KAILUA-KONA — A Kailua-Kona couple plans almost all year to get the maximum number of screams during the few hours their annual haunted yard is open on Halloween night.
“When you can make a child cry and a mother scream, that’s a good night,” Tim Ewing said about those who walk through his ghoulishly transformed property.
Tim and Leah Ewing have spooked the neighborhood for years at their home near the end of Sea View Circle in Kailua-Kona. This will be the 16th annual haunted yard, this year with a zombie theme.
The Ewings have been in the business of bringing Halloween frights to people for nearly 20 years, starting at their home in California. When they moved to Hawaii, at first they weren’t sure how a haunted yard would fair in their new community.
After having several trick-or-treaters, the couple decided to pick up the tradition the following year.
“We started with front graveyard tombstones and a couple of cheap skeletons that have long since retired,” Ewing said.
He described how he would dress all in black, cover his face in a black mask and hold the candy bowl, with one gloved hand inside guarding the precious bits of chocolate.
Ewing recalled how children would debate whether or not he was real or fake. When one was brave enough to go for the bowl, he’d grab their hand and the screams would fill the air.
“I heard the kids talking about it at the bus stop the next day and it inspired me to get bigger and bigger every year,” Ewing said.
The Ewings have since gone beyond the skeleton props and tombstones and added animatronics and built a maze and a dungeon behind the house.
“I love watching the kids,” Leah Ewing said. “They get such a thrill.”
She said they’ve had 300-500 people come through the yard and have given out 25-30 pounds in candy.
“We’ve had people as far away as Captain Cook come through,” Leah Ewing said.
Every year the yard has a theme. One Halloween was a haunted pumpkin patch. Last year was pirates.
Tim Ewing said he’s looking for volunteers to help with scaring the trick-or-treaters. His wife said the “undead” also will help with crowd control.
Those interested in participating in the haunted yard can contact Tim Ewing at 987-1750 or by email at time2dive@hawaii.rr.com.
Walking through the yard is free; however, the couple does ask for a nonperishable food item to donate to Hawaii Foodbank. The Ewings said last year they collected almost 100 pounds of food.
The haunted yard opens at dark and closes between 9 and 9:30 p.m.
Email Tiffany DeMasters at tdemasters@westhawaiitoday.com.