Thread: How To Deal With The Wind, Rain, & Hooliganism

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I'm noticing a lot of postings regarding the three Halloween plagues:

(1) Wind
(2) Rain
(3) Hooligans

From the perspective of someone who's been doing this for about a decade and who has experienced issues resulting from the above to varying extents, the best advice I can offer is the following: When building your props and setting up your display, in particular if it is well ahead of the appointed day, you absolutely must assume the following:

(1) At some point, the wind will exceed the speed of sound;
(2) It will rain enough to put Noah to shame;
(3) The entire population of Alcatraz (pre-closure) is expected to descend on your haunt.

Again, if your setup is short term, no probs.

If, on the other hand, you're looking long term...all I can say is it is possible to have things out for a few weeks and the risk of problems can be seriously minimized.

If you're going to have stuff out for over a week, avoid fragile materials (paper, cardboard, etc...) or lightweight stuff that can't be bolted down. I have a couple of styrofoam props; they are bolted right up against a fence with huge washers. There is nothing out there made of paper, cardboard, etc...

Anything that is, however, paper-based - e.g., mache - is so thickly covered with layers of glue, paint, lacquer, etc...the finish will probably outlast my vehicles'.

Make your frames out of wood, PVC tubing, or steel.

Use nut-and-bolt combinations whenever possible - i.e., avoid nails or screws - and make sure they are well bigger than what you really need. It's easy to re-tighten and assembly/disassembly is a snap. Smaller pieces can be screwed together. As for nails, I don't think I've actually used one nail outside.

Use ratchet straps instead of bungee cords.

Never use string. Use those zip strap thingys; can't recall the name, we just call them znn-znns. I go through tons of them.

A good staple gun is key. Always put more staples than you think you really need, however.

Whenever possible, attach things directly to the house or fence. If not, use rebar pounded into the ground. If the prop is huge, consider a 4x4 fence post attached directly into a fence post spike that's been hammered a foot into the ground. It takes a bit of work, but they never, ever move.

However it is you make or affix things, always, always overdo it. When NASA sent men to the moon, they were pretty much making it all up as they went along. So, they overcompensated everything to death. Think about this when building a prop; i.e., try to imagine what kind of damage a whole day of rain and wind will cause and plan accordingly. Then, once you've finished weather-proofing the thing, overdo it.

As for theft and vandalism, there is no easy solution. Some stuff is impossible to protect.

I make things too heavy or awkward to steal. Easier things to steal are chained up and locked.

Tombstones? Not much you can do other than set up a motion-detector/security light get up or affix them in such a way that they are destroyed when grabbed.

Mother Nature will still wreak havoc. Hooligans will still steal and vandalize.

You just want to make it as difficult as possible for them to turn this awesome event into something less than awesome.

I'm sure there are a whole lot of people on here who've found various ways to take on the plagues and would love to hear from them.

Cheers,

JD

JD,

Thanks for the thoughts. Although I've set up a Halloween display for the past couple of years, this is the first year I've really gotten into yard haunting and made my own props. In the two years prior to taking a real interest in this, things couldn't have gone smoother. Now that I've become really involved in the "spirit" of the holiday, the fates have conspired to make this year a test.

When the winds came a few weeks ago and up-ended my displays, it was a bit distressing (but rebar has kept everything upright since).

Then when the rains descended on my graveyard for an extended period of time, I was concerned that my papier mache props wouldn't survive (they did), but I gave them additional coats of waterproofing, though, just to make sure.

When I realized the structural armature for a large prop I made was insufficient to last a long time, I was a bit bummed by the thought, but determined next time to "overbuild it," as you say. It still stands now, but it could have been better.

Fortunately, I haven't had to contend with thieves or vandals...yet. I imagine that day will come sooner or later too.

All of these events weren't discouragements so much as a learning process. At times I felt disappointment, but they also provided me with some "aha!" moments too. And the props I've built since each of those "calamities" struck have only gotten better.

So thanks again for the encouragement to all of us newbie haunters. It's good to know that this too shall pass.

Rich

I'm up pacing about the wind gusts we're getting right now.

Aroused me from my sleep, but it would appear nothing is going to suffer any permanent damage. The rebar holding a banner up is sure getting a bit bent, but that seems about it. I might even leave it bent, depending just how bad it gets.

But, the one item of mine I would be REALLY concerned with in the wind is yet to be up.

I had rain ruin a number of things last year, and I have several waterproofing methods in testing. Ironically, it was weight of the water, not lack of waterproofing that ruind some of the things. Those, I totally re-designed. Don't span large areas without some real careful thought of what happens if it rains. Drainage systems on props...wholda thunk?

So far, the best means of hooligan prevention I've had is to make the neighbor kids like you.

I overheard the conversation with a neighbor who had 4 friends over with his new driver's liscence. Friends said they should come trash the place after dark, my neighbor: "No, that guy is far too cool, you should come see it on Halloween."

This, from a kid I had previously had trouble with, having stolen and broken some Halloween stuff in the off season. Instead of going all batty on the bloke, we instead invited him over to learn how to do the stuff he was stealing, to make his own. Somehow, I think the odds of my house being safe from trashing at the hands of his friends would have been diminished had I taken a different tack in that instance.

Originally Posted by UnOrthodOx

So far, the best means of hooligan prevention I've had is to make the neighbor kids like you.

It's funny you mention this...in my case, I have 2 teens, and an 11 year old. Between the 3 of them, they know practically every kid in the hood from just about every age group. Many of them are here all the time with them. Seems our house is the one to "hang out" at. I don't mind. I know what my kids are up to this way. My point being, I think this has a lot to do with not having anything stolen yet. If someone does take something, chances are, I can find out who did it, and I will do my best to do so. I have an army of kids so to speak, that will hunt with me!

It wasn't too long ago that a "friend" of my older boy took a bike out of the yard belonging to my 11 year old boy's friend, and claimed to have been "jumped" and gotten it stolen from him. I didn't buy it. I had asked a couple of kids that might know where the bike went. One made a phone call (they all have cell phones now), and within the hour, I had a location. We retrieved the bike a few hours later.

What really sucked about this, and really p'd me off, was that they did it right under my nose, from my youngest kids friend while they were working on their skateboards in the garage. I mean come on already! And the kid who owned the bike had worked all summer long with his parents selling ice cream on an ice cream truck to earn enough to buy it. It was a $400 bike. I will utilize this method again should the need arise.

Thank you JD... i used bailing twine DURING the wind storm.. that tunnel aint goin nowhere!

These are just my thoughts since vandalism is a major issue where I am located. It is pretty much guaranteed that if you put any type of display, Halloween or Otherwise.. it will get messed with.

Psychologically, the miscreants rely on the fact that they are hidden, this is what drives their confidence in almost all cases. If they are not hidden this will deter all but the most determined or deranged.

The two most simple solutions are actually the most effective.

Light - If your area is well lit at night this will deter 90% of all theft and vandalism. Security lights are good, but I prefer always on. This way, there is no question and most will not even approach.
Always on lights also prevent what I call the "Security Light Comes On Kick Down Closest Prop and Run" reflex.

Maybe Someone is Watching - The rest will be put off by the fact that they do not know if someone is watching them (consciously or subconsciously). I incorporate many windows into my haunt. Many windows (that you can not see in from the outside) will subconsciously effect that part of the brain that says you will get caught. If you do not have enough windows, fake security cameras (or real if you have the funds) will also serve this purpose effectively.

Fact is, with all the technology on the planet you can not deter someone who is determined or has no fear of being caught. But the good news is, those people are rare and you only have to deter the other 99.9%.