ANYONE LOOKING FOR HALLOWEEN fright and fun in Faribault need look no farther than the Cauldron County Scare Grounds, home to Coy and Kathy Lane.
Located at 234 First Avenue Southwest, the Lanes’ hilltop front and side yards and porch are transformed each autumn into a space for the community to celebrate Halloween. This marks the fifth year the couple has created a display locally.
And each year the theme changes with 2026 bringing a yard full of clowns to the Circus De Soulless. A wedding, class reunion and clown daycare were among past themes.
If clowns creep you or your kids or grandkids out, then be prepared. A whole lot of creepy clowns have crept into the Halloween yard, which is open from noon to 9 p.m. daily in October. That includes clowns drawn by Coy and painted by Kathy, one a menacing clown that serves as a photo op backdrop reaching to the second story.
At seemingly every turn, clowns lurk, wait, threaten, their bright clothes no cover for the darkness within. But it’s all in good fun. The Lanes clearly love Halloween and sharing that love with others. It’s their “thing,” says Coy, who this year was sidelined a bit by knee surgery necessitating tapping into friends to help set up the display.
I’ve been to the circus, just up a steep hill from my house, thrice. Once for a quick check and chat. Then with my elementary-aged grandkids, who claimed not to be frightened although their body language showed otherwise. And finally, during the golden hour before sundown to take photos.
Come here after sunset and the fear factor notches up because everything seems scarier in the dark. I’ve stuck with daylight. The back side yard, where towering animatronic characters surround a crypt, seems the most frightening.
By far, my favorite section of the Halloween yard this October is the Twisted Big Top Scary Tales Tent. A chained “Wizard of Oz” Flying Monkey guards the tent entrance. Inside, ghoulish versions of well-known tales bring visual and auditory fright to the likes of “The Three Little Pigs,” “Beauty & the Beast,” “Alice in Wonderland” and more. And, yes, more than one creepy doll moves, blood dripping, eyes glowing.
This circus-themed Halloween display features lots of glowing eyes, including those of the ticket booth fortune teller. The ticket booth is just a themed prop. The Lanes don’t charge an entry fee, even though they’ve spent $1,100 on candy alone this October and endless more on other expenses.
Some of their spending goes toward small prizes for games. The couple makes their Halloween display interactive, adding an element of fun for kids with basketball, bean bag and skull tosses and a high striker. They’re always thinking of the kids.
And Coy tells me he’s already thinking ahead to Halloween 2027 with a theme chosen, and which I won’t divulge. Soon he’ll start building, creating, preparing for the next opening of the Cauldron County Scare Grounds just blocks from downtown Faribault high atop a hill.
© Copyright 2026 Audrey Kletscher Helbling
Recent Comments