ST. CLAIR SHORES, Mich. (WXYZ) — A St. Clair Shores family has transformed their front yard into a spooky Ford Field, complete with tombstones marking every team the Detroit Lions have beaten so far this season.
Watch Carli Petrus' video report below:
Chad Latta created the elaborate Lions-themed Halloween display on Bon Brae Street with one simple goal: to make others smile.
"With all the negativity going on, I was like, let's just do something fun and let's put it all together with Lions things and mix it with Halloween, and that's kind of what we came up with," Latta said.
The display features intricate details that Lions fans will appreciate, including a casket table for commentators, tombstones for defeated teams, and even a figure of head coach Dan Campbell with one of his dogs.
"Jokingly, it's so expensive to go to a game now, so we thought we would just bring the game to the neighborhood," Latta said.
The Latta family even created a spot for former Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, who now serves as head coach for NFC rivals the Chicago Bears.
"People that know it, they're going to know the little details that we put in, and that's what we were trying to go for," Latta said.
Neighbors have embraced the creative display. Debbie, who walks her grandson through the neighborhood daily, said seeing the display makes her happy.
"Go Lions," Debbie said. "It makes me so happy."
Marie Tassin, who lives across the street, looks forward to the Latta family's displays every year.
"It brings a lot of people out, we get to meet people coming by with their dogs and their children, it's beautiful," Tassin said.
For Latta, the hours of work are especially meaningful because of how much joy the display brings his 14-year-old son, who has autism and recently developed an interest in sports.
"My son just started getting into sports, and I never thought that moment would happen. I actually got to take him to a Red Wings preseason game; it was the best moment of my life. To get to sit with my son, my boss gave me some tickets to go, and I never thought he would be into sports like that, and it's just, now it just keeps going like I said, he watches the Lions, he wants to know the score, did we beat them, and he gets upset if they don't win. He's just an emotional kid, but he loves this stuff, so that's why I keep doing it," Latta said.
Typically, Latta takes down his displays about a week after Halloween. However, if the Lions keep winning, he might keep this one up and add more tombstones to the makeshift graveyard.
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