Fairmount’s Halloween Yard of the Month is 1425 6th Ave., a 1919 bungalow owned by Bria F. and Jeff M. November marks their first full year as Fairmount homeowners, though they spent some time over on College a year prior. With no prior decorations saved up, this was their first Halloween where they could shop for decorations that would shock and awe the hundreds of trick-or-treaters who lined their sidewalk.

photo by Stacy Luecker

For Halloween, Jeff and Bria wanted to focus on big-impact decorations but completely forgot about their costumes until last minute. Luckily, a trip to the Army Surplus store and a few Sharpies later meant that their Horror Hazmat costumes were complete. Their friend and neighborhood artist, CHOKE, joined them as they passed out treats! She celebrated Halloween for the first time in over 10 years and helped bring the Halloween spirit to their household.

Fairmount first noticed the house when it appeared that a series of spooky skeletons were trapped in the bungalow, petitioning passersby for help.  Cars would line up and people would come by to film the ghouls on a nightly basis. Every onlooker meant that more decorations were added every night, too! To keep the setup waterproof, their projectors and tv screens were set up inside the dark house and projected onto wax-coated windows. It gave off a great 3D effect and allowed the skeletons to set perfectly in all 3 front openings. This setup needed a lot of unused space without interruptions, but it was worth it for the final product.

While they purchased rows of pumpkins and giant spiders, almost all of their larger decorations were handmade. Paper bats lined the walls, fake pumpkins were carved, foam tombstones were spray painted, and skulls were pushed into spray foam to imitate a catacomb. The front door was covered in spiders and bats, with house numbers displayed on their bellies. Bria wanted to make all of the little details stand out and bring harmony to the overall feel of the decorations.

Two of their biggest, more frustrating projects were the 8 ½ foot werewolf named Don and their “toxic” fog cooler. Bria’s Pinterest board had implied that Don the Werewolf would be easy to fashion, but adding a few extra feet to a monster throws off the proportions and the balance. For future Fairmountians who want to build their own monsters, Bria advises that 1 inch PVC pipe will not hold up a bulky dude. His body was originally going to be made from chicken wire and papier-maché, which proved too heavy, so Amazon bubble wrap provided a majority of his bulk. Don’s hands were made out of kitchen gloves filled with spray foam and covered in fur. After his body was wrapped in burlap and chained to a tree, you’d never know that he was handmade! To achieve the fog cooler effect, Jeff had to struggle with many different versions to see the fog to sit low on the ground. Their final version was a large trash can that contained a spiral of semi-rigid aluminum duct surrounded by a mixture of ice and dry ice. As a final touch, spray foam was distributed and painted around the top edges to create a “toxic sludge” feel.

While appreciative of their Halloween win, they feel that the yard of the month sign was a bit ironic with the current state of their house. Bria states, “We were finally done with most indoor renovations, so I have been preparing the yard for some new greenery. That, unfortunately, means that our house was a bit over-prepared for Halloween. Our yard consists of dead bushes, native weeds and a touch of emptiness where previous plants used to be. It’s a work in progress.”  She hopes to use the Halloween winnings to spruce up their yard a bit before it’s time to start working on Christmas decorations.

Bria, Jeff and Don have our thanks, and a $20 gift card donated by Melt Ice Cream in recognition of their achievement. (Werewolves are particularly fond of their seasonal flavors Salt Lick and Choc O’Lantern).  The Yard of the Month committee is Bonnie Blackwell and Leah Price Suasnovar, but this month’s writing credit goes to Bria F.