Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Nancy Wilkinson is famous around Decatur for holiday decorations at her house.
- THE NEIGHBORHOOD FILES
- Ralph Ellis
-
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
You can't miss Nancy Wilkinson's house in Decatur. It's one on Adair Street with a front yard full of plastic skeletons and a hulking pirate ship. Wilkinson loves decorating for all the holidays and her efforts have not gone unnoticed. The IT specialist at Coca-Cola won the first prize in the Spooky Patch Halloween Photo Contest for the photo she submitted of "Poker Pirates." Readers submitted 140 photos that Patch editors narrowed down to five finalists. Readers cast 251 votes, with 98 votes going for Wilkinson’s “Poker Pirates.” For her efforts, Wilkinson won everlasting glory on the internet and a $200 gift card from Patch, though she doesn't care about the fame or the money. She decorates because it's fun and satisfies an artistic …
Monday, October 31, 2011
Heidi Klum will choose the grand prize winner from our favorite photos of your creative costumes.
- NEWS
-
Monday, October 31, 2011
We have stopped accepting entries for the contest, but we'd love for you to continue sharing your Halloween photos on Patch! Simply click the green "Submit Your Photos" button (above or below), and upload your image. To add a caption, click "Edit Photo" after uploading the image, fill in the caption line and then click "Finished Editing." The winner of the Patch Little Pumpkin Costume Contest will be selected by Heidi Klum. The grand prize is three-day, two-night trip to New York or Los Angeles, a meet and greet with Heidi and a $1,031 donation to the winner's favorite charity. (Full rules are here.) Nine runners up will also get a $1,031 donation from Patch to a local charity of their choice. The deadline for entries was 9 p.m. on …
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Great fun and easy costumes for everyone that don't look like they were thought of at the last minute.
Halloween is almost here and you still don't have a costume ... What to do? While you could go to the pop-up Halloween store in the mall and rummage through whatever is left, we found some great costumes for all ages that will ensure a spooktacular Halloween. A Little Bearded Garden Gnome - Your kids may already have the clothes. You'll just need to make a simple hat and beard. Bag of Jelly Beans - You'll need a clear trash bag and set of strong lungs to make this sweet costume Catch of the Day - This is a "reel" easy costume to put together. Quarterback - This punny costume is quick and easy to make. Spaghetti and Meatballs - Use a red and white tablecloth and a pot to make this saucy costume. Lego - This costume is easy to build using a …
Friday, October 28, 2011
If you missed the deadline to enter photos of your Halloween decorations, don't fret. You can still enter the Patch’s Little Pumpkin Costume Challenge with Heidi Klum!
UPDATE- Gremlins stole our brains! And maybe we had a little too much witches' brew while trying to sort through so many great contest entries. But we goofed and included a few non-eligible photos in the finalists that we shared with you earlier. We promise to make it up to our spooky shutterbug friends, but we have to make things right and follow the contest rules. You'll see some new photos in the mix and we've hit the reset button on the voting. (Hey, this is still a lot less embarrassing than that hanging chad business from a few years ago.) Dear readers, ghouls and goblins, We are happy to report that we got 140 wonderful, spooky, creepy fun photos from you, the Halloween loving public! A team of editors burned the midnight oil to …
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Over the past several years, Bonnie Kent’s home has turned into a major Halloween attraction in Dacula.
- THE NEIGHBORHOOD FILES
- Kristi Reed
-
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
What began with the simple enjoyment of sitting on her front porch on Halloween has gradually taken on a life of its own according to Hamilton Mill resident Bonnie Kent. After moving to her Ridgemill Terrace home (see map above right) almost eight years ago, Kent thought it would be fun to dress up as a witch for Halloween, put out a fog machine, sit on her porch and hand out candy. “The kids seemed to love it, so the next year I added a few more things,” Kent said. After years of adding "a few things" to her collection, Kent now has an impressive Halloween display that draws large crowds each year. During the weeks leading up to Halloween, Kent has 30-50 visitors each night. “They stop and browse around and I’ll give little tours if I’m …
34.051452
-83.904778
1665 Ridgemill Ter, Dacula, GA
/articles/hamilton-mill-resident-transforms-home-into-house-of-horror
/locations/5690751
Should parents trick their kids into giving up their Halloween loot?
I first heard of the Switch Witch a few years ago when a good friend of mine shared the idea with me. The story goes that if a child leaves his or her candy outside their bedroom door on Halloween night, the Switch Witch will trade the treats for a toy. Apparently my friend's kids were crazy for the idea and didn't even miss the sweet morsels that were swiped in the night once they had their hands on a shiny new toy. I have resisted inviting the Switch Witch to make a stop at my house as I've watched several of my friends adopt the new Halloween custom over the years. My resistance has been a very personal choice. When I was a child, I spent most of the year counting down to Halloween. In my mind it was the most awesome holiday ever …
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Sorry folks! The submission period is over for this contest. But if you love to dress up your child for Halloween, you should enter our Patch’s Little Pumpkin Costume Challenge with Heidi Klum!
UPDATE - The entry period for this contest has ended. Please return to Patch at noon Oct. 27 to vote for your favorite photo! Here at Patch, we love people who go all out with holiday decorations, especially when it’s a delightfully creepy holiday such as Halloween. So if you’re the sort of person who loves to decorate for fright night, we’re asking you to take part in our Spooky Patch Halloween Photo Contest. The person who submits the best ghoulish photos of Halloween decorations will get a $200 gift card. The winner will also be featured in an article on Patch and remembered forever in the Creepy People Hall of Fame. (OK, that doesn’t really exist, but the winner does get bragging rights.) Here are the basics — keep your submissions …
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Do you love scary movies? Which ones do you think are the best picks for a Halloween fright fest?
First, let me preface this list by laying out my bona fides as a horror expert. I have watched a lot of scary movies. My Comcast onDemand playlist is almost entirely populated with FEARnet movies. I also happen to be a card-carrying member of the Commander USA fan club. Don’t know who Commander USA is? Well, then you don’t want to get into a discussion with me about Mexican vampire or other low budget horror movies. The following list includes my personal picks for the best scary movies of all time. Noticeably absent are zombie movies, most slasher flicks and classic, but not really all that scary, horror movies. Why did I exclude those? Well, I don’t understand zombies. They are gross, dead things. Why do they need to eat? “Zombieland” …
Don't miss out on any of the season's best thrills and chills.
- NEWS
-
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Whether you enjoy Halloween for fun or frights or both, MapQuest has a new interactive guide, FrightQuest, designed to help you find the best places to experience the holiday. FrightQuest includes a national map of 234 Halloween suggestions plus state guides and guides for major metropolitan areas. And don't miss the Halloween observations of FrightQuest's all-star guest writers: the voice of SpongeBob SquarePants Tom Kenny (Upstate New York); pioneering space explorer Leroy Chiao (California); and lead singer of Halloween-loving heavy-metal satirists GWAR Dave Brockie (aka Oderus Urungus) (Virginia). Looking for thrills and chills in Georgia? Try these suggestions: Halloween In America's Most Haunted City - Savannah Scarecrow Stroll - St…
Sunday, October 16, 2011
Should teens be out soliciting candy on Halloween?
Most of us have all experienced it -- a teen or group of teens, oftentimes not even wearing costumes -- who show up at the door on Halloween wanting candy. Sometimes the teens might make some small effort at a costume -- a mask perhaps or some type of prop. Other times, these trick-or-treaters are wearing street clothes, carrying pillow cases or large bags and expecting you to just hand over candy. Personally, I don’t mind teenage trick-or-treaters when they make the effort to entertain me with a real costume and observe the niceties such as actually saying “Trick or treat” instead of just holding out their bag like some kind of highway robber. I also appreciate it when the trick-or-treaters -- no matter what their age -- remember to say …
Nicki Salcedo
11:53 pm on Tuesday, November 1, 2011
I hadn't realized that I'd been living by the pirates rules until today. Nice job, Nancy! more ›