Humerus Halloween Display Delights Highland Park Families

HIGHLAND PARK, IL — Surrounded by nature in a quiet Highland Park neighborhood, a delightfully spooky scene has inspired joy in the surrounding community.

Along a stretch of the Green Bay Trail behind her house at 1356 St. John's Ave., Kitty Fishman's imagination comes alive through the dead. At the beginning of October, Kitty and her family work together to set up several plastic skeletons to help set the mood for the spooky season.

It started in 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic forced families indoors and put holidays like Halloween in danger. Kitty's neighbor, Emily Leach, suggested that the people living along the trail decorate it and provide a safe way for kids to still enjoy the holiday because they couldn't safely go door-to-door.

The tradition has continued ever since, with Kitty's skeleton display growing from just five skeletons to dozens engaged in various activities. Today, visitors can see a deadly serious game of UNO, a skeleton reading up on its own anatomy and a bone chilling scene of a groom on the run.

"Kitty's all about the details. The book is great, it's about the human body, but when you look closer, what page is it open to? The skeleton," Kitty's husband, Ross Fishman said.

The whimsical boneyard attracts a fair amount of visitors all month long, including a high school cross-country team that feigns terror as they pass by, nannies, bikers and little Jesse from a couple doors down. Jesse's mother, Sophia Rowe, said her son must visit 10 times a day, and each time his favorite skeleton changes.

Today, his favorite was the tall skeleton with headphones jamming out to family-friendly Halloween tunes, but he's also partial to the barbecue set up that mysteriously gets more plentiful as the neighborhood pitches in their own plastic toys.

That happens often, Kitty says. She'll set out her lovingly crafted displays only to find her neighbors showing love right back. For example, in front of a small tombstone, a neighbor set out a display of silk flowers to pay their respects.

In all the years that Kitty and her family have set up the "Humerus Halloween," they've never lost a single item, only gaining additional items and community with their neighbors.

"I think that says something wonderful about our community — people appreciate it and treat it with total respect," Kitty said.

After their four children outgrew their years of trick-or-treating, Kitty's passion for arts and crafts and professional costuming experience naturally took a different turn. Gone were the days of one-of-a-kind, hand made costumes as Kitty poured her creativity into fostering an experience for the kids in her neighborhood.

Inspiration strikes, Kitty said, in the aisles at Goodwill. As her collection of skeletons grows, her imagination runs wild thinking of different displays she can add to the trail.

A labor of love, Ross and all of the Fishman children enjoy supporting the ongoing project. With Ross, feigning annoyance but also obviously endeared, in charge of taking out and putting away supplies, and the children picking up items as they see them throughout the year.

One special item that is new this year, is a beautiful wedding gown that Kitty's daughter Elyssa bought for a bachelorette party that helped create a scene akin to Disney theme park attractions.

"It’s a lot of work to haul out (and later store) 50+ skeletons — our garage attic is packed with bins — but the laughter and smiles make it all worthwhile. I can hear the children giggling from the other side of the fence the entire month of October, and it absolutely warms my heart. That joy is what keeps me doing it every year," Kitty said.