Thread: Share your secrets to securing your outside decorations!

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Its always hard to judge when to put your hard worked projects out so I was hoping some would share their secrets to keeping their decorations secure.


One thing that drove me crazy was kids running up and hitting my decorations sometimes damaging them. Now of course I didn't blame them, they were kids being kids but I wanted a way to prevent or at least make them think twice before encroaching on my lawn. I found a very simple fence works great. I found it also helps to have the chain droop to about 2 feet from the ground then make its way back up to the next post to keep the kids from running underneath but high enough so they can't step over.

Other preventative tasks included chaining the more expensive decorations together and keeping them away from the sidewalk or at least 3 feet away to prevent people from reaching out and touching them. What do you do and list your successes and failures

Hey Tex, same here. I keep the more expensive props out of arms reach behind my cemetery fence and I also take the expensive ones in for the evening after 10:00pm, (had too many thefts in the past)

Originally Posted by Nox Arcana

Hey Tex, same here. I keep the more expensive props out of arms reach behind my cemetery fence and I also take the expensive ones in for the evening after 10:00pm, (had too many thefts in the past)

One thing I might recommend is to put up some signs warning of camera surveillance and buy some fake cameras. I have real ones but the signs do work. A friend of mine did it and it stopped all thefts for him

Oh and here is my setup from last year

YouTube - Happy Halloween!!

I just use a fence myself and havent had any problems yet but I do worry as my props keep improving.

Tex - What kind of fog machines do you use?

I have one 700 watt and one 1250 watt Chavuet plus the bubble fog machine

I find having a fence has been the greatest deterrent for vandalism and stolen items. Ever since I built my cemetery I havent had anything stolen. I also run a long chain and around all my items and lock them, so if anyone does take the time to go into my cemetery they cant just grab and run, they would have to take time to actually break the locks or chain. It stops the kid vandals that see a crime of opportunity.

I load my shotgun with rocksalt and dress like my neighbors. That way if the cops are called I can claim it's a costume and effect.

We like to sink rebar and zip-tie items to it. The zip ties can go pretty tight, and they're too thick for someone to succeed in a snatch-and-grab. We also make a lot of our props big and heavy, partly so they won't blow away in our awful Santa Ana winds and partly to deter theft. After our heavy throne blew over one year, we added eye bolts to every corner of our wooden props and sink metal tent stakes through them.