11-year-old leads petition drive to bring back extensive decorations

One pumpkin sitting by the front door was the only noticeable Halloween decoration outside Nick Thomas' Naperville home Saturday morning.

It was very different compared to last October, when the entire yard looked like a cemetery, complete with tombstones, skeletons and hundreds of other scary props.

For the first time in 18 years, Thomas had to keep his vast collection of Halloween decorations in storage after the homeowners association for his neighborhood restricted holiday displays to only 50 percent of a home's yard.

While disappointed, Thomas says he's found some comfort, thanks to an online effort to convince the Ashbury Homeowners Association to repeal its decision.

Spearheading that push is an 11-year-old Naperville girl who started a petition called "Save the Haunted House in Ashbury."

Sara Marston says her family has been making annual trips to see Thomas' house since they moved to Naperville when she was 3 years old.

"It's not only a tradition for me," Sara said. "It's a tradition for many other people in Naperville."

So when Sara learned that Thomas wasn't going to be decorating his house because of the new restrictions, it made her sad. "I felt like I should do something about it," she said.

Initially, Sara thought the online petition would get about 100 signatures. By Saturday morning, it had more than 10,300.

That's when Sara and a small group of family, neighbors and friends did a march through the Ashbury neighborhood to deliver a printed copy of the petition to Thomas' house on Conan Doyle Drive. Along the way, they carried homemade signs and chanted, "Bring back the spooky house."

After accepting the several-inches-thick binder containing the petition, Thomas handed out candy to the children in the group and thanked Sara for her efforts.

"This is my Halloween this year," said Thomas, who gave Sara two poster boards with pictures of the house from previous Halloweens.

The first year he decorated his house, Thomas had eight pumpkins and three tombstones. Last year, the display had more than 2,500 pieces and a large light show synchronized to music.

He said the popularity of his house "took off" two years ago when the light show was added. Thousands of people traveled from throughout the state to see it.

But the large crowds and traffic prompted some of Thomas' neighbors to complain. They took their concerns to the homeowners association.

Last month, the homeowners association set the new limits, which includes only allowing decorations to be up for 30 days before and after the holiday.

Thomas said he decided to cancel his show this year because he didn't want to disappoint visitors with an underwhelming display.

Megan Berck, one of the Marston's neighbors, said Sara initially got involved by encouraging neighborhood kids to make signs.

"They taped them to sticks and went outside in her front yard and were chanting as cars drove by," Berck said. "That same day she decided to start the petition online."

Berck, who participated in Saturday's march with her two young children, said she's "amazed by what this has turned into."

Thomas, who also puts on an extensive Christmas display, said the homeowners association has indicated that it won't address the decorations issues again until early next year. Still, Thomas said he's hoping the association revisits and changes the rule in time for Christmas.

"If they would change it, I would decorate," he said.