Being a DIRECTORY o’ CHAS’ HALLOWEEN SPOOKY PORCH PIX!!!

I first started doing a “Spooky Halloween Porch” ta-DOOO when I lived in Denver – on South ELM STREET!
(Great address for a Spooky Halloween Porch, eh? LOL!)
It was pretty simple … just some sheets enclosing a carport, with a single spooky display inside, and a scary Witch (me!) answering the door.
Only a few kidz visited during the first year ('89). But those kidz raved about it to all their friends, and I had more visitors the second year. By the third year, parents from OTHER neighborhoods began DRIVING their kidz to Trick-Or-Treat at my house.
I LUVED it!!!Each year after that, more and MORE kidz came to TRICK-OR-TREAT at my place.

I moved back to Lincoln in November of 1998, and began my NEW “Spooky Halloween Porch” in 1999.
Unfortunately, very FEW Trick-Or-Treaters visited my Englewood Drive home that year!
That’s when I realized that: for several YEARS, Englewood Drive has almost entirely been populated by “OLD FOLKZ” – people who turn their LIGHTS OFF and DON’T ANSWER their DOOR on HALLOWEEN!!!
Kidz had long-ago learned NOT to Trick-Or-Treat on Englewood Drive.
Well, POOH!

SO! In October of 2000, I put up POSTERS on the light poles at either end of the street where the local grade school (Ruth Pyrtle) is, advertising my “FREE Spooky Halloween Porch!”
Hoorah! I got many more Trick-Or-Treaters that year!

EACH YEAR SINCE THEN, I’ve put up POSTERS on poles all around Ruth Pyrtle’s street, AND on poles at the ENTRANCE of every STREET that leads into this suburban area.
In 2001, I finally began to get DRIVE-Ups to my “Spooky Halloween Porch!”

THANKFULLY, beginning in 2004, several of my FRIENDS abandoned their home neighborhoods and came to HELP ME with the Englewood Drive TA-DOOO!
Thus began the Spooky Porch tradition of folkz PARTYING inside the house during and after CLOSING the Spooky Porch!

When friends began helping, I NEEDED their help because …
My friends are terrifically creative people and added NEW stuff every year … causing more and more kidz to Trick-or-Treat here … leading to more and more kidz being DRIVEN here from other neighborhoods … all of which led to more and more WERK every year! LOL

But every year also offered MORE and MORE FUN – for EVERYONE!!!
(Including those “WORKING” the gig!!!)

Our LAST YEAR Was 2010:
384 KIDZ!!!

2010 “Spooky Trick-or-Treat PLACE” Pix!
384 KIDZ for our LAST HURRAH!
We built an ALL NEW setup, featuring an amaZing MAZE leading kidz to SEVERAL different Spooky Scenes and Places!

2009 “Spooky Trick-or-Treat Porch” PIX!
250 KIDZ!!! – a new RECORD!
Like last year, the 2009 gig warranted a DIRECTORY PAGE for its pix.
Hoardz of HAPPY HELPERS – Wonderful Weather – Tonz o’ NEW Stuff!!!

2008 “Spooky Trick-or-Treat Porch” PIX!
The 2008 gig was soooo large, the link above is to a DIRECTORY PAGE!
Hoardz of HAPPY HELPERS – Wonderful Weather – Tonz o’ NEW Stuff!!!
Alas, “only” 190 Victims … er … KIDZ this year.
Maybe I’ll ADVERTIZE MORE in 2009! (NOT! 190 Kidz is PLENTY!)

2007 “Spooky Trick-or-Treat Porch” PIX!
HOO-RAH!!! The weather was MUCH LESS COLD in 2007. Yet, ONLY 199 Kidz visited this year!
[Which means, we still haven’t broken the 2005 record of over 225 KIDZ!]
BUT! All but about 20 of those 199 kidz visited between 7 pm and 8:30 pm.
SO, we had a LINE down the driveway & out onto the SIDEWALK for almost an HOUR!!!
BOTTOM LINE:
Terrific FUNNNN was had by ALL!!! So, the SPOOKY PORCH was STILL a GRAND SUCCESS!

2006 “Spooky Trick-or-Treat Porch” PIX!
It was SOOOOO bitter cold this year, that we “only” had 149 Trick-or-Treaters.
POUT, POUT! (LOL)

2005 “Spooky Trick-or-Treat Porch” PIX!
Several friends came over to help me again this year.
Which was REALLY great, because over 225 KIDZ
came to Trick-Or-Treat at the “Spooky Halloween Porch!!!”
Best of all, a FANTABULOUS PICKIN’ PARTY went on INSIDE ALL NIGHT!!!
(Not just AFTER “CLOSING” the PORCH GIG! – ALL NIGHT LONG!)

2004 “Spooky Trick-or-Treat Porch” PIX!
WOW!!! – Can we say, “CAST O’ THOUSANDS”?!?!?!I think we CAN!!!
This year, I had several friends helping me out with the PORCH GIG!
And, after closing down the SPOOKY PORCH, we had a PICKIN’ PARTY inside!!!

2003 “Spooky Trick-or-Treat Porch” PIX!
This is the LAST YEAR I did the Spooky Porch ALONE. So, these pix aren’t that “interesting.”

In 1999, 2000, 2001, and 2002,
I didn’t TAKE PIX of the Spooky Porch!
But, it wasn’t much more than me doing weird stuff at the DOOR those years –
So, you’re not “missing” anything. LOL

If you have suggestions, questions, or comments,
PLZ Email WebMistress Chas!
chas@novelholiday.com

This COUNTER was started in October, 2004.