My friend Daymon Ward is slightly obsessed with Halloween. Just drive by his house on Thruston Dermont Road here in Owensboro and you'll see exactly what I am talking about. The front yard is a virtual graveyard of everything you love (and possibly fear) about Halloween.

There are giant skeletons!

Chad Benefield
Chad Benefield
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By the way, look closely. Notice those eyes?

Chad Benefield
Chad Benefield
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They rather eerily follow you around the entire yard. Big, Gaunt Brother is watching.

Speaking of that yard, there are also massive, leaping spiders in it!

Chad Benefield
Chad Benefield
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That thing in the photo jumped out at me when I wasn't expecting it and I let some massive curse words fly out of mouth because it scared the holy crap out of me.  LOL!

There are some other rather terrifying ghosts, goblins and ghouls in the yard as well.

Chad Benefield
Chad Benefield
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Chad Benefield
Chad Benefield
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Here's one of my favorites!

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Chad Benefield
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And this year, for the first time, Daymon is showing off his latest "haunted" attraction. He constructed a roller coaster.  No, I'm not kidding! He has spent the last few months building the Krypt Koaster, which is basically a coffin that rolls along approximately 100 feet of freshly-built track. Yes, Daymon built the track too, as if he was assembling a sort of train to Hell.

And this is a coaster that you can actually ride. I got a sneak preview and test ride over the weekend.

Chad Benefield
Chad Benefield
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The Krypt Koaster is expected to be fully operational and open to the public this weekend. It's big debut will be Friday, October 7th and you and the kids are invited to ride it.

The Krypt Koaster will begin at the feet of this guy!

Chad Benefield
Chad Benefield
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Once it leaves its "boarding station", the coaster makes its way across Deadwood Manor!

Karla Ward
Karla Ward
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From there, the track runs along Daymon's Halloween display toward a tent of terror.

Karla Ward
Karla Ward
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That tent is loaded up with some of the spookiest clowns this side of Pennywise.

Chad Benefield
Chad Benefield
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Here's just a sample of what you'll see inside if you decide you're brave enough to ride the Krypt Koaster!

Chad Benefield
Chad Benefield
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Chad Benefield
Chad Benefield
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Chad Benefield
Chad Benefield
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Chad Benefield
Chad Benefield
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The tent's also home to some other spooky inhabitants.

Chad Benefield
Chad Benefield
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And the Krypt Koaster ends its journey and comes to a stop here!

Chad Benefield
Chad Benefield
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Daymon's wife Karla (I am pretty sure he's assigned her the role of "official spokesperson") joined my morning show to chat about the coaster.

 

The Krypt Koaster will be operational 7pm to 10pm Fridays and Saturdays. Of course, you're invited to stop by any day of the week if you just want to tour the yard. It is a virtual theme park for Halloween lovers and everyone is invited to come check it out.

And while all of Daymon's critters and creatures were scary enough during the day, his yard, which he's indeed calling Deadwood Manor, is even more spooky at night.

Here are a couple of photos to give you an idea what to expect.

Karla Ward
Karla Ward
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As you can see, there's a fog hovering over the top of the yard. That's thanks to the four fog machines Daymon has built into his display.

Chad Benefield
Chad Benefield
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That horse and buggy offer up a great daytime photo opportunity as well.

Chad Benefield
Chad Benefield
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As much as there is to enjoy in the Ward's yard this year, there's no doubt though that the highlight of Deadwood Manor is going to be the Krypt Koaster. Daymon has been working on it since March and it's just about ready to roll (pun intended).

You can visit Deadwood Manor at 4661 Thruston Dermont Road in Owensboro.

Admission to Deadwood Manor and rides on the Krypt Koaster are FREE! Daymon's wife, Karla (who says this is "all Daymon" and she's just along for the ride) is the Executive Director at New Beginnings here in town. New Beginnings is accepting donations if you'd like to contribute. But, again, that is completely optional.

Happy Halloween from Deadwood Manor!

LOOK: How Halloween has changed in the past 100 years

Stacker compiled a list of ways that Halloween has changed over the last 100 years, from how we celebrate it on the day to the costumes we wear trick-or-treating. We’ve included events, inventions, and trends that changed the ways that Halloween was celebrated over time. Many of these traditions were phased out over time. But just like fake blood in a carpet, every bit of Halloween’s history left an impression we can see traces of today.

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