GALION – Chris and Cheri’ Laughbaum have been celebrating Halloween for years and the display keeps getting bigger. Ghosts rise from the leaf-littered grass, and green-lit zombie hands, a new addition this year, grab at passers-by.
Their front yard includes a cemetery with skeletons seeping through the graves and stones stating facts and names about those who purportedly lay beneath (or not): “Rest in Peace Pieces,” “I. B. Dedd,” “Ima Corps,” “Izzy Dead: I had an HMO,” “Dee Cayed,” “Barry M. Deep,” “Phil D. Graves,” and “I told you I was sick.”
At the front door visitors are led by skull lights and greeted by a life-size black coffin, Count Dracula-style.
And speaking of Dracula, that was the play during which Chris Laughbaum proposed to Cheri’ – publically – right before the opening lines on opening night. The performance was at Galion Community Theatre. Cheri’ was the director. Chris Laughbaum was stage manager. It was the perfect match.
They were later married in that same theatre.
“The minister was great,” said Cheri’. “She created the perfect blend of ceremony and theatre.” As the couple kissed for the first time as husband and wife, the entire wedding party donned vampire teeth, smiled widely for the camera and had the congregation in hysterics. It was the perfect ending to the perfect theatrical celebration.
The Laughbaum household does celebrate Christmas, but Halloween is the biggest event of the year. They don’t give presents at Halloween, “but,” said Chris. “Most of the Christmas presents we get are Halloweeny.” They only have only three totes of Christmas decorations compared to the eight totes plus the large props and monsters for Halloween.
For the past few years the Laughbaums have thrown not just one big Halloween party, but two.
The first party is put on for the Galion High School drama students. This party is packed with activities, a tour of the famous Laughbaum Basement Haunted House, games, a costume contest and a scavenger hunt.* Costumes in past years have included Cat and Catnip, Clark Kent, Zombie, Jolly Green Giant and Sprout, Beetlejuice and Lydia, Charlie Brown and Lucy, Joker and superheroes of all sorts.
One week later is the adult Halloween party, also complete with haunted house and costume contest. Guests are serious about their costumes. They plan weeks in advance and even create themes for the year. Last year started with Batman and Catwoman and morphed into a super hero comic book character theme.
This year features a zombie theme. There are zombie hands in the front yard; bones littered everywhere (a clear sign that zombies have already been busy); signs in the basement warning of zombies: “Zombie Feeding Area,” “Zombie Drinks,” and “Beware Zombies.”
The Laughbaums start decorating the upstairs in September, then move to the outside graveyard and basement haunted house the first of October. Not all Laughbaum’s monsters make an appearance in the haunted house each year. “All the monsters are rotated out or repurposed,” said Chris Laughbaum. “Last year we had a vampire in the shower stall.”
Occasionally they loan their creepy treasures to area theatres or the annual Boo Bash put on locally for the high school kids in town.
“It stated small,” remembers Chris. “This is our 10th anniversary of the haunted house.” Some years the guest list is small. Other years they reach 60 visitors, like last year when the entire cast of Les Miserables (joint production at the Galion Community Theatre with the Crawford Theatre Company) was invited.
“One year we had body parts floating in the Jacuzzi,” said Cheri’. “That was fun to clean up.” Just about every room in the house is decorated; even the snacks are haunted like the witch fingers, ghost treats, skull cheese dip and bat cookies.
Laughbaums admit they have more fun at Halloween. They aren’t sure what next year’s theme will be, but you can be sure there will be an even bigger scary production.
Note: If you are in the Galion area and notice a few residents dragging their feet or giving you a blank stare, gently lead them back toward the Laughbaum house. They probably got lost.
Rules: Find the item or task and get picture or video of whole team (except camera person). No Destroying property. Ask permission is you need to get on someone’s property. Be respectful. No taking anything without permission of owner.
First team back with the most items collected wins!
1. Everyone dance around a fire hydrant
2. Make a tent with your hands/arms over a political sign
3. Do “OHIO” with your arms in front of a pine tree
4. Make funny faces in front of a fence
5. Everyone around an outdoor school sign (sport, band, theatre)
6. Everyone spinning around in the light of a street lamp
7. Everyone in front of a house decorated for Halloween (not mine)
8. Find a branch shaped like a letter
9. Find something yellow (take photo)
10. Find a piece of litter
11. Find a place to build a nest (photo)
12. Picture of entire team jumping into the air
13. Picture with someone not at our party with entire team and person must be smiling
14. Everyone holding hands in a circle around a tree trunk with leaves that have changed
15. Video of everyone singing a song from a threatre musical, must be 30 seconds long!
