[Horseman]

This year we actually had a few props stolen (a full size skeleton, a monster hand and a sword) as did our neighbor. We caught the kids on our camera but didn't get a plate number. As I am putting more money, time and effort into my props I'm debating on taking next Halloween off and settling up early in the morning but only on the 31st.

Do any of you guys with more elaborate haunts hold off till the big day? Or at least hold a lot of your better props back?

Horseman

 

[hallowmas]

we do all airblowns and they dont go out till 5pm then theya re on watch at all times.
we had our GR grim reaper stolen

 

[Rumsfield]

Well I dont fit into the "more elaborate" category but I mostly do wait until the 31'st to set up. I like a one night show . However I will have some of the "scene setters" up a few days early - cornstalks, old fencing, post for hanging props ect so I can get the lights placed and cords hidden.

 

[Ghost of Spookie]

I'd be one who sets up on Halloween Day. Partly because of the weather, partly because we are in an HOA, partly because I like it to be a surprise and partly because I don't want to lose anything to damage or theft and get soured on the kids in my area. The best/favorite items go out at the very last moment.

This year I had a skeleton that we were able to zip tie to the chair he was sitting in. I also had a skeleton dog as part of the display and had intended on putting the zip tie on the dog (bought zips that had a special closed loop on the tie that you could then run some wire thru for a longer reaching attachment--meant for attaching to a wall I think). Planned to use that loop area to tie the dog to the skeleton or the chair arm. However Hubby liked the dog on it's leash instead of the skeleton's lap so he offered to sit outside with the skeleton and dog to watch over the dog. Since he was in view of everything I didn't set up the Harbor Freight driveway monitoring device I had picked up this year to alert us to people in the yard. Heard about that alert system here on the forum but will use it during the year to alert me in the house to delivery people and such coming up to our house. UPS and the mailman seldom ring the bell when they drop off stuff at the door, and alot of time I'm home so it's very annoying to find packages out there for hours. Come next Halloween it will give me some piece of mind while I'm setting up outside and running inside the house every so often.

Sorry you lost a skeleton this year and some other items.

 

[jdubbya]

Any of my good stuff doesn't go out until the 31st, and comes back in that night. I do put out a couple of cheap store bought tombstones when the fence and columns go out in mid October, but that's about it.

 

[Trex]

Our cemetery went up early October, we brought some of the larger tombstones in every night, but most stayed outside. The mazes were ready to go Oct. 30 and we were open for scares Oct. 30/31 and Nov. 1, I have to say it was a lot, too much actually we are exhausted. And it snowed heavily Saturday night, so we tore down yesterday in about 2-3" of snow.

 

[Otaku]

I do most of the lighting and wiring during the week before Halloween, but virtually all of the props go out the day of. I stage everything in layers in the garage and then drag the stuff out and set it up. I'd like to have some stuff out during the few days before the holiday, like the graveyard, but there's always the spectre of theft and damage hovering around. My FCG, Victoria, starts flying each night at least a week before the holiday, though.

 

[jollygorilla]

i definitly do set up halloween day for the same reason years of thefts. i hate doing it this way and i break it down that night also. id love to be able to have it up most of october and get some word of mouth of the neighbor that has the huge display.
I hand skulpt most of my stuff and would be crushed to have them taken ( happened 3 years in a row )

 

[Ghost of Spookie]

Jollygorilla, that head is awesome. I can only imagine how badly you feel getting your work stolen. At least they have good taste and assume they liked it alot. Still theft and wrong.

 

[mariem]

I don't do an elaborate display. I usually decorate my deck about a week or so before Halloween although this year I only got it done a day or so before. I put out my cemetery on Halloween day. I do it on a small scale so it only took me about 1/2 an hour to put up and about 10-15 minutes to take down. I made all my tombstones (except for two of them) and yard props because I have NO budget so I don't worry to much about them but if they were stolen or damaged it would really dampen my enthusiasm so I don't want them to be out too long. I also like the "surprise" of having it up for only a few hours. Heck...that way it is a surprise for all of us, incuding myself.

 

[bert1913]

i set up halloween morning /late afternoon, then tear down at 9pm.

i keep asking myself "is it worth all the time and money for 3-4 hours of fun a year?" answer: YES!

 

[Horseman]

I agree with most of the day of people. I think moving forward I'll probably set up morning of.

 

[Palladino]

I am floored by people who can set it all up in one day. It takes me a month and a half. I've never had anything stolen (knock on wood), but my props, while I'm proud of them, are handmade and probably not very tempting.

 

[cyberhaunt]

I start setting up the pirate ship, fence, and coverings on the house two weeks before Halloween. the cemetery goes in a week before the big day, but the skeleton crew and prison go up Halloween morning. it's a lot of work but I feel more comfortable that way. at the end of Halloween night all of the skeletons and smaller props are moved back into the garage.

 

[Excogitate]

We had xmas stuff stolen so we get very antsy about it. However this year I set up slowly. I put lights on house first.... then I put up my 10' reapers that attach to house. Then the graveyard fence went up then tombstones and such. Last to go out a few days before was coffin. But all the small detail stuff did not go out until the 31st . Fog machine, skulls around graves etc. So far knock on wood we have only been stolen from once. Since then we created wood cutouts for decor on xmas.

 

[Jack Skellington]

I normally setup outside at least 2 weeks before Halloween but we don't live in a high traffic area. I'm on a Cul de Sac so mostly just neighbors and kids to worry about. You get the occasional person driving down the street thinking they can cut through only to have to turn around. I've never had anything stolen for Halloween or Christmas. The kids even avoid my house on Goosey night most years so I don't have to clean up TP on Halloween. Girl told me this year my house was safe as they TP'd the next door neighbor.

My cornstalks used to get vandalized by the squirrels. Little beasts would eat up the corn cobs and several times they chewed through my light string wires that I had wrapped around the stalks. I learned that when I use corn to remove all the cobs. Then they switched to eating my pumpkins before they were carved so I moved them to the back yard and the dogs keep the squirrels away until we're ready to use them.

You just have to be aware of where you live and plan accordingly.

 

[Figtreejohn]

Our display is up and operating on the Saturday before Halloween (I do an open house that night for the 'trial run'), so all the stuff is out there at least a week. I make sure all my characters are bolted down onto the wood backdrops to prevent theft, and luckily have not lost a single item in 10 years.

 

[Linden Street]

We put a few things out ahead of time, cemetery fence, cheap tombstones, lights, spider webs, quartet stage. The main stuff props, quartet etc. goes out the day of and comes back in that night. Makes for a long day.

 

[z0mbie st0mp]

I have been setting up day of for the last few years, but I think i'm going to be changing that this coming year...

 

[BeaconSamurai]

I set up and take down on Halloween. Why? I have the local middle and high school just around the corner, the high school students are not a problem, but the middle school kids are. Took me two hours to put all the displays out and another 4 to do the wiring. Took it all down within an hour. Although I did just spend tonight untangling all the wires and cords.