For the Love of Halloween... and the Neighborhood
/Halloween was just two weeks ago, and already we’ve been thrust headlong into the big holiday season. For some folks, however, Halloween IS the big season. We have neighbors who have embraced this holiday to the hilt, for the benefit of our entire community. We walk by their house every day on our morning walk, and each October, we watch expectantly as the Halloween scene grows and grows. I was interested to find out what motivates this couple to produce such elaborate displays each October. I had a chance to catch up with Mark and Alicia this past weekend to find out what it is about Halloween that ‘floats their boat’.
Mark & Alicia at their front doorstep. Dracula is Mark’s favorite of all.
Mark’s favorite… a very large vampire bat hangs above their front door.
Even approaching their house is a walk into the sublime. We sat to chat at a little wrought iron ice cream table just beside their driveway cum graveyard. My first question was ‘why’? Alicia explained that the couple had lived in the neighborhood for ~10 years. They were all supplied with candy and ready for trick-or-treaters those first years, but very few kids came. Mark thought that maybe if he decorated a little, more kids would show up. They did, but not many. What if he did a bit more? A few more people came. Then, as he admits, Halloween decorating became (and remains) an obsession, and now his displays attract 200+ neighbors on Halloween night.
The transition from driveway to graveyard and day to night is awesome!
Mark reminisced fondly about family Halloween parties as a kid and in his teens. Friends, family, neighbors… their family home burst with people. People brought potluck meals. Music played. People danced and sang. Everyone joined in, and everyone had fun. He went on to explain that other big holidays, Thanksgiving and Christmas, are ‘family’ holidays. “It’s cold out. People stay inside more. Folks make plans to get away or host other family members. Halloween is a community event… parties, neighborhood treat-or-treating, get-togethers with friends. It’s fun to be outside.” That’s what he’s been aiming for. Alicia gladly goes along with it, although her passion is hardly matched by Mark’s.
His imagination and mindfulness are evident in his elaborate displays. When he’s conjuring up in his mind’s eye all the displays, he strives for a good mix of scary and spooky delight… not blood and gore, but not too kiddish or cutesy either.. no Barney! He spends time developing themes… lighting, music, backgrounds, accessories. “Presentation is so important and plays a big role in the overall experience.”
Lush and flush with ghoulies and ghosties and long-leggity beasties
Sometimes, even once the displays are up, he takes a look and decides it needs enhancement. This year, for instance, he took a look at his new 15’ crow and decided he needed more all along the street. Thanks to Home Depot, he had them in time for the big holiday.
Each year, he keeps expanding — more elaborate displays and more yards. One year, he asked a neighbor if he could put something in their yard, and the neighbor was glad to oblige. The next year, he expanded to another yard or two. Now, neighbors come to him and ask if he’ll decorate their yards as well. This year, more than a dozen neighbors had Mark’s Halloween displays adorning their yards. They even closed the street (a cul-de-sac) to traffic to make it easier and safer for folks and kids to walk around and take it all in. Mark and Alicia and their friends, sat outside their house till well after midnight, enjoying a blazing bonfire (firepit) and just enjoying the night.
On Halloween night, we walked down to look at the displays. Their cement driveway had been transformed. Eerie lighting, dense fog, and animated displays added to the ambiance. Mark was a bit flustered. He always manages to get it all together, but there are always delays. This year, the wind knocked some of the big guys down (poor werewolf), and some of the displays he ordered did not arrive till the last minute.
At night, their driveway becomes a graveyard.
I wondered where he got all of his ‘creatures’. Interestingly, he has attended the TransWorld Halloween convention in St. Louis for the past couple of years. Many of the displays are custom-made to order, like his witch and cauldron, new this year. Other decorations are purchased from The Home Depot.
The witch and cauldron were new this year.
People stopped by, chatted with another, got to know neighbors they perhaps hadn’t met before. Some neighbors sat out on lawn chairs, welcomed passersby, and offered snacks to adults and kids alike. It was a festive, friendly atmosphere. Mark was moved that people took the time to seek him out and thank him for making Halloween such a fun neighborhood event.
“How many man-hours does it take to do this?” I queried.
“Wow, I’m not sure, but well over 200 man-hours at least.”
I asked if he plans to continue to expand. Without hesitation, he responded, “Definitely!”
I overheard an onlooker on Halloween night ask Mark why he doesn’t promote his Halloween extravaganza via the local news stations. “We’d be overwhelmed by crowds, and I don’t want that. We do this for our community. It’s my passion,” was his answer.
What a gift Mark and Alicia give to our neighborhood. Thank you!