Plano Halloween House Going Out With A Bang
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PLANO (CBS11) - The end of an era is coming for many North Texas Halloween fans. After years of tradition, the scariest house on the block in one Plano neighborhood is calling it quits, but you still have one more chance to see it.
You might think this would be strictly a nighttime attraction, but people came by throughout the day Friday to take a look, and most of them tell us they're sorry to see it all go after this year's Halloween is over.
Even before crowds start forming after dark, people like Robbie Harler come from miles away just to see it clearly.
"I've been coming checking out his house probably about the last five years. He's always got something different, and it's always really elaborate," Harley said.
This year's theme highlights movie characters that range from The Exorcist to Friday the 13th. Tony Giles is the man behind the display, and he says each year has become more elaborate than the last.
"It's making memories for the kids, and it's something that I enjoy. It's my hobby. Halloween is my hobby, so this is something I do three months out of the year, and I really enjoy it," Giles said.
But devoting three months out of the year to planning and building and maintenance was becoming more work than Giles had time to do. He says it's also become a distraction for the neighborhood after last year police had to shut him down early and clear out the crowd blocking the street.
"Trick-or-treaters that waited in line for an hour and a half to two hours just to get in this house, and they had to leave because I got shut down, and that didn't sit well with me," Giles said.
That's why he agreed to do one last Halloween. With help from his HOA, he's hired four off-duty police officers to help with security and gotten a permit to shut down the street to go out in style. But Giles tells fans not to worry.
"When I say that this is the last of the display, that doesn't mean that it's the last of me," Giles said.
He would only hint at future plans for another possible attraction beyond his front lawn, but until then people are welcome to come by and visit the home on 705 Pine Lakes Drive in Plano between now and Halloween.
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