ORO VALLEY, Ariz. (KGUN) — It's been 23 years since Keith and Jenny Stewart began Tomb Town and the Terror Trail, 8343 N Wanda Rd., in their half-acre front yard. And it's grown steadily over that time.
It's open Monday, Oct. 30 and Tuesday, Oct. 31 from 5-10 p.m.
"The cars were all the way down to the next cross street and down (the other) way too," Keith said, recalling past years.
This Halloween event features hand-built spooky structures, animatronics, live actors and much more. Two of the actors this year have come to Tomb Town since they were kids.
The Stewarts began setting up the haunted trail in mid-August so they'd be ready by the holiday. They say neighbors are fully supportive of their efforts because it brings community members together.
“People could hear screams from several blocks away sometimes," Jenny said, chuckling. "But they put up with us.”
Jenny wasn’t always this excited for Halloween, but had a change of heart when she started dating fright fanatic Keith 42 years ago.
Keith found his love of scaring when he and his friends hosted a neighborhood walk-through the event as a teenager, but it was on a much smaller scale.
He charged 10 cents per person, making $18 before the night was over.
To enter Tomb Town, it's $1 per person, but the Stewarts don't keep the money — all proceeds go directly to the Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona.
Last year they raised almost $6,000.
“You can never expect the same trail. We change it every year," Keith explained.
"We have people that have been coming for years and they’re like “Oh, that’s new.” And I’m like, “What? That’s like 15-20 years old,"" Jenny added.
"But there are so many things to look at that they just didn’t look in that direction.”
The Stewarts suggest children and those faint of heart come before it gets too dark and stay on the less scary driveway portion of the event.
Mikenzie Hammel joined the KGUN 9 team as a multimedia journalist in the summer of 2023. She graduated from Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism with her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees. With her passion for human connection and visual storytelling, Mikenzie is honored to share the stories of Tucson and southeastern Arizona. Share your story ideas and important issues with Mikenzie by emailing mikenzie.hammel@kgun9.com.
