BY ROGER SMITH
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN

PILGRIM — By any October measure, Pilgrim’s most theatrical Halloween spectacle glows from a yard along North Wolf Creek Road. At 2763, the Carter home has become a full-blown haunted attraction—equal parts craft, tradition, and love letter to the community.

For three years running, Debbie Carter and her family have transformed their property into a sprawling Halloween village of witches, skeletons and other frightful residents. There are broom-riding witches that seem to levitate midair, a bony horse pulling a hearse cart, and a carnival corner complete with creepy clowns and a handmade ticket booth marked “$5.” (Admission, of course, is free.)

“It’s for the kids and the community,” Debbie said. “They love it.”

Each piece tells its own eerie story: a skeleton ship captain steering his wheel at the porch steps, a pair of werewolves guarding the door, and an oversized Reaper draped in tattered purple cloth commanding attention from the front yard.

Many of the figures are handmade—assembled from thrifted materials, old costumes, and backyard ingenuity by Debbie’s son Jason and her grandchildren. They begin setting up in September, layering each addition until the scene feels almost cinematic.

By the time Halloween night arrives, the Carters’ yard becomes a pilgrimage site of its own. Children gasp at the floating witches and parents linger to admire the craftsmanship that turns a quiet rural lawn into a neighborhood landmark.

Debbie expects “a lot of trick-or-treaters” this year, as word spreads and locals make it part of their October tradition.

And once the witches, skeletons and clowns come down, the Carters will begin again—this time for Christmas. The spirit of celebration, like their displays, simply never leaves.