INDEPENDENCE, Wis. (WLAX/WEUX) – A one-night event where friends and family of one creative couple were able to enjoy the spooky world they created. Rick Schaumberg is the mastermind behind the spooktacular display. With the help of his wife Cher, they were able to create 11 haunting scenes spread throughout their yard in Independence.

Schaumberg says the planning for the special night began three years ago, “What scenes do we want? What are we going to need for the scenes? The animations we’ve been buying them over the last five years and incorporating them out; I call it an obsession. You get an idea and you just got to follow through with it. And what starts out is, you know, one little part of an idea now spreads out into 11 different scenes and thousands of dollars of props and lights.”

Scenes from the night included a vampire surrounded by bats, a haunted farm, and a restricted Area 51. Learning to create these displays has been Schaumberg’s passion for 15 years. Schaumberg explains, “You start with one light bulb, one light strand, and you move your way up. You just keep wanting to do better. I always go by. You can’t do the same thing twice. So, whatever we did last year, we got to do it something different this year. Better, of course, more lights or more electronics, more sophistication.”

The couple shares the light display with the people they care about the most, “This is a one night we invite, you know, all the special people in our lives; our friends, our relatives. Cher and I have a very small family, so they’re here, all five of us, you know, And we… just the best friends, the best people we know, and just kind of a big thanks.”

Something wicked did occur but Schaumberg was able to work around it, “I think rain must have penetrated one of our 12-foot witches out there. She apparently doesn’t fly well in wet weather. She’s connected to three other props in our display. So, when they… when one went out, they all went out. So, we just did reverse engineering and started with the end one. We worked our way back to the Wicked Witch and she put a spell on this tonight, but we beat her. “

The lights weren’t the only fun of the night. There was also a scavenger hunt where the kids were able to look for clues within the displays. Halloween isn’t the only season this couple celebrates with a fun display. Schaumburg says once they are done with Halloween, they will begin setting up their Christmas lights which will shine in sync with holiday music.