A mother has claimed her local council has tried to take the fun out of Halloween by fining her more than $100 a day for her spooky decorations.
In early October, Cherise Pfeifer began decorating her home for the spookiest day of the year by covering her home with handmade ghost figures and gravestones.
As part of her demonstration, the 42-year-old also created a ‘car crash’ scene on her front lawn using a real vehicle to recreate a collision, with a fake ‘corpse’ on the hood and Donald Trump’s head behind the wheel.
But after displaying the scene outside her home for three weeks, the Wisconsin-based Halloween enthusiast claimed she received a letter from her city council threatening to fine her for the car parked on her lawn.
Footage showed a blue sports car parked outside her home with Trump behind the wheel and President Biden in the passenger seat as his rival appeared to run over a mechanic.
A mother has claimed her city council tried to take the fun out of Halloween by fining her more than $100 a day for her spooky decorations
The mother of two says her “car crash” scene has been part of her Halloween tradition for three years and has never received a complaint about it before.
She claimed her neighborhood loved her decorations and people in the city traveled every year to see them.
Cherise explained, “I’ve been making crazy Halloween decorations in my house for ten years. I’m known around town for them and I make them all myself.
“About two years ago I did a car crash scene on the front of my house and taped everything up.
“Usually I put a skeleton as the driver, but this year I put Donald Trump and President Joe Biden as characters in my car.
‘[In the scene] they hit the body of a car mechanic that was made as if they were angry because they had not repaired the car properly.
‘Everyone loves them and everyone is very angry that I have to take it down. People said they loved coming to my house to look at my decorations.”
But after attempting to discuss the matter with the council, Cherise claimed she had no choice but to remove the car from her front yard to avoid a $122 daily fine.
In early October, Cherise Pfeifer started decorating her home for the spookiest day of the year by covering her home with handmade ghost figures and gravestones.
As part of her demonstration, the 42-year-old also created a ‘car crash’ scene on her front lawn using a real vehicle to recreate a collision, with a fake ‘corpse’ on the car.
In a letter, the Wausau City Council noted that the vehicle parked on her front lawn violated one of the city’s municipal codes, which the mother called “petty.”
Cherise, who bought her home 18 years ago, said the council simply “took the fun out of Halloween.”
“The council gave me until the 22nd to take them down, but when I called them they said they could find me any day because I knew now,” she said.
‘I think it’s stupid and I even told them that. I think they’re trying to take it away because I have nowhere to park my car, so I just park it in my front yard, but that’s not the case.
‘I have room for eight cars in my driveway and only three are parked there at the moment. It’s not like I can’t park it in my driveway. It’s a Halloween decoration.
“You’re such a cute fool.” That’s what I called [the council]. The car accident scene was there for two months last year. I feel 100 percent petty that I have to remove this.
“It’s a Halloween decoration. It’s gotten to the point where it seems like we can’t even decorate our own homes for the holidays or express ourselves. I own my house. I’ve done that for the last 18 years and I pay my property taxes.”
DailyMail.com has contacted the council for comment.
The Wausau City Council website states that parking vehicles on grass in the city is not permitted and they must be parked in existing driveways or paved parking lots.
Cherise argued that because the vehicle was parked on her front lawn, it did not violate the municipal city code.
In a letter, the Wausau City Council noted that the vehicle parked on her front lawn was a violation of one of the city’s municipal codes, which the mother called “petty.”
Photos showed a blue sports car parked outside her home with Trump behind the wheel and President Biden in the passenger seat as his rival appeared to run over a mechanic
Cherise is now trying to obtain a permit that will allow her to put the Oct. 31 car crash site back in front of her home.
‘A lot of people online are telling me to fight it and they’re angry about it. I’m going to figure out a way to put them back. “I don’t know if it’s partly political this year because of who I had in the car,” she said.
“The elections in this country are crazy right now and I have two of the people running against each other.
“If the inspectors didn’t like one of the people I put in the car, I saw them do that.
‘It doesn’t make sense for them to come after me this year and not the other years.
‘The majority of people online said this was absolutely ridiculous as they loved coming to see my decorations and this detracts from the enjoyment of it.
“I don’t know if they even have a Halloween permit.”
She noted that she wouldn’t let the community stop her from celebrating her favorite holiday.
Cherise added: “I’m definitely going to go faster next year. I’m even considering going faster this year since it’s not even Halloween yet. I’ve been thinking about putting a chair on my roof with a body on it.
“I might even get a big sign that says, ‘The city forced me to remove the car crash scene.’ I’m quite angry about it and it’s not something you would think would happen.’
But after showing the spooky car crash, the Wisconsin-based Halloween enthusiast claimed she received a letter from the city council threatening to fine her for it.
After sharing a post about her decorating complaint on Facebook, users were quick to discuss the issue
After sharing a post about her decorating complaint on Facebook, users were quick to discuss the issue.
While some people agreed with the council’s argument, others were quick to defend Cherise.
One user said, “And this is why people don’t do much holiday decorating anymore.
‘The car doesn’t hurt anyone. It’s just part of the theme of the decorations. Wausau sucks.”
Another added, “You CANNOT park a vehicle on your lawn in the city of Wausau. Read your quote… duh.”
A third commented: ‘Dudes, a total fun snatcher. It doesn’t hurt anyone. You clearly don’t have one [the car] there after the holidays. What bad sport.’
Someone else added: ‘The quote is regarding parking on the lawn. Not for decorations.’
A fifth said: ‘I had no idea it was illegal to park a car on YOUR OWN LAWN. How ridiculous. And people wonder why no one decorates anymore.’