By NEAL WAGNER / Managing Editor

ALABASTER – The weather hasn’t exactly been cooperating for the past few weeks, but Thompson High School junior Brady Talbert isn’t one to be deterred from his goal.

For the past few weeks, rain or shine, Talbert has been working furiously to continue a Halloween tradition at the Talbert household – Homemade Halloween decorations.

For the past six years, Talbert has spent countless hours imagining, planning and constructing from scratch Halloween decorations ranging from the Wizard of Oz to Jurassic Park.

The results have drawn hundreds of visitors to the Talberts’ house on Kensington Lane each Halloween night to take a journey through one-of-a-kind landscapes.

“This year, I decided at the beginning of October what I wanted to do, so it’s been a lot more hectic this year. But the finished product won’t look rushed,” Talbert said during an Oct. 28 interview as he took a short break from preparing for the holiday. “The weather has made things difficult, because it’s been so rainy and windy. But now that the weather has calmed down, I can start setting things up in the yard.”

This year, Talbert will transform his yard into a scene from the Disney movie “Haunted Mansion,” and will design the display to mimic the popular ride at Disney World.

“It’s not a typical haunted house. It won’t be scary, since it will be modeled after the Disney movie,” Talbert said. “I’ve learned to work around the weather, because it always seems like there’s a hurricane on Halloween every year.

“Last year, I didn’t really enjoy myself because I was constantly picking stuff up after it blew down,��� he added. “This year, I’ve made everything out of wood and plastic instead of cardboard. It’s going to be much sturdier.”

The centerpiece of the display is a handmade hearse carriage, and it will be surrounded by special-effect talking statues, a fence and the illusion of an overgrown haunted house.

Talbert said hundreds of visitors typically come to see his display each Halloween, and said he is expecting even more people this year beginning at about 5 p.m.

“Since I started doing this, it’s been my dream to have Halloween on a Saturday,” Talbert said. “So instead of rushing home from school and trying to set everything up, I will have all day to help me handle the little things.”