Halloween Home Decorating Contest celebrates community
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Lucy Lopshire, Staff Writer
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October 28, 2021
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Belmont’s Parks and Recreation Department worked to get the city in holiday spirits as Halloween inches closer. With their second annual Halloween Home Decorating Contest, residents of Belmont were able to decorate their houses with the fuel of competition. Belmont created the competition as a placeholder for trick or treating in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The goal was to have Belmont residents out-boo their neighbors with a socially distanced contest and also allow the community to view the wonderfully decorated homes with a driving map,” Micheal Moran said. Moran is the Recreation Supervisor for Youth & Teen Services for Belmont and worked with several other Parks and Recreation Department members to put on the event. The contest drew 13 participants, fewer than last year. Still, the department noticed a pattern of quality over quantity, with Moran mentioning that the participants put a lot of time and effort into their designs. |
Belmont Parks & Recreation Staff
One of the participants in the Home Decorating Halloween Contest showcases an abundance of ghosts and other spooky decorations. |
These participants decorated for the enjoyment of the holiday, but there was also a prize involved. Each winner received a lawn sign stating their achievement and a Parks and Recreation “swag bag.” The bag entailed a pair of sunglasses, a flashlight, a frisbee, a tote bag, and a notebook. With this incentive, the houses were judged based on two categories, Scare-tastic and Too Cute to Spook. Both categories had three placings, with the winner of the Scare-tastic group being 1121 Furlong Street, while the winner of the Too Cute to Spook group was 202 Hiller Street. These winners were determined in drive-by judging done on October 21 and 22.
“We had a total of six judges, and they used our judging criteria matrix. Each judge submitted their results to the department without knowing the other judges’ submissions,” Moran said.
The criteria matrix broke down into four categories with a maximum total of seven points. The categories were theme, composition, originality, and a booster point where the judges essentially picked their favorite.
The event promoted community and unity, creating an opportunity for the city to bond together.
“Our mission statement is ‘Enhancing the Quality of Life for the Community,’ and I personally truly see our local community embracing our mission statement during these challenging times,” Micheal Moran said. “When visiting the homes, I see different parts of Belmont that I usually don’t visit, and talking with the neighbors is so rewarding. So, my favorite part is getting to visit the community and giving everyone a chance to view all the wonderful, decorated homes.”
The event helped unite families and city council members alike. The houses remain decorated, and the city created an interactive map with a list of the homes involved so that Belmont residents can visit them at any time. As for the future of the event, Moran wants to continue the tradition.
“We will continue to offer this event as long as the community continues to participate,” Moran said.
These participants decorated for the enjoyment of the holiday, but there was also a prize involved. Each winner received a lawn sign stating their achievement and a Parks and Recreation “swag bag.” The bag entailed a pair of sunglasses, a flashlight, a frisbee, a tote bag, and a notebook. With this incentive, the houses were judged based on two categories, Scare-tastic and Too Cute to Spook. Both categories had three placings, with the winner of the Scare-tastic group being 1121 Furlong Street, while the winner of the Too Cute to Spook group was 202 Hiller Street. These winners were determined in drive-by judging done on October 21 and 22.
“We had a total of six judges, and they used our judging criteria matrix. Each judge submitted their results to the department without knowing the other judges’ submissions,” Moran said.
The criteria matrix broke down into four categories with a maximum total of seven points. The categories were theme, composition, originality, and a booster point where the judges essentially picked their favorite.
The event promoted community and unity, creating an opportunity for the city to bond together.
“Our mission statement is ‘Enhancing the Quality of Life for the Community,’ and I personally truly see our local community embracing our mission statement during these challenging times,” Micheal Moran said. “When visiting the homes, I see different parts of Belmont that I usually don’t visit, and talking with the neighbors is so rewarding. So, my favorite part is getting to visit the community and giving everyone a chance to view all the wonderful, decorated homes.”
The event helped unite families and city council members alike. The houses remain decorated, and the city created an interactive map with a list of the homes involved so that Belmont residents can visit them at any time. As for the future of the event, Moran wants to continue the tradition.
“We will continue to offer this event as long as the community continues to participate,” Moran said.