House Decorating Contest Is Largest Ever

On Independence Day, 14 properties—comprising 13 residences and one business—participated in the annual Proud Neighbors of Collingswood House Decorating Contest. 

And according to Proud Neighbors' Member and Contest Judge Lois Stick, this year's event yielded more registrants than ever before.

"We've been hosting the House Decorating Contest for about five years now. And according to my records from the past, this year was the most homes we've ever had," said Stick of the 14 entries.

The high level of participation made judging more difficult than usual, said Stick of the Proud Neighbors' seven-member judging panel.

"It was hard, judging the homes this year," said Stick. "One year we had seven homes, and another year only five entered. So evaluating 14 beautifully decorated properties wasn't particularly easy to do."

The seven judges began their route at 9:30 a.m. on Monday, July 4, personally stopping at each participant's property and judging decorations based on patriotism, American spirit, creativity and more. 

Later that night, a total of five contest winners in four categories were announced by Commissioner Joan Leonard during the Collingswood Fourth of July and Show.

The All American Home award was the only category resulting in two winners, as judges couldn't decide which house would be the tie-breaker.

The following five properties were chosen as winners in four categories. All judges cast their votes on individual score sheets, and results were tallied. A Proud Neighbors' judge will hand-deliver Collingswood Cash prizes to this year's winning homes, listed below:

• Most Patriotic Home—Bonnie Mason—147 Frazer Ave., Collingswood

A word from Judge Stick—"What really jumped out with Bonnie's home was, in the front yard, she'd draped a large American flag behind a pair of servicemen's boots, a helmet, gun and goggles. It was a real tribute to our country's military."

• Most Decorated Home—Steve and Nancy Marino—500 King Ave., Collingswood

A word from Judge Stick—"There were really no holds barred here; the Marinos literally had put up 100 or so American flags everywhere on their property. Everything was covered."

• Historical Home—John and Lori Chomiczewski—734 Park Ave., Collingswood

A word from Judge Stick—"The question that always comes up with this Historical Home category is, 'How can (judges) tell which property is most historic?' Judges can determine this by assessing the rain gutters and other original (architectural) aspects of a home. Restoring and preserving the history of Collingswood is our mission in Proud Neighbors, and in this case, the Chomiczewski's home did just that."

• All-American Home—First Place—Maryann Skedzielewski—175 Frazer Ave., Collingswood

A word from Judge Stick—"Decorating this home must've taken hours. Everything was decorated—the front, the back, the side yards—even the Skedzielewskis' dog was dressed in patriotic attire, and came out to greet the judges."

• All-American Home—Second Place—The Pease Family—34 East Collings Ave., Collingswood

A word from Judge Stick—"Little Savannah (Pease), who is 9 years old, was largely the creator of her family's decorating scheme. A couple of years ago, the Peases won our House Decorating Contest. And this year, Savannah added some new items, like a bicentennial coin collection, and some ceramic statues that were her grandfather's. She just loves history; it's adorable. The Peases did a great job."

"The beauty of this event is that the community comes together in true American spirit," said Stick. "Everyone's a winner. There isn't a serious, competitive atmosphere in decorating or judging; it's a fun, low-key tradition that everyone involved can enjoy. Congratulations to all participants, whose homes truly surpassed our expectations."

In addition to previously mentioned homeowners, the following participants' hard work and patriotic spirit helped make this year's event the most successful in Collingswood history:

• The Ambruster Family—7 Center Street, Collingswood
• Ellie Kuzma—947 Park Avenue, Collingswood
• The Celia Family—605 Stokes Avenue, Collingswood
• Delores Bobb—59 East Collings Avenue, Collingswood
• Heather and Jennifer Hayes—108 East Madison Avenue, Collingswood
• Jon and Rosemary Wackerle—120 East Palmer Avenue, Collingswood
• Brad's Toy Room—Brad and Mandi Bricker, Owners—807 Haddon Avenue, Collingswood
• Jean Harper—819 Park Avenue, Collingswood
• Jim and Patti Scharff—28 Woodlawn Avenue, Collingswood

Patch photographed each of the 14 properties registered in Monday's House Decorating Contest. All entries can be viewed in the photo gallery accompanying this story.