November 8, 2007

Trick or treating at the haunted McAbee Manor

By Shana McLean Moore
Times Columnist

Almaden’s Sparks family may not have grabbed the attention of the Today Show producers for America’s must-visit house for Halloween, but they certainly hold a special place in the eyes, ears and treat bags of the children of Almaden who find plenty of spooky splendor at their Haunted McAbee Manor each Halloween.

Allen Sparks, the spirited master of the Haunted McAbee Manor.

Allen Sparks, the mastermind of this annual operation, has been delighting his neighbors since 1991, when his daughter, Brittany, was just 1. His goal was to recreate the magic of his own childhood memories of the holiday.

“It started out much smaller than it is today, with just a few tombstones,” said Sparks. Now, wide-eyed trick-or-treaters attest to the fact that those few tombstones look an awful lot like a complete cemetery. When coupled with the movie screen backdrop that continually plays 1950s era horror films, the youngest revelers really have to want their candy to brave a trip to the front door.

The courageous are rewarded handsomely with goody bags filled with candy and toys, basically providing them with a whole street’s worth of loot in one stop. While many houses in the neighborhood had fewer than 40 visitors to their home, the Sparks family doled out 350 of their treat bags this year.

Many of the goody bags went out to the students of Los Alamitos Elementary School who plan their trick-or-treating path specifically to reach the Sparks’ home. They feel a special connection because their very own “Nurse Patti,” otherwise known as Patti Sparks, is a key part of the operation. Patti says it “gets a little crazy, but when I see the joy it brings to other people, it’s all worth it. In fact, one year when I really hoped Allen would want to take a year off, one mom at the school came up to me with a tear in her eye and thanked me for giving her boys such great memories—who can take a year off after that?”

Brittany Sparks, now 17 years old, gets into the spirit of the holiday with her parents. Her favorite part is to help her dad decorate the graveyard, but she also has a special corner of the kitchen that is all her own. She is charged with decorating a large and ornate birdcage with all types of pumpkins, ghosts and ghouls. “We shop for something new to add to it each year,” said Brittany. “It’s fun to invite my friends over to see it—they love coming here each year.”

Those who know the secret password are invited in for a complete tour that is nothing short of amazing. Each room downstairs is filled with Halloween decorations, old and new. Allen’s favorites are the older ones like the dye cuts from the 1930s and the plastic sucker holders in Halloween shapes from the 1950s that remind him of growing up in southern California and Oregon and visiting the neighborhood Woolworths. He finds other decorations on eBay, but admits to being more discriminating now that his house is chock full of decorations.

Sparks poses with his favorite decorations from the 1930s, 40s and 50s.

From portraits with eyes that follow you and morph from a seemingly normal old-fashioned picture to one with a noose and bulging eyes, to the slimy rubber alien in the bathtub, evidence of the Sparks family’s Halloween spirit is everywhere. The dining room table boasts a potted Manzanita branch covered in glass pumpkins, witches, eyeballs and black cats. The table is set with Halloween plates and goblets for any visiting goblins.

The kitchen lighting is covered with black paper and Halloween cutouts bringing a unique design and glow over the feast of goodies for their visitors. Busts of monsters and black metal rats sit atop the mantles and chair rail detailing, and a skeleton séance adorns the coffee table. Truly, no surface is left unadorned.

Ten-year-old neighbor Alicia Young and her mother, Darby, were mesmerized. “This house is amazing! The pictures with eyes that follow you are so cool… and the movie on the front lawn is scary… and the treat bag is awesome!” said Alicia.

With reactions like that, it looks like the Sparks family won’t soon be getting the break they deserve. Once they’ve finished loading the more than 20 storage tubs and individual decorations into the rafters of the attic, it will be time to get ready for Christmas.

That realization might just be scarier than the monster tarantula that graced their front porch this Halloween.