Kenny Williams and his wife, affectionately known as Granny Katz, have been elaborately decorating their front yard, porch and garage for Halloween for 18 years.
Williams said every year, they have a theme for the attraction and the theme this year is Carn-Evil.
“She always usually does a theme of cats, but this year she switched it to Carnival type stuff. It’s called Carn-Evil,” Williams said. “What they do is they walk through...the front...and then they walk underneath our porch, into the garage and out of the garage. It’s her favorite. I mean we always do Christmas too, but Halloween is her favorite.”
Granny Katz said she has always loved Halloween and she has been decorating their house for the holiday since they have been married.
“Every year we add more and the kids seem to really like it so every year we just started adding more,” Granny Katz said. “I’ll just find something and pick it from wherever. We pick up things at garage sales and stuff online. Some people that have quit doing their haunts will have stuff online that’s for sale and we’ll get that and we always add one big prop. At least one a year.” Granny Katz said this year they have two big props: the giant witch that appears to be flying through the air, displayed in their front yard and a giant circus monkey playing the cymbals. Williams said Granny Katz found her Carn-Evil theme when she found some carnival paraphernalia for sale online. “She bought some people out that had some carnival stuff and we already had quite a few clowns and so she decided she would build some stuff, which she did those little merry-go-rounds and she decided that she’d call it ‘CarnEvil,’” Williams said. Granny Katz said the Halloween decorations she makes are not always originally Halloween decorations.
“It doesn’t even necessarily have to be a Halloween decoration because we turn a lot of things into one. Like that little bull out here that’s on that little merry-goround, that was my sons...when he was little, we incorporated it,” Granny Katz said.
Granny Katz said, in her attraction this year, she painted some of the dolls to look like clowns and she made the fake cotton candy displayed in a box on her front porch, along with a slew of other decorations on display this year.
Williams said he helps Granny Katz with the decorations.
“She wants me to help her do this or that, that’s what I help her do. We put it up together and we take it apart but she does most of it. Mostly her ideas, because she loves it. I mean, our house is decorated,” Williams said.
Williams said it does not matter to him how she wants to decorate the house for Halloween because that is how they spend time together.
“Whatever she wants to do, I don’t care, I enjoy doing it with her because it’s about spending time and having a good time and that’s what we do...spend that time together and have a good time doing it,” Williams said.
Williams said Katz starts planning things out about two months in advance.
“She starts getting out props, going over them, making sure they work and about a month before she’ll have things to set up, because in our backyard...we have a big awning in the back and a deck and she starts putting things to-gether and getting them ready, seeing whats broke, what needs to be fixed,” Williams said.
Williams said Katz always asks his opinion on their Halloween decorations.
“Oh yeah, she always asks my opinion. She wants my opinion and wants me to help her do it. It’s mostly her. I let her kind of lead because it’s more her things and I’m just in there to support and help what she can’t do,” Williams said.
Granny Katz said she will be passing out candy, animal crackers and little Kool-Aid drinks to the Trick-or-Treaters.
“We’re doing animal crackers, because I thought that was carnival themed. I was going to do popcorn balls but those are really expensive whenever you start adding up all the people that come,” Granny Katz said, with a laugh. “So we did the animal crackers. Those little Kool-aid drinks.”
Williams said they just want people to have fun and enjoy themselves.
“None of ours is scary enough, it’s all where little kids can walk through. We just want people to come by and have a good time and enjoy it. It doesn’t matter what your age is, come by and look because we have people that are 70years-old that come and walk through, so all ages are welcome and that’s what it’s about, having a good time,” Williams said.
The Williams’ Haunted House, located on 27th Street in Littlefield, will be open to the public Halloween night only.