Setting up the annual Halloween House in Roxbury takes two monthsPhoto Credit: Craig Heard
Setting up the annual Halloween House in Roxbury takes two monthsPhoto Credit: Craig Heard
Setting up the annual Halloween House in Roxbury takes two monthsPhoto Credit: Craig Heard
Setting up the annual Halloween House in Roxbury takes two monthsPhoto Credit: Craig Heard
Setting up the annual Halloween House in Roxbury takes two monthsPhoto Credit: Craig Heard
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By Fred J. Aun
Published September 16, 2024 at 7:28 PM
Last updated September 16, 2024 at 7:28 PM
ROXBURY, NJ - For Succasunna resident Craig Heard, the arrival of September each year means it's time to get to work on the front yard.
That doesn't mean fertilizing or other autumn-related landscaping efforts. For Heard and his family, the first week of September means - among other things - having a pirate ship trailered to the property.
The ship is the centerpiece of Heard's “Halloween House display,” an icon of Roxbury that sees the Heards go all-out decorating their yard at the corner of Alcott Way and Longfellow Drive. Creating the eye-popping production, open the public on Halloween, takes a full two months.
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It wasn't always that way.
"In the early 20th century, we were doing it in maybe five weeks, ” he said. But Heard's unquenchable thirst for creepy and funny new items, arranged in new ways, meant the set-up time expanded during the three decades he's been creating the Halloween House.
“As it grew, it went to six weeks, then seven,” he said. “I know it's going to be eight weeks this year because of new things we're doing and new animatronics we're adding.”
Meteorological Mayhem
Even starting the setup two months ahead of time leaves Heard and his helpers with very little cushion. Extreme weather can really throw a monkey wrench into the elaborate process.
“We've had wind storms knocking down the tents, “ he said. We had Hurricane Sandy completely wipe-out the layout, but we got it up and going again in a week. We've had snowstorms of about six inches; then it's just a quick cleanup. However, we of course had the 2011 snowstorm that was so bad Halloween was postponed. That gave us an extra five days.”
Blessed with nice weather on Halloween night, Heard's transformed front yard is likely to see 5,000 people walk through the display between the time the front gate opens at 5 p.m. and closes for another year at 11 p.m.
Heard, who turned 79 on Sept. 11, shows no sign of losing interest. Each spring sees new Halloween items appear on the market, prompting him and his family to brainstorm on which to buy and how to use them to improve their always-evolving production.
“It's a hobby,” he said. “I would say it's the love of the hobby and the reaction it gets from the public. We're challenged every year to set it up a little differently.”
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