2 weeks Ago By By Virginia Pitts, Staff Writer
Sharon Land and her family love decorating for Halloween, to the great benefit of us all. Sharon said she’s been decorating her yard for a long time now, since the kids were little, but rather than slow down on the celebration as the kids grew and moved into their own households, she has steadily ramped up her fantastic Halloween yard show to the point where it’s become one of the coolest displays in the state. “We do have some decorations out,” Sharon said.
“I’m not gonna say they’re fantastic, but they’re pretty cool.” The property is out on Hwy. 9, about two miles south of Victory Assembly Church in the Lono community.
Sharon said the remote area doesn’t draw many visitors, but the travelers making their way to other places seem to appreciate her effort. “We have people pull up in the driveway and leave notes and take pictures and that kind of stuff,” she said. Sharon shared one such note that was left on her gate on Sunday by a passing couple from West Monroe, La.
, which reads, “Thank you, thank you, thank you for the photo op, for the joyous display, we enjoyed it so much! Thank you.” “And I’ve had several notes left on the fence like that by people,” Sharon said. “I’ve been out there, just out there [in the yard] and people will pull up and they’ll just say, ‘I love this, this breaks up the drive’.
.. people traveling that road, they just, they love it.
” Sharon was able to elevate her seasonal display this year because she was lucky enough to purchase some fabulous figures that had formerly set the scene at a haunted house in Sheridan. “A friend of mine knows this gentleman in Sheridan, and he always set up a haunted house,” she said. “He decided he didn’t want to do his haunted house anymore, and he had some pieces for sale.
” Land currently has a couple dozen or more Halloween figures in the front lawn, which is separated from the main yard and house by a lovely wrought iron gate and chain link fence. Passersby will see larger-than-life skeletons, scarecrows, witches, monsters and all manner of goblin, ghoul and creature. The fences are lined with Halloween-themed lighting, skeleton intruders trying to climb over the barrier, a gigantic spider resting on its web, and 20-foot-tall spooky figures guarding the gate, which are probably the highlight of the whole display.
Most of the figures around the yard light up and talk, play music or move in particular fashion. Visitors will appreciate the variety and the nuance, as Sharon and her family put a lot of thought into the arrangement and a lot of work into putting it together. One display shows an ornate funeral wagon in mid-transport of its unfortunate occupant, driven by a skeleton coachman and pulled by a pale skeleton horse.
Right behind them is the terrifying headless horseman, riding high with skull in hand, red eyes glowing, on his midnight-black skeleton horse, taunting visitors with his ghostly rambles. There’s a three-headed demon dog, a giant werewolf, and a green-eyed creature with antlers and claws that is truly horrific. But there is also plenty of light-hearted fun on display as well, such as the group of skeletons enjoying a game of cards at the table and the musically-minded skeleton duo playing drums and guitar.
Sharon said one of her favorite figures is not on display at the moment because something unexplained happened to it while she and her husband were on vacation. “I’m not even sure what you would’ve called it, but it was white, it had an ugly face and its eyes lit up red, and when you triggered it, it would jump at you,” she said. “I don’t know if it scared somebody and they punched it, I don’t know if the wind did it, but he no longer works right now, he’s in the hospital.
” There is simply too much on display to mention here, and besides, you really need to see it in person to understand how impressive these figures and decorations are. Just one is amazing on its own, so seeing the whole display is a real Halloween treat! People are welcome to come out and enjoy the Halloween show, just please be respectful of the property and the figures on display. The optimal time to get the full effect is probably right at sunset or soon after, but it looks great in the daytime as well.
“I have lights that come on as soon as it gets a little dusky dark, and the lights just really set if off,” she said..
