Residents Give Back Hauntingly
By Mike Lerchenfeldt
Nestled within Clinton Township lies a street that transforms itself every Halloween. Colman Street sheds its ordinary persona and explodes into a riot of spooky delights, aptly named “Chaos on Colman Street.” This community-driven event has become a beloved tradition, attracting families and thrill-seekers alike for a unique Halloween experience.
The masterminds behind the mayhem are a group of enthusiastic neighbors who dedicate months to planning and constructing elaborate Halloween displays. Their houses become haunted mansions, front yards morph into graveyards, and driveways are overrun with animatronic creatures. Fog machines churn, strobe lights flicker, and spooky music fills the air, creating an immersive and thrilling atmosphere.
“We started out as just a couple houses decorating,” said Jaclyn Gregory, Colman Street resident. “Through the years we have grown, and our displays have gotten more elaborate. Additional neighbors continue to decorate more annually.”
Chaos on Colman Street goes beyond just being a Halloween spectacle. It’s a testament to the power of community spirit. Residents collaborate, transforming their street into a collective masterpiece.
“We are committed to having our lights, animatronics and elaborate displays up and running throughout October, dusk to midnight,” Gregory said. “Clown actors are out mainly on the weekends and some weekdays, and can be seen roaming the block, but please know they are courteous to the youngsters.”
Gregory says each year they host a free kids event without clown actors and during daylight. They have multiple stations set up for the kids to visit, such as photo opportunities, games, crafts, goodie bags, and refreshments. Last year, they even had a DJ playing kids music, and Rainbow Elementary School allowed parking in their lot while Colman Street residents provided transportation between the school and their block via hayride. This year’s free kids event will be held on Saturday, October 19th.
As visitors come by to see the displays lit up yearly, Colman Street residents have been offered monetary donations to help decorate, but never accepted. Collectively, they had all agreed that they are not accepting donations because it is something they love to do. This gave them the idea of selecting a local nonprofit to assist financially.
Adding to the Chaos
Colman Street residents get donations from local businesses to put together gift baskets that they then raffle off to visitors for a great prize. Values of previous baskets have ranged from $800 – $2,000 each. This allows the event to serve a charitable purpose, adding a heartwarming layer to the spooky fun.
Gregory says the majority of daily donations to the selected nonprofit are generated from raffle ticket sales. Last year, Jamboozies Bar and Grill in Sterling Heights donated their venue and live band, Blender Detroit Rock and Roll, donated its time for a 21 and up fundraising event. Cover was charged at the door, the band went on at 8 PM, and several gift baskets were raffled. This year’s fundraising event will be held on Saturday, September 28.
The neighbors are always looking for businesses that are willing to donate. Monetary donations go directly to the selected nonprofit. All other forms of donations will be used to make gift baskets for raffle sales which also go directly to the selected nonprofit.
“We have raised about $54,000 over the past three years for selected nonprofit organizations – Crowns Against Cancer, The Butterfly Collective, and KnowResolve. This year’s selected nonprofit organization is Matthew’s Mighty Mission, which provides financial assistance to special needs families to access educational 1:1 programming,” Gregory added. We were just awarded a proclamation by Clinton Township for the charity work that we have done.”
Clinton Township even offers a spine-tingling, self-guided Halloween “Neighbor-Haunt” Tour with terrifying thrills that includes Chaos on Colman Street. There are multiple neighborhoods excellently decorated throughout Clinton Township that are put on a tour map.
Self Guided Tours
Local real estate agent Aaron Monzo runs the Macomb County Michigan Residents Group on Facebook and created a Halloween decoration map with his friend, Matt Belz. Over the years so many residents were asking which homes were decorated and where to take their kids. In 2020, no one had a map, nor did anything exist in an organized way to obtain the information.
“To help support the community and encourage free entertainment for families in our county, we put our heads together to take a more organized approach to support the communities we love,” Monzo said. “It started with the Halloween decoration map and due to all the incredible positive feedback, we agreed to make a Christmas decoration map annually, too! Each year we make a Google form for submissions in September, and then after we have some verified map participants, we post the map.”
More participants are added to the map as it gets closer to the holiday. Monzo and Belz also take tours of each city from the map and post pictures on Facebook to encourage participation from mid-September through Halloween.
“We believe it’s a fun, free self-guided tour map that allows residents of all ages to be entertained and discover their favorite local displays at their own pace,” Monzo said. “Our map provides the most accurate Halloween display information around Macomb County as the information is provided directly from residents for others to enjoy.”
Every year there seems to be new contenders to hold the top place from residents feedback. Visitors can explore specific neighborhoods brimming with chilling decorations. The St. Clair Shores Halloween Tour also embraces the spooky spirit with a self-guided adventure.
Monzo believes St. Clair Shores and Clinton Township residents have the most neighbors participating each year, and he thinks Macomb Township and Romeo residents have the best Halloween displays.
In Romeo, Halloween transforms Tillson Street into a must-visit spectacle known as “Terror on Tillson.” This free, family oriented event is not your typical haunt. Instead, residents unleash their creativity, turning their front yards into elaborate Halloween displays. Imagine towering pirate ships, fog-shrouded graveyards, costumed skeletons, and animatronic monsters. The weeks leading up to Halloween see the street teeming with visitors marveling at the displays. While trick-or-treating is restricted to Halloween night, venturing down Tillson Street throughout October guarantees a delightful dose of Halloween spirit.
All of these fun traditions are sure to leave you with a smile (or a scream!). Don your bravest costume and prepare for a chilling adventure! But no worries on seeing it all, here in Macomb we celebrate Halloween all month long and in almost all neighborhoods.
