Matthew Sanders has it all mapped out. Where it’s going to go. What will change from the previous year and what songs the lights will dance to.

Sanders, who lives at 702 N. Third St., doesn’t just prepare for Halloween, he puts up a yard display that is unmatched for everyone to swing by to see and listen to.

Sanders and Brenda Rowley’s decorations have been legendary with their “3rd Street Light Show” that choreographed matching holiday Halloween music that can be heard on FM radio at 88.7.

To get the spooky show, people can come by and dance to the tunes from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Sunday through Thursday. The display is on from 6:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.

-Messenger photo by Britt Kudla
skeletons occupy a graveyard in the Halloween display at 702 N. Third St.

“We started the week of Labor Day and used the weekends setting stuff up,” Rowley said. “We wanted to be ready by Oct. 1, so we spent nights after work designing.

“We try to have everything ready because it takes a couple of weeks to program.”

Over 50,000 lights brighten the dark night sky and when Christmas rolls around over 80,000 LED lights brighten everyone’s holiday spirits.

Lights have been on display since 2008 when Sanders moved to the property. The light display began five years ago.

The desire to share his love of decorations started while he was growing up in Dayton; his family loved to decorate their home and yard for the community’s annual holiday contest.

-Messenger photo by Britt Kudla
Weird and wicked creatures enhance the Halloween display at 702 N. Third St.

Every year the display changes. New pieces get added and familiar pieces may get moved around.

“We’ve moved a few things around this year,” Sanders said. “We have a shark on the corner, a pirate ship and octopus. We have two 12 foot skeletons.

“We added a lot more animatronics for the light show and some new songs. The whole yard is packed.”

In the porch are figures of Jason, Freddie Kruger, Pennywise and Michael Myers.

Sanders’ displays aren’t just the holiday decorations you pick up at a box store; they are hand-designed and created by Sanders.

-Messenger photo by Britt Kudla
More skeletons gather around a fire in the Halloween display at 702 N. Third St.

“Growing up my dad was a repair man,” Sanders said. “I went back to school for computer networking and got computer knowledge. I took computer networking and had a lot of electrical classes and over the years have done a ton of new stuff.”

The bug for lights and the holidays has always been with Sanders, who also likes working with his hands.

“Matt has always set up for Christmas with his dad in high school,” Rowley said. “He built it with plywood and used to have to push the lights in with incandescent lights.”

It isn’t just about hanging lights on designs, it takes programming, soldering and choreography to get everything to synchronize together and make the displays stand at attention.

Putting the light program together takes some time and skill to get everything to go as planned.

“I create all the stuff and there is a lot of soldering involved,” Sanders said. “There are many controllers that go with the pieces.

“I have a three dimensional map of the yard. We buy a specific song and then have to map it out to the lights.”

The weather does have an effect on some of the displays, as rain can alter the animatronics and warm sunny days can also hamper the pieces, Sanders said.

Sanders and Rowley love to share their displays for Halloween and Christmas, sharing the lights with passers by. Christmas used to be the big highlight, but things have changed.

“Christmas used to be the biggest display, but Halloween blew up,” Rowley said. “We put lights on everything, and have tombstones in the yard.

“We put new things in so it isn’t the same old boring thing.”

Sanders and Rowley are usually around during the nights, so they can adjust things or talk to people.

“We go outside and talk to people,” Rowley said. “We love having the little kids come by, especially ones that are scared and just want to show them they’re just toys.

“We always have positive feedback. People really like it and they give us thank yous and people will yell on their way by.”

The lights on the house are always on the house, so during the Fourth of July and Memorial Day the two will turn the lights on.

“We will dress up the skeletons for every season,” Sanders said. “We always have the lights on outside of the house.”