Butler residents show off Halloween decorations
‘Tis the spooky season, and many in the community have joined in on the Halloween fun by decorating their front yards or porches with eerie lighting and scary props.
Some Butler residents reached out to the Eagle to share the spectacle at home.
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Halloween decorations at Tonia and Brian Smith’s house in Butler. Submitted photo.
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Halloween decorations at Tonia and Brian Smith’s house in Butler. Submitted photo.
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Halloween decorations at Tonia and Brian Smith’s house in Butler. Submitted photo.
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Halloween decorations at Tonia and Brian Smith’s house in Butler. Submitted photo.
Six years after getting married on Halloween in front of an audience dressed up in costumes, Tonia and Brian Smith continue to celebrate the holiday just as enthusiastically.
From skeletons to dinosaurs, a variety of animatronics and props were set up at the duo’s Butler residence for Halloween, which Tonia said is her favorite holiday.
“I go all out; I have done this for years,” said Tonia. “If I had a bigger yard, I would have a lot more, let me tell you.” Every year, the Smiths add one or two models to their collection.
With multiple life-sized models to piece together, it took Tonia and Brian several days to assemble the display.
“It takes some time, because we want to make sure it’s sitting well and we want to position it just right for everybody to see,” she said.
For Tonia, the key is to achieve the right balance between scary and whimsy.
“It’s trying to find creepy without going too far to scare everybody off,” she said. “It’s a work in progress every year.”
Festive lighting and decorations is a long-running tradition for another Butler couple, John and Joei Spencer.
But this is the Spencers’ first time adorning their new home in the city, where they moved in December. Putting everything together was a week-long process, starting with figuring out placement for all the items in the new space.
“We always try to make our holiday stuff look cute,” said Joei. Her favorite decoration this year is the glowing inflatable gnome, she said. Joei’s favorite color, purple, is also on display outside the house. John pieced together the lighting while Joei was at work, she said.
“I love the way that John was able to incorporate all the purple,” Joei said.
“I'm a perfectionist, so as you can see, it’s all symmetrical,” said John.
Joei said their decorations were the first on their street, and neighbors were encouraged to follow.
“I like that — makes the street look nicer,” she said.
Another Butler resident, Laura Engle, shared her front lawn, which was studded with skeletons of all shapes and sizes and a range of colors.
Kristen Double said her neighborhood at the edge of Butler City is always festive during Halloween. She became more involved in decorating after her family moved to the house in 2022.
One of the first additions was a giant spider, which has become iconic within the neighborhood, Double said.
“We’ve added over the years to our display,” she said. “I try to have a variety of things.”
Double even has a fog machine set up during trick-or-treating, along with music to add effect.
“My siblings bring their kids and my parents come,” said Double. Since many of the props are inflatable, kids want to check it out. “It kind of becomes a play area in a weird way, which is fun for them.”
