A group of Naperville children have organized an online petition and are planning a peaceful march in support of a well-known Halloween display that was canceled this year after a homeowners association tightened rules on holiday decorations.
Naperville fifth-grader Sara Marston started the online petition in support of Nick Thomas, whose elaborate holiday display synchronized to music became a well-known October attraction in the Ashbury subdivision.
Sara and some friends also have made signs and distributed handouts promoting a march through Ashbury on Oct. 24 as a way to protest the ruling.
“This house has been part of my life since I was little,” said the 10-year-old. “It is not only a tradition for me, but it is a tradition for many other people. It’s not only me who is sad about it, but other people are going to be sad about it too.”
Following neighbors’ complaints to the Ashbury Homeowners Association board, a holiday decorations rule was passed at the board’s Sept. 21 meeting. It limits a home’s decorations to 50 percent of the yard, excluding lights, and restricts the display to 30 days before and after the holiday. Residents said Thomas’ display attracted so many people it created a safety issue and made it difficult for nearby residents to pull into their driveways.
For Thomas, that meant an end to his tradition of putting extensive decorations on his home in the 1100 block of Conan Doyle Road. The 2,000 pieces will remain in the storage units he rents, and his cul-de-sac won’t become an attraction for the estimated 8,000 visitors who made the trek last year.
“I thought it was sad,” said 7-year-old Elliott Berck, Sara’s neighbor. “It’s a really cool house. Sara had a great idea that maybe we could (do this) and make it come back.”
Last week, when Sara’s family drove a few miles from their neighborhood off of Book Road to Ashbury, the yard was bare.
“We went to look at it because we wanted to see what he had done so far, and when we pulled up, there wasn’t anything,” Marston said. “We thought either we were in the wrong cul-de-sac or he wasn’t doing it this year.”
When she found out what happened, Sara started the petition as a way to support Thomas. As of Thursday evening, it had more than 100 signatures at thepetitionsite.com. The kids involved plan to deliver the signed petition to Thomas following the march.
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“I hope the homeowners association changes their mind and thinks, ‘Why did we do this in the first place?’ ” Sara said. “They are kind of like crushing the holiday spirit, you know.”
Thomas said he appreciates the effort.
“I think it is a really nice compliment to the way the kids have appreciated the house over the years, and it shows that it really does mean something to them,” Thomas said. “The efforts are very special to me.”
Representatives of the Ashbury Homeowners Association could not be reached for additional comment.
Thomas’ Halloween decorating has been widely recognized. It has been featured on “Good Morning America,” and YouTube videos of it have been viewed hundreds of thousands of times.
This week, a representative from Naper Settlement reached out to him to see if he was interested in displaying his spooky extravaganza at its All Hallows Eve event Oct. 16.
While he thanked Naper Settlement for the offer, Thomas said that’s not enough time to set up his 2,000-piece display.
Donna DeFalco, marketing representative for Naper Settlement, said the offer still stands for next year.
“We would be thrilled if Mr. Thomas would consider Naper Settlement as a host for his Halloween display,” DeFalco said. “We hope that we can talk about how we can partner with him in 2016.”
Jane Donahue is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun.