(Halloween's over, but you can still see photos of some inspired Halloween decor in our village. For the photos, go to my blog post of Oct. 25 on ARollingCrone.blogspot.com--http://arollingcrone.blogspot.com/2013/10/halloween-decor-grins-gore-in-grafton.html . Yesterday's post, "Ronald Reagan's White House Ghost" is on top of my blog right now and is also posted on the Huffington Post Blog http://www.huffingtonpost.com/joan-gage/white-house-ghosts_b_4175961.html?utm_hp_ref=fifty&ir=Fifty.
Living in our picturesque New England village of Grafton, MA, I usually make my Halloween decorations from the traditional pumpkins, gourds and cornstalks purchased at one of our local farms, like Nourse Farm in Westborough, which has been owned by the same family for 300 years, ever since their ancestor, Rebecca Nurse, was accused of being a witch and her sons left Salem, one of them settling here.
But Halloween decor brings out a stunning level of creativity and talent in our little village--for instance, in this Colonial mansion, right down the road (Rte 140) from us, which houses Bergeron Creative Studios and its leading creators, Al Bergeron and Dara King. Every season I eagerly await their latest brainstorm. This year's Halloween house produced giant pumpkins.
Last year's was all about giant spiders. Whatever they do, their decor stops traffic and evokes honks of approval during the rush hour.
Further up Route 140 is a humble Xtramart Convenience store, but one of its employees, a young woman named Missy Vassar, so loves decorating that she turns the place into a veritable museum every season, using her own props, and her talent creates folk art, especially at Halloween. But she doesn't forget that the store is there to sell, well, convenient products.
Inside there's a ghastly couple in the middle of the Halloween candy.
And three skeletons flying over the automobile products.
A one-eyed witch stirs up trouble by the Hefty bags.
A purple witch is pushing Pepsi.
A large spider hangs out in the frozen food.
The Queen of Halloween threatens.
A floating wizard has a soda can in one hand and a spider in the other.