Stillman Road Halloween display turns heads once again

LYNNFIELD HIGH SCHOOL Class of 2010 graduate Carl Rugato shows off skull decorations that are among the close to 500 Halloween decorations that are on display at his parents’ 23 Stillman Rd. home. (Dan Tomasello Photo)

 

By DAN TOMASELLO

LYNNFIELD — The Rugato family’s 23 Stillman Rd. home has been a destination for Halloween lovers for 10 years.

Lynnfield High School Class of 2010 graduate Carl Rugato has transformed his family’s Stillman Road home into a massive Halloween display each October. The tradition returned once again this spooky season.

“I have been doing displays at my parents’ house for 10 years,” said Rugato. “I started out making bamboo and cardboard mazes when I was 12-years-old. That turned into a building by the end of high school. I was given grant money to build displays in college. ‘Busch Gardens Williamsburg’ recruited me to build haunts and events for its ‘Howl-O-Scream’ seasonal event. It’s what I have always wanted to do. I love it. It’s a lot of fun.”

Rugato noted that his Halloween display contains close to 500 pieces that have different themes. He covered the house with black tarps and camouflage netting, and has a large number of skeletons climbing on the front of the house.

“All the skeletons are climbing to get to the gold skull on the top of the house,” said Rugato.

There are also skeleton displays located in the front yard.

“My favorite part is the horse skeleton and carriage display,” said Rugato. “It’s a doctor’s carriage from the 1800s that I found on Facebook Marketplace.”

The Stillman Road home also includes a werewolf fight sequence located on the left side of the property. The property also includes over 130 tombstones.

“I have been expanding it every year,” said Rugato about the Halloween display.

The 23 Stillman Rd. home has become a destination for Lynnfield residents and beyond.

“It has gone viral on a bunch of different Facebook pages,” said Rugato. “We have had people from California, Canada and Miami, Florida who heard about it come check it out.”

Rugato said a long line of cars have been driving by the house to check out the Halloween display, particularly at night.

“There are people who come from all over the state at night,” said Rugato. “I cone off one side of the street so I can make sure everyone drives, parks and visits safely. It gets busier and busier the closer Halloween gets.”

Rugato said one of his favorite parts of the display is watching the smiles on children’s faces.

“Parents have told me they need to bring their kids by multiple times a day,” said Rugato. “I have heard stories that kids won’t let their parents take them home from school until they drive by the house.”

Rugato said he enjoys going outside of the home to talk with people who stop by to check out the Halloween display.

“I enjoy going outside and talking with the people who come by,” said Rugato. “I enjoy listening to the conversations kids are having with their parents. Whether the parents want it or not, I am helping kids develop a love for Halloween. I am hoping that kids will decorate their homes for Halloween when they get older.”

Rugato graduated from Lynnfield High School as a member of the Class of 2010. He received a degree in Set Design from High Point University.

After college, Rugato worked at “Busch Gardens Williamsburg” for three years. He also toured with “Marvel Universe Live” for three years, and also worked for “Jurassic World Live” and “Disney On Ice.”  He said his college and work experiences helped him learn the craft of making elaborate Halloween displays.

“That started fine-tuning how my brain worked,” said Rugato. “I now treat everything as a set versus just putting stuff out here. If you look around, there is a reason why everything is where it is.”

Rugato thanked his parents, Linda and Dave, for allowing him to decorate their 23 Stillman Rd. home. He also thanked his neighbors for their support and cooperation.

“I would like to thank my parents and our immediate neighbors for all their support and patience while I pursue my passion,” said Rugato.

While Rugato said he enjoys decorating his parents’ Stillman Road home during the month of October, he said this year will be the last time the Halloween display will be at his parents’ house.

“It’s time for more space,” said Rugato. “We need to find another location that supports the crowds, traffic and enlarged future displays and walkthroughs. I intend to pursue this as a division of my professional company, Rugato FX Entertainment.”

The LHS graduate noted that Rugato FX Entertainment is a seasonal installation company.

“Rugato FX Entertainment is proud to offer an array of services, including but not limited to, holiday and specialty theming, ornamentation/prop sourcing and fabrication, as well as exterior atmospheric lighting for both residential and commercial properties,” Rugato wrote on his company’s website. “We are proud to service the North Shore Massachusetts area and beyond.”

If residents are interested in supporting Rugato with his next Halloween venture, they should email him at Rugatofxentertainment@gmail.com.

“Any assistance in finding a location would be much appreciated,” said Rugato.