[Nightlites13]

Finding this forum has got me excited again to get decorating. My whole family decorated my parents house starting in 1978 every year until 2003. My father passed away in 04 and my mom couldn't keep the house. My folks house was all alone on a major road in Ridgefield CT and over the years it just got bigger and bigger. Somehow along the way we started cooking hot dogs and serving hot cider and by it's end we were going through 500 hot dogs, 22 gallons of cider and 500 goodie bags for the kids. It was amazing and fun. So many people coming and all having to drive as we had no neighbors. We had a sign in book and people would write that this was part of their family tradition and had been coming for over 10 years and stuff like that. Well anyway, on that last year I had no idea it would be the end and we all miss it very much because it had grown to such a big thing. Really something when a couple hundred strangers are roaming around your yard eating hot dogs and warming up around the fire.

So I am trying to get something going at my house now and it is tough as it is so different and don't want to piss off the neighbors too much as we are still the new kids on the block. We had actually moved to our new house the year that became the last at my folks house so nothing at our house that year.

Reading through some of the ideas on here has gotten me excited to get back into it. I tested the waters the last couple years in our new, kind of conservative neighborhood and was pleased to get favorable replies. Of course our house last year with 3 witches, graveyard, giant spider and web, ghosts, and scary music was over the top to these people and were going Oh you have no idea of what we have stored away and to us this is nothing as I am used to spending 5 weekends plus 2 nights a week and wiring in 2 additional 15 amp circuits to hook up all the lighting for the past 25 years.

So that is the readers digest version. That's why I didn't find this sooner as I am normally spending all my free time working on the decorations. Seems like a great forum. I'll post some pix later of the old house and I have some good night shots of my modest set up from last year. Would be really cool if anybody here ever drove down route 7 in CT and saw my folks house.

Happy Halloween everybody.
Dan

 

[maleficent]

 

[MFuture]

Hey Dan. I'm from Norwalk, so we're pretty much neighbors. I've been scaring kids in my front yard for years and worked at the Haunted Mansion at Cranbury Park for 5 years. Have a great Halloween and good luck with your project.

 

[Nightlites13]

Thanks Mfuture, I used to work at Rickels Home Center a hundred years ago down on the post road. I 've been to Cranberry Park and have heard there was something going on there for Halloween. That sounds really cool. Thanks for checking in.

 

[rnrkid]

Thank god! Not one but TWO people from CT. I was starting to feel like the only nut job in this state...about Halloween that is. Welcome Aboard!

...and M...where've you bee hiding since '05?!

 

[Nightlites13]

Pix...I think

Glad to hear from some other ct folks as well.

If I did it correctly there should be a link in my sig to some pix from the new house. Need a little more time to get some of my pix from my parents house which was much bigger thing.

 

[rnrkid]

Pics look great! Did you make the spider yourself? If not, where did you get it?

 

[Nightlites13]

Spider

Thank You,
Yes we did make it and before anybody points it out I do realize it should be 8 legs. I always just said well it is a mutant spider so why not have 6 legs.

Especially being newbie don't want to piss off the forum cops so I'll give you the short how to and maybe start a thread in the appropriate section on building it.

Body is a table and an old grill covered with a couple old pool covers. The legs are 2 pieces of wood hinged and my mom found some fuzzy black materail and made long tubes which we pulled over the wood sections.

Put the right bunch of old junk together and you might have something.

 

[rnrkid]

Very cool! Definately get some closer pics, and throw up a quick step-by-step thread if you can.

 

[creepy crawler]

 

[Gwynplaine]

 

[ScreamingScarecrow]

Hey nightlites13, don't worry too much about the neighbors because some neighbors can be monsters! Hope yous have a Happy Halloween! & Have a Sinister Season!!

 

[Nightlites13]

Thanks so much for all the awesome welcomes !

 

[Junit]

Welcome to the forum Nightlites!

 

[perdidoman]

Welcome Dan !!