San Antonio – A San Antonio family brought Spooktacular joy to their neighborhood once again, shining a positive light on the South Side during Halloween.
Thelma and Robert Reyes, the homeowners of 134 East Villaret Street, have held the special Halloween event for over 40 years.
“It’s just to help the kids celebrate what I remember Halloween used to be and we have been blessed,” said Thelma Reyes.
From happy Disney’s “Coco”-themed decorations to elaborate animatronics, they spend at least $800 a year on decorations.
“We have Frankenstein, skeletons, a graveyard and everything that means Halloween,” she said.
Every year, they serve about 600 kids candy, but due to the pandemic, they’ve had to adjust.
They constructed a 10-foot-long candy shoot, which slides candy out to a basket on the other end of their fence for children to pick up.
“At first, they are a little hesitant because they don’t know how fast it is going to come down, but we tell them don’t worry, just put your hands out and grab it,” Thelma Reyes laughed.
Families also have to snap pictures from a distance to be safe.
“Before Covid, the children were allowed to be in our yard and go through the different decorations and take pictures with their family,” she said.
They said doing this event showcases the importance of family tradition.
“What I love about this is when the parents used to bring their kids and now the kids are bringing their parents back,” Robert Reyes said.
“We have a lot of kind people on this side,” Thelma Reyes said. “We love what we do. We are here to help each other, and the neighborhood and we love the fact of the children being happy. That is what the South Side is. We love each other and we want to see each other happy.”
All in all, they said it is about a night of smiles and highlighting the good things in their community.
“I like to see the parents act like kids too,” Robert Reyes said. “I enjoy that because we have so many worries and it makes me feel good that it is a relief for that little time.”
“After all that we have been through for Covid, we are all deserving of feeling safe again and being happy again,” Thelma Reyes said.