do Elvis, “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” and a 10-foot rubber alligator have in common?
They’re all at the home of Gene and Teresa Weatherbie in rural LaHarpe eager to greet young visitors hoping to get a Halloween thrill.
The Weatherbies have again transformed their back yard into a Halloween wonderland, filled with a giant maze of hay bales, spooky lights and a trail of terror adorned with myriad Halloween decorations.
The Weatherbies will serve candy, hot dogs, marshmallows and refreshments, as well as assorted trinkets for their young guests. They’ll also show a number of Halloween-theme movies. The Weatherbies will accept visitors tonight and Sunday from 7:30 to 11, then from 7:30 to midnight next Friday and Saturday, and from 7:30 to 11 p.m. Oct. 28-30.
The Weatherbies have been preparing their home for the past month or so.
“It’s just our way to have some fun,” Gene said. “The kids seem to like it.”
The Weatherbies began welcoming area youths to their farm at 2471 Texas Rd. in north Allen County at least seven years ago, when Gene figured he’d spice up his property with a hay bale maze.
When youngstes quickly found their way through the maze, Weatherbie, of course, decided to expand it. Now, with 125 bales, the maze covers a 100-foot by 100-foot area, complete with dead ends and a fake door.
Getting through the maze is only the first part of the Halloween experience.
From there, Teresa has built a rock trail that will lead visitors along the edge of her back yard.
Among the special decorations that line the trail are a pair of wooden witches looking over their fresh batch of brew, an alligator Gene made by carving into an old racing tire — complete with scales and glowing red eyes — and a ceramic statue of the King himself, Elvis Presley.
“The alligator was just something that came to me,” Gene said. “And we saw the Elvis statue at an auction. We knew we couldn’t let him go for a buck.”
Also prominently displayed are other iron works, including a number of antique stoves and kettles — “If anyone wants to get rid of one, let us know,” Teresa said — and other cans molded to look like jack-o’-lanterns.
Teresa insisted that the Halloween movies be geared for youngsters. “We don’t want to scare anybody too much,” she said.
They hope the older visitors will enjoy “The Rocky Horror Picture Show.”
“I was hoping to have that movie for last year but could never find one,” Teresa said of the cult classic. “I went to Kansas City earlier this year and that was the first thing I found.”
Assisting the Weatherbies will be their two sons, Cassidy and Dalton. Cassidy is a senior at Iola High School; Dalton is in the 10th grade.
The Weatherbies accept free-will donations for their display. To get to the Weatherbies’ farm, go north on U.S. 169 five miles to Texas Road, then west about 31⁄2 miles. To get there from LaHarpe, go north five miles on 2600 Road, then west about one-half mile.