YORK COUNTY, Pa. — On a quiet country road in North Hopewell Township, the Fregm family has embraced the Halloween spirit, turning their front yard into a boneyard.
Every night the skeletons in their yard come to life, creating various scenes of the undead participating in lively activities, with the added help of some fleshier friends.
“This is the first year we’ve done it,” said 7-year-old Cole Fregm.
But what began as a lighthearted Halloween project has blossomed into a cherished family tradition.
“The kids get involved, and we all do it together, and they laugh,” said Cole’s mother Ronay Fregm.
She shared that the tradition was started by her husband Matt Fregm because their kids love Halloween, especially Cole. After the first two displays it didn’t take long for the rest of the family to get on board with the idea and create new skeleton schemes.
The family bought their first two skeletons this year, but in just a few months their collection has grown, including ultra-posable skeletons, skeleton animals, skeletons with light-up eyes and even some that came as a birthday present for Matt.
“My mom got him two, and then I got him one, and then the giant skeleton came—it’s just grown from there,” Ronay explained.
Each new addition receives its own unique name, thanks to the couple’s four kids. A few of the skeletons in the current collection include Burnt Bill, Taylor Swift, and Felicia according to 11-year-old Briar Fregm.
The time spent with the skeletons and each other has become a way for the family to bond, both the living and the undead.
Mason Fregm explained that the family must work as a team to make some of the poses possible. But since this is the family’s first time taking on this project, there’s still a lot of trial and error.
“One time [the skeletons] fell off the roof and broke…they weren’t zip-tied at all. They just rolled off,” Mason said with a laugh.
And while sticks and stones may not break bones, falling from a roof definitely will. However, the Fregms still find ways to incorporate the broken members of its bony family into their nightly displays. Some setups include a broken-off head from one of the skeletons. The family has repurposed it as a ball being played with, a severed head in a surgery scene or just hanging out with the rest of the bone-chilling crew.
As the family added to their skeleton collection and created more elaborate scenes members of the community began noticing the bony new locals. The positive feedback from community members pushed the family to create social media pages highlighting each new skeleton scheme, with more than 500 followers on their Facebook page.
Residents from all over South Central Pennsylvania make the trip to see the skeletons every day. Each car slows down to admire the antics of the skeletons and some honk to the family in support.
“I can’t believe how many are slowing down and looking—it makes them giggle and laugh too,” Ronay said.
Matt says their road being a major travel route for people is another reason the family continues to make funny scenes for the community.
“If you can make one person smile on their way to work, that’s cool,” Matt said.
Through their imaginative decorations, the Fregm family has not only created lasting memories but also expanded their family.
“They’re the bony Fregms now, so yeah, I don’t see us being without them,” Ronay said with a laugh.
Some members of the Fregm family teased a possible continuation of the tradition for other holidays throughout the year.
More information can be found on the Fregm's Facebook page to keep up with their latest skeleton scenes. The family asks that those coming to visit the skeletons be mindful of others living on the road, to avoid their neighbors from having a bone to pick with the festive decorations and the following they’ve generated.
You can check out more of the scenes the family has already created below:
For more information on Halloween celebrations across Central Pa., you can check out our guide here.