April 03, 2025
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It’s Showtime! Popular Halloween projection show in Yorkville pays homage to classic horror-comedy

Visitors treated to show with themed-music programmed on radio

By Joey Weslo
The Welter Family House in Yorkville has delighted community members over the past five years with themed Halloween projection shows synchronized to music.

The Welter Family House in Yorkville has delighted community members over the past five years with themed Halloween projection shows synchronized to music. (Provided by Brett Welter)

Quickly becoming a Halloween tradition in Yorkville, a neighborhood house with a spook-tacular projection show celebrating the ghost with the most, has community members crying out “Beetlejuice. Beetlejuice. Beetlejuice.”

Rolling up to 2393 Autumn Creek Blvd, Yorkville, cars can tune into 89.9 FM to experience homeowners Brett Welter and Susan Hawbaker’s 5-minute musical of the macabre, projected onto their house every 15 minutes from 7:30 to 10 p.m.. The couple has run projection shows on their house every year since COVID-19, with past themes including “The Addams Family” and “Hocus Pocus.”

Hawbaker said Halloween has always held a special place in her heart, allowing families to make lifelong memories and allowing grown-ups to see the world as kids once again.

“Ever since I was a kid, Halloween has always been my favorite holiday. When I got married, my husband married into it,” Hawbaker said. “My mom would decorate with foam gravestones and spider webs all over. When I got older, I started making DIY decorations. As they got bigger and bigger and took over our garage space, we had the idea to make a whole house projected show, allowing us to change the theme every year with a larger production.”

This year's Halloween theme for the Welter Family Holiday House is Tim Burton's "Beetlejuice." The production took over a month to program.

This year's Halloween theme for the Welter Family Holiday House is Tim Burton's "Beetlejuice." The mischievous ghost is pictured popping his head out of the upstairs window. The production took over a month to program. (Provided by Brett Welter)

This year’s projection show taps into the eccentric mind of director Tim Burton’s film “Beetlejuice” a comedy taking delight in the deceased and depraved. Welter said the computerized program takes about a month to design and synchronize with the sounds, lights and special effects turning their house into a living, or un-living, theater.

The couple, who moved into Yorkville in 2008, said they love watching neighbors and members of the community stroll out on the sidewalk or camp out in the cars to catch a show.

“During COVID, everyone was housebound, so we wanted to come up with an activity that families could do safely outdoors for the holidays,” said Hawbaker. “Watching our kids grow, Halloween in Yorkville is definitely getting bigger each year. We’re here to support the community and help this family-friendly spot create fun memories for kids. People come from all over to get together and share Halloween moments together.”

Community members can watch the Welter Family Holiday House's five-minute Halloween projection show and listen to synchronized music at 89.9 FM.

Community members can watch the Welter Family Holiday House's five-minute Halloween projection show and listen to synchronized music at 89.9 FM. (Provided by Brett Welter)

Hawbaker said every year the kids’ costumes seem more and more elaborate. She said the holiday has become such a staple in Yorkville that they tend to get over 150 trick-or-treaters each year. Hawbaker said community-sponsored events like “Biz Boo!”, where local businesses offer a collaborated trick-or-treating day, has grown so much that this year she saw lines of hundreds of excited people.

She said whether the kids are from rural farms or community houses, the holiday unites the town with a shared sense of identity. She said her own two kids love helping brainstorm each year’s themed projection show as a way to provide something unique and special for the community.

Past year projected theme shows can been seen on the Welter Family Holiday House YouTube channel. Updates on this year’s show can be seen on the Welter Family Holiday House Facebook page.