CULTURE&MEDIA
Friday October 19, 2012
“Red” Page 11
Classifieds Page 12
A dinner party of the dead [KEISUKE YOSHIMURA] THEDAKOTASTUDENT
HALLOWEEN Kelly Straub embraces the month of fright by decorating her entire yard for all to enjoy. CECILIE ENGESETH THEDAKOTASTUDENT
It might look like a haunted house because in this home Halloween decorations have gone wild. The spooky-looking residence brings hundreds of curious fans every day. Kelly Straub is just an average resident of the Grand Forks community with a gift of creating some spine-chilling landscape. She started making the terrifying scenery in August, with the idea of creating real-looking figures sitting down for a formal dinner party — in what would appear to anyone that is not a monster, a grotesque scene. The bodies present at the dinner party are made out of chicken wire and Styrofoam, decorated with clothing from the thrift store and cheap accessories. Straub
said she used stuffed animals’ “If I knew I wouldn’t do eyes on her figures. it,” Straub said. She says that “I had a huge stack of teddy she always buys cheap materibears with no eyes,” she said. als to work with. Straub has She knows her hobby might also learned what material can seem different to many, but she stand the harsh North Dakota loves what she’s doing. elements. “I started with small decora“We leave the set up out for tions in 1983,” Straub said. the whole month of October, Now, collecting odd things we’ll even leave it out in the for the Halloween yard has be- snow.” come a yearlong operation. Kelly Straub’s front yard “ M y has become son called My son called me and quite the me and atsaid that he found tourist said that he traction. a coffin on sale ... I With more found a coffin on sale,” thought he was jok- than 600 Straub said. visitors on ing. “I thought Kelly Straub Halloween he was jokyear, Halloween decorator last ing!” she expects Straub nothing less said the seller had put a coffin this year. “Last year, a group of out for sale as a joke to see if high school kids came and did someone would actually buy it. their graduation pictures here.” “Let me tell you, it’s not The enchanting creepiness very comfortable,” Straub said has brought in more than just pointing at the coffin. Visitors high school students. Straub has to Struab’s spooky residence an audience of all ages. “Some have lain in the coffin before. nursing homes make a trip over “They lay down and say ‘Quick, here,” she said. Straub has even take my picture!’” added an area for younger chilWhat the frightening fig- dren that is less frightening than ures have cost her she does not the main attraction. know. Straub hopes her extreme decorations will bring back the good old-fashioned trickor-treating. “It’s a way for me to show off my creativity,” she
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(Above) Kelly Straub doesn’t like to buy all her decorations. She tries to create most of her decorations with materials she finds. She often buys masks from different costume distributors and paints over them, giving them a whole new look. (Right) This year, her big scene is a dinner party of a rather dead-looking crew of ghoulish creatures. Photos by Keisuke Yoshimura.
Straub uses Styrofoam and chicken wire to form her body shapes. She makes most of her decorations in her garage and securely places them to the ground in order for her creations to withstand the ever-changing North Dakota weather.
said. Straub has worked in a daycare, but likes to show off her creative talent and inspire people. With her decorating tradition, the numbers of visitors have skyrocketed. In previous years Straub has had to ask for volunteers in putting it all together. “People donate money or material, too,” she said. Straub’s front yard is open to any curious person. She will
be serving hot chocolate on the night of Halloween. It is Straub’s hopes that she can haunt several trick or treaters who stop by with her hocus-pocus. Straub’s spooky dwelling is located on 18th Avenue South in Grand Forks. Cecilie Engeseth is a staff writer for The Dakota Student. She can be reached at cecilie. engeseth@my.und.edu