Arlington Halloween Home Decorating: How A Contest Was Born

ARLINGTON, MA — It was a spooky time for many in Arlington last year in the last days before the presidential elections. And one Arlington resident noticed that even though the list serve she was on didn't permit political conversations, folks seemed a little more snippy than usual.

Ash Shimbukuro got to talking with her friend Sarah Towne, who was also on in the social media group about ways to lighten the conversation and add a dash of joy to folks in Arlington who seemed to be increasingly affected by the political atmosphere last year. It was right around Halloween and suddenly the idea for the Halloween House Decoration Contest began to take shape.

"My kids and I love Halloween! From the costumes, to the candy, the scary movies and yes, the decor - we absolutely love it and look forward to celebrating every single year," said Shimbukuro.

"We wanted to make a thread on The List that would create a fun on-going discussion among the residents as well as support local Arlington businesses and that's what we did," she said.

They put the word out about the contest on the public Facebook group the Arlington List and immediately folks seemed to love the idea. The conversation took a turn toward photos of spirited houses and nominations for best decorated.

For the California transplant, being a part of the online group had become an important part of her time in Arlington. When she first joined the group she was excited to be able to interact and get to know her neighbors and learn about things happening around town. It was a happy place. But after the elections started getting under so many people's skin she said she felt happy about being able to shift it back toward happy.

"We knew the contest wouldn't solve any issues that people were originally arguing about," she said. "We just hopped it would take people's minds off long enough to make a friendly exchange to one another online that may have not have happened otherwise."

The contest was such a hit (the original post racked up 180 likes, 22 shares and more than 60 comments) that the friends decided to do a Holiday House Decor Contest in December and continue the Halloween decorating contest this year, too.

"It wasn't a whole lot if you consider the amount of residents but it was just nice to see everyone come together and participate whether it was an entry, a vote or a comment," said Shimbukuro.

How does the contest work?

Anyone can nominate a decorated house, simply by posting a photo of said house in Arlington. The number of likes that photo gets determines the vote. The photo of the Arlington home with the most likes is the winner. Winners are announced Nov. 1, the day after Halloween.

Will Steven Pappas, the reigning champ from last year win again? He says he got a late start this year on his decorations, but it looks like he's in it to win it again.

"I put a lot of work into my decorations so I'm proud of it," he told Patch recently, adding that the nice weather helps motivate him. "It helps people get interested in the community which is always a good thing."

Steven Pappas took home the grand prize in 2016. He's in it to win it again this year, too. Photo courtesy Pappas.