In a world where Halloween decorations are typically meant to scare, one local family is using their massive display to spread a different kind of feeling: pure community warmth.
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Melissa Kohlman, the co-ordinator behind Lloydminster’s well-known “Skeleton House” at 2910 57a St., is gearing up for another massive spooky season.
What started as a small passion project back in 2018 has exploded into a community staple — a growth spurt Kohlman attributes to the isolation of the COVID-19 pandemic when she added a towering 12-foot skeleton to the yard.
Since then, the house has drawn massive crowds, bringing in anywhere from 800 to 1,000 trick-or-treaters each year. In fact, the family didn’t even name the attraction; the community did, after it started appearing on local Halloween map routes.
But this year, Kohlman is looking to give back in a way that goes far beyond a standard sugar rush.
The inspiration for this year’s giving back initiative came from a bitterly cold Halloween night last year.
“Last year, it was really cold, so we gave out Mr. Noodles instead of chips,” Kohlman recalled. “Every kid that came up, I would ask, ‘Would you like some chips or Mr. Noodles?’ and 90 per cent of them said Mr. Noodles. They all wanted the hot soup because it was cold and they wanted something hot. I thought that was really cool.”
That simple observation got Kohlman thinking about how she could help keep neighborhood kids warm during future freezing trick-or-treating runs. The answer? Custom-designed Skeleton House tuques.
Recognizing that many young children resist bundling up, Kohlman designed the tuques to feature the beloved Skeleton House logo, hoping the familiar neighborhood brand will make the winter gear a hit.
“I have nieces who are three and four, and they freeze because they just won’t wear a tuque,” Kohlman laughed. “A lot of kids love our house and love the skeletons. I thought maybe more kids would wear the tuque if there was something on it that they really liked, making it a little easier for parents.”
Handing out up to a thousand tuques is a massive financial undertaking for a single family. To pull it off, Kohlman reached out to the local business community for sponsorships.
Local staples stepped up immediately, including Weirs Veterinary Clinic, Wayside Dental Centre, and Meridian Surveys.
“I can’t afford to pay for 1,000 hats, so I want kids to know these are the companies paying for them. I don’t want the credit,” Kohlman emphasized.
Meridian Surveys even went a step further, donating a massive Sea-Can shipping container so Kohlman could finally move her ever-growing collection of decorations out of her packed garage.
To help reach her goal of covering every kid, Kohlman is also introducing a “Buy One, Gift One” campaign. Members of the public can purchase a Skeleton House tuque for themselves, and that purchase will directly fund another tuque to be given away on Halloween night. Each sponsored hat will feature a tag highlighting the business or individual who made it possible.
For Kohlman, the monumental effort — which takes about a solid week of setups alongside her best friend who travels from Edmonton every year to help manage four kids under the age of five — is entirely about setting an example.
“I have two little boys, aged one and five, and I want them to grow up to be good human beings,” Kohlman said. “We want people to enjoy what we do. Our boys see people being nice to us and us being nice to them. It’s a good way to show them that if you’re good to people, people are good to you.”
The kindness has certainly been a two-way street. Kohlman says her mailbox frequently fills with thank-you letters and gift cards. Older neighbors have dropped off old decorations they can no longer use, and last year, local teenagers even stopped by to donate treats to help the family keep up with the massive crowd.
Located just down the street from Lloydminster’s famous “Christmas House” on 57a St., the Skeleton House is carving out its own legacy of community magic.
Right now, Kohlman notes with a smile that the yard features plenty of Montreal Canadiens skeleton gear — “as it should be.”
Anyone interested in supporting the tuque initiative can reach out to Kohlman through the Skeleton House’s Facebook page.
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