Salem ties and scare vibes: Halloween passion powers Orange Park homeowner’s spooky and educational attraction

With Halloween just two days away, one Orange Park homeowner is putting the finishing touches on a spooky — and surprisingly educational — front-yard attraction that’s become a neighborhood tradition.Matt McCary calls it “Bearadise,” a free, walk-through Halloween display built along a paved pathway. Visitors enter through a homemade archway into a makeshift graveyard filled with DIY tombstones, towering skeletons, webs overhead and hundreds of feet of lights. Hidden speakers, sound effects and fog machines help set the tone for Halloween.McCary said the project started small.“So this started as a little pet project in 2019 with just a couple bales of hay and a pumpkin as a little Halloween display,” McCary told News4JAX.McCary said the display grew quickly after 2020, when families were looking for safe, local ways to have fun.Now, he estimates the setup spans nearly 5,000 square feet and draws about 250 trick-or-treaters each year.“It’s awesome,” McCary said. “Even in the summer, you