LIVINGSTON COUNTY, KY — A witch, a Minion, and a certain country music star: You can see them all in one place, all month long. There's a fun and safe way to get into the Halloween spirit in Livingston County.
Bayou Bluff Bales, at 741 McMurray Road in Smithland, features straw and hay bales decorated by the Williams family. The designs include Halloween monsters, movie characters (like the Minions), and even faces from popular culture, like Doll-hay Parton.
The public is welcome to drive through the property from sunrise to sunset, seven days a week, now through Nov. 2.
"If you're looking for something to celebrate Halloween with — coincidentally, Halloween this year is on Saturday — we welcome visitors," said Sonya Williams, who is also the Livingston County clerk. "Obviously, our hay bales are more than 6 feet apart, so we're definitely following the COVID guidelines. So we'd love for everybody to come out and just make some family memories."
Visitors also have the option to make monetary or canned food donations once they reach the shack at the curve of the driveway. All donations will go to the Livingston County Helping Hands food pantry.
Because Bayou Bluff Bales first opened to the public on Oct. 2, the Williams family has already collected 255 cans of food and $564 as of Thursday. But even those who can't afford to make donations are still more than welcome.
"Just come out here and enjoy it," said Sonya's husband, Michael Williams. "Raising money and getting food for some of the needy people in the county is just a bonus."
Michael, Sonya, and their sons, Ty and Drew, all worked together to decorate the bales. They received the bales from their neighbors, Jeff and Patty McGrew. In addition, Lowe's and Hank Brothers True Value Hardware donated dozens of cans of spray paint.
"They all helped spray paint this year," said Michael. "And we just used tractors to move the hay bales around. And they actually helped drive the tractors this year a little bit."
This is the second year the Williams family is hosting Bayou Bluff Bales. Sonya said there's something for everyone.
"We do try to relate to different age groups," Sonya said "We try to hit kids, middle-age people, and older people as well. We definitely do research on the internet and see what other people have created. Obviously, you want to keep people coming back. You always want to keep it fresh."
One of the family's favorite displays is a 15-foot Statue of Liberty, made up of three stacked bales and featuring a spray-painted American flag to honor those who've served.
"I'm very, very, very proud of my husband. He worked very hard on this particular hay bale," said Sonya. It just means a lot to us. Like I said, our fathers are veterans, our grandfathers are veterans. People really do put their lives on the line every day for our freedom."
Ty, who helped spray paint that display, is proud of the finished product.
"I look at it and I just think, like, we did that, you know? I think it's actually really cool how we can do that," said Ty.
But for the family, one of the best parts is just seeing the reaction from visitors.
"When we stand here on our front porch and we see toddlers jump out of their car and run to those hay bales, it really makes it all worth it," said Sonya.
During last year's Bayou Bluff Bales, the Williams family collected 502 cans of food and raised $1,155.55 for Livingston County Helping Hands.
Bayou Bluff Bales is part of the Livingston County Bale Trail, which features locations throughout the county that have decorated hay bales. To learn more about the other locations, visit the Livingston County Bale Trail Facebook page.
Michael said many of the bales are straw bales that their neighbors will reuse or sell to landscaping companies.
