The Bone Yard: Legendary Local Haunt Offers Bone Chilling Fun

For the past 22 years Doug and Donna Carvelli have been scaring the hell out of their neighbors by populating their front lawn at 5407 W. 97th St. with skeletons, coffins, tombstones, werewolves and what looks like a convention for the Insane Clown Posse.

Located down 97th Street from the Midnight Terror House, where Justin Cerniuk got his start as an eight-year-old helping the Carvellis scare visiting trick-or-treaters, ‘The Bone Yard’ is legendary among south suburban yard haunts.

As you move about their yard, their light-up jack-o-lanterns featuring the faces of Freddy, Jason, Chucky, Michael Meyers and Leatherface, whose eyes follow visitors around the front yard.

A garbage can opens and closes but whatever is inside of it is definitely not Oscar the Grouch. Actors come out on weekends to scare people.

There is a lot to take in and Carvellis are likely to be outside greeting visitors on weekend nights. Rumor has it that they give out some pretty decent candy on Halloween.

After you’ve toured the Psyche Ward at Midnight Terror House (5755 W. 97th St.), stop by to visit the house that inspired it all – Oak Lawn’s own Bone Yard.

The Bone Yard, located at 5407 W. 97th St., is fully animated from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays; on weeknights the display is illuminated, through Halloween.

Do you know of a good Halloween yard display? Perhaps an old favorite or a rising star that gets better year after year. Let us know at Patch, by emailing lorraine.swanson@patch.com.

We’ll stop by and take some photos, but we won’t go through your haunted house.

Al, Judy and Liberace

We made a simple announcement about a community meeting in Monday’s ‘Week Ahead’ and all the boogeymen came out. If you have a life outside of village politics, then you don’t want to miss “Reminiscing With Larry” at the Oak Lawn Library.

Larry Bergnach is one of our favorite Oak Lawn residents and knows everything about the Golden Age of Television, the Big Band-era, the Chicago Bears and the old Riverview Amusement Park that was the Six Flaggs of its day and probably a lot more fun and dangerous.

His performances include lots of audience interaction, singing and dancing. Larry will be bringing his records while reminiscing about the personal and entertainment lives of Al Jolson, Judy Garland and Liberace.

According to one testimonial on Larry’s website from Nancy Pollard, master gardner:

"Larry made every age group feel connected to the era of the Big Dance Bands, Old Time Radio and Riverview Park."

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