Faces of Utah Valley is Provo.com's series about the people who make this valley what it is. This nomination came from a neighbor.
In 2020, Halloween fell in the middle of COVID, and Gary Gibb wanted a way to give out candy without handing it to anyone.
So he and a neighbor built a pirate ship on his front porch, with a cannon to slide the candy down to trick-or-treaters. "It was fun," Gibb said, "so I expanded the next year and added more every year."
Six years later, the porch ship is the anchor of a whole shipwreck cove in his American Fork front yard: wreckage from several ships, a mast and sail, a giant Kraken, and, as of last year, pirates that move. This year a few of them are walking the plank.
"He really puts everything into this," the neighbor who nominated him wrote to Provo.com. "More people deserve to know about this than just our neighbors."
So here it is.
| Where | 1437 N. 20 East, American Fork (a cul-de-sac) |
| When | Any time, day or evening, through Sun., Nov. 1, rain or shine |
| Lights | Off by 10 p.m. |
| Halloween night | Trick-or-treaters welcome Sat., Oct. 31; the captain hands out candy |
| Cost | Free |
From one porch ship to shipwreck cove
The original ship is still there, and candy still comes down the cannon. Everything else has been built around it, one big idea a year.
"One year a huge mast and sail was added," Gibb said. "The next year it was a giant Kraken." Last year he started animating the pirates. This year he animated several more, added new lighting effects, put pirates on the plank and built a new Kraken.
What makes it unusual is where it comes from. Almost none of it came from a store.
"All of the materials are scavenged and original," Gibb said. "None of the display comes from a big box store, except for the individual skeletons." He spends most of the year collecting things and thinking up ideas, then starts building in September. His materials list, in his words: "Most everything is repurposed materials, a lot of spray paint, and more screws and zip-ties than you can imagine."
Cool, not scary
If you've got little ones who hide behind your legs at the haunted-house aisle, this is a safe bet.
"The whole thing is meant to be cool, not scary," Gibb said. "So, it's fun for small children or for bigger ones and adults." It isn't a walk-through, and nothing jumps out. You stand on the sidewalk, look at the ship and the skeleton crew, and, as he put it, "enjoy your own pirate story."
On Halloween night, the captain comes out. "It's not interactive, except for when I am the pirate captain handing out candy on Halloween," he said.
"It's all for the kids"
Gibb didn't want this to be about him. When we asked about his background, he told us to leave it out. "Just include that it's all for the kids," he said.
The kids seem to agree. "Nearly every day in October when school lets out, the neighborhood shows up to see what is new and to help with the display," he said.
That's the part that won't show up in photos: a street full of kids who spend October helping a neighbor build a pirate cove, and a neighbor who lets them.
More from the cove
Photos: Gary and Julie Gibb.
How to visit (and be a good guest)
Gary and Julie Gibb say anyone is welcome. A few requests:
- Drive by slowly or park and walk up. Either is fine.
- Don't park in front of the house, so everyone gets a clear view.
- Watch for small children. It's a cul-de-sac.
- Stay on the sidewalk and don't touch. It's handmade, it's taken six years, and some of it moves.
- Come before 10 p.m. That's when the lights go off.
- Last chance is Sunday, Nov. 1. It's up rain or shine until then.
If you're making a night of it, our Halloween 2026 calendar has every dated event in the valley through Saturday, and our guide to trick-or-treat hours by city covers when neighborhoods get going.
Know a neighbor like this?
The best things in Utah Valley usually aren't on a tourism map. They're on a cul-de-sac in American Fork or in a school cafeteria in Orem, like the Harry Potter Breakfast Games our first Faces of Utah Valley profile was about. If you know someone who deserves to be seen, tell us about them.
Related on Provo.com
- Halloween 2026 in Utah Valley: every dated event
- Trick-or-treat hours by city
- Trunk-or-treats and little-kid Halloween in Utah Valley
- Things to do in American Fork
- Living in American Fork
