Here is the setup for the cemetery this year. Ghosthost was the primary attraction, so I put him in the front, right as you walk down the path. It was truly annoying to have to keep turning over his tape. Next year, I will have a looping tape to solve the problem. He had a karaoke machine under his cloak. I pulled the patch cord out just a little so that he 'spoke' from the skull as well as the karaoke machine. He said the "I am your ghosthost" spiel from Disney's Haunted Mansion.
The columns were stored in the greenhouse during the off season- not good for their sticky parts! I had to divide up the remaining tongue so that both faces would have one this year. They also need a paint touchup.
This will probably be the last year for Fluffy. I didn't want to put him out this year, but the kids insisted- unless I can come up with something that pops out....
The front porch area was more sedate- a few pumpkins, the talking tombstone that recited Edgar A. Poe, and a very old scarecrow- more kid oriented. I did buy a few of the changing color fiber optic pumpkins and scarecrows this year. I thought they were cool.
The poor gargoyle worked well through halloween and the first of the 2 weekend kids parties. Something came dislodged during the last party ,however, and I had to unplug him. He was then a static prop.
Sometimes the little stuff gets them. The hand in the bushes made a couple kids walk real fast past : )
Nothing exciting with the Big Lots skellies yet- perhaps will corpse them next year.
Here is my new tombstone this year. I bought the wood applique at Michael's this year, and modeled it after a tombstone from Lothers Lair.
I drilled out the eye holes and mounted red x-mas lights behind it from the dollar store. It worked ok - missed by some as it was subtle.
The kids did the decorating of the tombstones as usual....
Here is my version of Mark Butler's Monster in a Box. This was on a motion detector from Walmart. It shook and made noise- I had 2 battery 'Shriekers' inside. This did not 'get em' as much as I had hoped. I think I needed louder sound effects. There was a red bulb inside as well that shone through the 'airholes' when activated-looked pretty cool.
I had a year round fountain in this area anyway, so I removed the regular spitter and added the skull. I sealed it first with polyurethane. I added one big jar of red food coloring and some blue as well. It was not enough. The water still looked pink. I ran out of time .It was hard to tell in the dark.
Here is truly a last minute prop.I had bought my first air compressor the month before. This was supposed to be a flailing skelly prop, but I could not get the solenoid to work the way I thought it should. I bought it from ebay and it was a discontinued model with no instructions. Yardhaunter saved the day by posting which ports to connect what hoses to. I had barely enough time to stuff the cylinder in a block of wood and put on Mr Grim's mask and foam head from last year. It was triggered by a Christmas tree light remote contol switch I held in my hand. Sometimes it worked, and sometimes it didn't. I need better control over it next year. Pointing a remote control at a Trick or Treater is a dead giveaway that something might be going to happen !!
Poor little witchy was static this year. I ran out of time to fix her broken stirring stick . She still had a tape player behind her spewing out incantations. Again,I had to keep turning over the tape. Loop tape ,loop tape!.....
The next pictures are of the kid's halloween parties. Friday night was the 6th grade. Saturday was 1st and 3rd combination. The kids were pretty good .
Preparation for 2002 Halloween
