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Naperville fifth-grader on a mission to save Halloween house

Visiting the "Haunted House in Ashbury" around Halloween time has been a tradition for 11-year-old Sara Marston since her family moved to their Naperville home when she was 3 years old.

Every October for the past 18 years, Nick Thomas' house and yard on Conan Doyle Drive in Naperville has been made to look like a haunted cemetery, with more than 2,000 display pieces and a large light show synchronized to music.

Thousands of families travel from throughout the state and beyond each year to watch the Halloween spectacular, Thomas said.

But when the Marstons took a drive past the house in early October to check on its progress, they were disappointed to see that Thomas had opted out of decorating this year. His decision came after the Ashbury Homeowners Association restricted holiday displays to only 50 percent of a homeowner's yard.

"It was just so much fun to look at - all the decorations," Sara said. "He takes a lot of time to set it all up. It means a lot to me."

Sara started a petition called "Save the Haunted House in Ashbury," hoping to get the homeowners association to reverse the rule. She imagined she'd get about 100 signatures, but by Sunday evening the petition had garnered more than 8,000.

"I got a lot of supporters because so many people love this house, and they're all sad that they're not doing it this year," Sara said.

In recent years, Thomas, 61, and his neighbor have spent three weeks setting up the display, which brought more than 8,000 visitors during Halloween week alone. He usually went through 600 bags of candy to supply the more than 2,000 trick-or-treaters who show up just on Halloween.

"I think it brought a big sense of community," said Thomas, who also puts on a Christmas display. "This house ... was an important part of people's holiday celebration."

However, Thomas said, the large crowds and traffic could be an inconvenience for his neighbors, some of whom had safety concerns and said they had trouble accessing their driveways.

The homeowners association set the new limits last month, which includes only allowing decorations to be up for 30 days before and after the holiday. Instead of creating an underwhelming display for his loyal visitors, Thomas decided to cancel his show.

"When I found out that it wasn't happening this year, I was really sad," Sara said, adding that several of her friends and family members who frequent the house have rallied to support her initiative. "I want to do something about it."

Her next step is to attend the homeowners association meeting today and read a persuasive letter to board members, Sara said. She also is organizing a march to Thomas' house next Saturday in support of his holiday displays.

"It's a bummer for me and a bummer a lot more for other people," Thomas said. "Cars still drive by, hopeful that I've changed my mind, but it's just too hard."

Thomas hopes that, with Sara's help, the homeowners association might revisit and change the rule in time for Christmas.

"It became a tradition for all of these people, as it did for Sara," Thomas said. "I would never believe my house would mean this much to people. I really appreciate the support."

For the past 18 years, Nick Thomas has decorated his home on Conan Doyle Drive in Naperville for Halloween using about 2,000 display items. Thomas will not decorate his home this year because of new restrictions set by the homeowners association. Courtesy of Nick Thomas
Nick Thomas' massive Halloween display has drawn thousands of visitors to his home on Conan Doyle Drive in Naperville for years, but he was forced to call it off this year because of new restrictions set by his homeowners association. Last year, he estimated 2,700 kids, not including their families, showed up on Halloween alone. Courtesy of Nick Thomas
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