Ridgeway man decorates for Halloween again after broken femur

A broken femur stopped Roy Trider from decorating his Ridgeway Halloween house last year, but Trider transformed his property again for this year’s trick-or-treaters.

At 3045 Young Avenue, Trider lined his deck and patio with moving figures of horror-movie killers, among them Michael Myers and Freddy Krueger. On Halloween night, trick-or-treaters and their families toured the deck and patio in groups of six.

Last year, Trider placed only a couple of decorations on his patio because of the broken femur. A neighbour who noticed the missing display knocked on Trider’s door to ask what had happened.

Trider said the neighbour told him, “I thought you died.”

Trider began decorating 38 years ago for his son’s eighth birthday, which falls on Halloween. Trider said he has bought at least one new figure every year since, picking whatever catches his eye in the store.

“It’s like a national holiday in my house,” said Trider.

On Halloween 2022, 572 children, not counting adults, visited Trider’s house. That year’s line of trick-or-treaters stretched about halfway up his 50-metre driveway.

This year, Trider bought three new figures, among them a mother and child who remove gas masks to reveal corroded faces. Trider estimated he spent 65 to 70 hours building this year’s display.

“I’m trying to have a better [display] this year because of what happened to me last year,” said Trider.

Five years ago, Trider buried his son and a friend under leaves on the hill beside his driveway so only their Halloween masks showed.

Both men stood up when a woman bent down to touch one of the masks, Trider said. The woman ran down the driveway and left a little girl behind, so Trider walked the girl back to her.

Rain can jam the moving figures, so Trider kept them inside until Halloween night on Saturday.

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