Halloween is just a week away, but one west suburban neighborhood celebrated Freaky Frights on Friday night. Neighbors in North Riverside have been going all out for the holiday for more than 20 years.
Every year, Forrest Avenue in North Riverside transforms into Bloody Boulevard. Jose Frausto and his 2-year-old son Sebastian were among the hundreds who will fill the street for a true treat.
"It really attracts a lot of people. Towards Halloween, you'll probably see like 100 people just walking by. You can't find parking sometimes; you have to park 3-4 blocks away," Frausto said.
Starting the week before the Halloween, those young and old take the scary stroll through the dark and smoky lane.
Mark Sajatovic personally decorates the yards of his neighbors, with their permission, of course.
"I just use their land for couple of weeks," he said.
The attention Sajatovic puts into the details is gruesome and jaw dropping.
"I just love it. I just keep doing it every year. I think of things during the summer. I go to Halloween shows to get ideas. So I just keep trying to add," he said.
For 40 years, he has kept adding more spook for the spectators.
Neighbor Danny Vlach visited the block years ago. Then, in 2014, a house was for sale across from Sajatovic.
"I needed a house badly, and then this one came up. I walked through the front door. I said sign the contract, we're buying this one," Vlach said.
One key reason is Vlach now gets to put a big display out front himself and add to what Sajatovic's been doing for decades.
"It's like bar none my favorite holiday ever," he said.
So many people, not to mention trick-or-treaters, will come to the block that Vlach admits he dishes out a lot of cash for the treats, buying 2,000 pieces of candy.
"Money, that's whatever. We can make more money," he said. "We've got to make more memories."
There's nothing that will truly make your stomach turn, because just about everyone leaves with a big smile on their face.
"I have parents now when they were little kids, and they have kids of their own. That's how long I've been doing it. It's incredible," Sajatovic said.
The incredibly creepy and captivating concept runs through Halloween night.
