Haunted Path in Irwin: Fascination with Halloween helps feed the needy

An Irwin man, whose lifelong fascination with Halloween started when he was a youngster, spent two months and thousands of dollars to create a haunted audiovisual experience in his backyard.

The creator of the unique experience, called the Haunted Path, is Jesse Vargo, 38, who worked with his husband, Nick Costanzo, to bring the ideas to reality.

The extensive display, in the rear of his apartment building at 515 Sixth St., started taking form in August. Vargo noted that spreading the scenes across the backyard is easier because his grandparents are his landlords.

Visitors walk the path and encounter spooky holograms, videos and animatronics, including a 12-foot vampire that greets people at the driveway. The scenes feature dragons, bats, witches, clowns, a wizard and a pirate on a ship’s bow. Protected under three tents, many characters are inspired by film characters, such as Chucky and his bride, Art the Clown from the movie “Terrifier,” and a pirate character similar to those in “Pirates of the Caribbean.” A cemetery is also included.

“For the most part, it’s my crazy ideas … but everybody in the apartment complex and the neighbors have contributed,” Vargo said. “We’ve been doing it for more than eight years. Every year, we try to do it bigger.

“I’ve always loved Halloween,” said Vargo, a home health nurse. “We do it for the community. They can take time to enjoy something.”

Donations benefit nonprofit

The walk-through is free to experience, but Vargo is accepting donations for Feeding the Spirit, a Southwest Greensburg-based nonprofit he selected after researching local organizations.

Executive Director Deb Thackrah, who founded the organization in 2011, expressed her gratitude.

“We’re so very grateful. It’s a really nice thing that he is doing. He’s helping us to survive,” she said. Feeding the Spirit typically distributes 300 to 350 free meals to the needy each week, including a free meal Thursday at Otterbein United Methodist Church in Greensburg.

“We’re really working hard to have a legacy and sustainability,” she said.

Vargo already has received more than $100 in donations.

Sherry Kimmell, an apartment resident, said the children who go through the display really enjoy it.

“It’s so much fun,” Kimmell said.

If you go

The haunting walk-through will be open from 6 to 10 p.m. Friday and 8 to 10 p.m. Saturday.

Vargo said he has been building the displays for more than eight years, always striving to make them bigger than the previous year. He is already planning for next year, including a trip to a horror convention in Ohio to stock up on more animatronics for his storage unit.

“It’s the impact you have on others that matters,” Vargo said. “It’s for kids to enjoy.”