Caledonia Halloween display raising money for breast cancer awareness
Caledonia Halloween display raising money for breast cancer awareness
Even though Halloween is still three weeks away, one Caledonia house is getting a jump on the holiday with a huge display. And that’s putting it lightly.
CALEDONIA, Wis. - Even though Halloween is still three weeks away, one Caledonia house is getting a jump on the holiday with a huge display. And that’s putting it lightly.
Shink's Haunted Yard
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Shink’s Haunted Yard in Caledonia gets the entire community excited for Halloween.
"From the day we put up the first pillar, the first section of fence, we get people driving by slowing down. They roll down. They open their windows. They know. They expect it," said J.J. Schinkowitch.
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The 19-year-old J.J. Schinkowitch has been getting this display ready since Nov. 1 with the help of a dozen volunteers to put it up.
He joined the operation three years ago, but his dad has been putting it together for 23 years. Now, they do it together.
"I still remember the first thing I ever bought and how my parents reacted when I knew I wanted to spend my Christmas money on Halloween decorations," Schinkowitch said.
All for a good cause
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But it’s a lot more than just Halloween fever. J.J. uses the display to raise money for breast cancer awareness. Two of his aunts have battled the disease and one of them beat it twice.
"I could honor my aunts and honor an aunt I never met and just everybody who's had just cancer in general. It's something that sucks in life. And if I could even try to help find a cure. I know it's not much, but just to know that maybe later down the road they do find something, I can know that I tried," Schinkowitch said.
Last year he raised just over $500 and this year, the display has only been open for three nights and he has already raised $150.
"That's awesome. I couldn't ask for better," Schinkowitch said.
J.J. thinks back to Halloween last year when over 1,000 people came to see the display.
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"That was so cool to see. I mean, that was like a dream come true. The neighborhood was together. It was awesome," Schinkowitch said.
But of course – why stop there?
"There's always next year to go bigger if we want to," Schinkowitch said.
Those who want to support J.J.'s breast cancer awareness fund can donate through Venmo and follow the display's Facebook page to see photos of the setup.
Portions of this article were formatted using A.I. FOX6’s Ben Hanson and an editor reviewed it for accuracy and tone prior to publishing.
The Source: Information in this story was gathered from J.J. Schinkowitch.