ALPINE TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WOOD) (WOOD) — After being hit by a tornado last summer, one Halloween haunting ground near Grand Rapids is back and will open for the season Thursday.
The Haunting of Storybook Hollow is a haunted trail through the backyard of a home in Alpine Township. Jennifer Dunahee works throughout the year to get every skeleton and pumpkin lined up throughout her backyard. The displays follow the theme of a storybook graveyard with characters from fairytales like Snow White and Cinderella and classics like “Peter Pan and “Alice in Wonderland.”
This is the latest the display has ever opened and it is in part due to damage to the decorations caused by a tornado in August 2023.
“When we first came out after the tornado hit, you couldn’t see anything under the trees, so we had no idea what the extent of the damage was,” Dunahee said. “Everything was just hanging upside down and it was pretty devastating.”
Though the tornado destroyed half of her decorations, the display at 4970 Biddeford Drive NW in Comstock Park was able to open last year after Dunahee improvised.
“It took until like the end of September to get everything cleaned out,” Dunahee said. “So it was just like a rush to get everything done. And then this year, I wanted to make it look the way I originally intended it to look.”
The Haunting of Storybook Hollow Halloween display at the Dunahee home in Alpine Township. (Oct. 24, 2024) 
The Haunting of Storybook Hollow Halloween display at the Dunahee home in Alpine Township. (Oct. 24, 2024) 
The Haunting of Storybook Hollow Halloween display at the Dunahee home in Alpine Township. (Oct. 24, 2024) 
The Haunting of Storybook Hollow Halloween display at the Dunahee home in Alpine Township. (Oct. 24, 2024) 
The Haunting of Storybook Hollow Halloween display at the Dunahee home in Alpine Township. (Oct. 24, 2024)
She was able to restore a lot of the decorations and add a new section full of haunted books. The trail is free but donations are welcome. Those all go to the Humane Society of West Michigan.
Dunahee, who has been creating Halloween displays since she was 11, said she is excited for this year’s display to open to the public. You might recognize some of the artwork in her display — Twigg the Forest Dragon and Serpentina the Dragon — from ArtPrize, which she and her sister participate in each year. The display was also featured on “The Great Halloween Fright Fight” last year.
“It’s kind of fun and it’s cool to see everybody come, and I like to see the little wonder in people’s eyes and stuff like that. It’s just a lot of fun,” Dunahee said.
The Halloween excitement spread throughout the community, with her son down the street setting up his own display. Other neighbors are hosting their final display after doing one annually for 25 years.
Due to some complications with parking last year, Dunahee said some neighbors have offered up their yards for parking and a local park down the street will be open, too. You can check the display’s Facebook page for updates, as well as dates and times it will be open. The first night is on Thursday starting at 7 p.m.