SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — Frank Lauria owns the Halloween house of Rancho Penasquitos. Monsters and skeletons cover the front yard. Lauria says it takes him around three weeks to set up.
“I mean it costs probably a couple thousand dollars every year," Lauria said. "But it’s for a good cause.”
“That good cause is?” 10News Perla Shaheen asked.
“Community. I want kids to have fun,” Lauria said.
Lauria has done this for almost 30 years without any hiccups. But this year, the day before Halloween, he says a pirate ship and three figurines were taken.
“I just have the monetary value, but the kids and the neighbors have the sense of community and sense of fun," Lauria said. "So why take away something like that?”
Lauria decided to temporarily hide the rest of his decorations inside his home. He put out this sign to reassure his neighbors that the haunted house would be resurrected in time for Hallow's Eve.
“I got disappointed, then mad. Then, I got determined. I'm going to get something set up for these kids tomorrow.”
Sure enough, with only six hours before the trick-or-treaters arrived, Lauria got to work, putting out his decorations to keep the Halloween spirits alive.
“Almost every year, I'm out here tweaking stuff until I see the first trick-or-treater at 530.”
Lauria says he’ll have to add security cameras next year or use cables to tie down the decorations. But not even thieves can stop the joy this holiday brings.
“It has that fun. Kids wearing their costumes. They think they're Mr. America or a princess or whatever. They love it. So I just want to encourage them to continue to love the holiday.”
