By Pauline Masson –
This is the 22nd year in a row for Dan McClain’s yard to welcome kids of all ages to come within selfie distance of ghosts, goblins, grinches, bats, dragons, spiders, and the hallmark of all Halloweens past, a coven of witches.
This year, the most outrageous witch of them all – Ursula – the villainous sea witch from Walt Disney’s Little Mermaid returns to the Halloween extravaganza in Dan’s yard at South Payne Street and Arbor Lane.
For anyone who doesn’t know, Ursula was first seen in the original Hans Christian Anderson story The Little Sea Maid, but Disney writers imagined her a much trickier baddie who made all kinds of trouble for the little mermaid herself – Ariel.
Dan had an earlier version of Ursula, a few years back, but her tentacles broke and Dan took her out of the show. But he never forgot her. This year, he placed the latest version of her center stage, just to the right of his front door. And he and Brenda posed beside her for a photo to grace their Halloween card.
Anyone who drives along Payne Street knows that Dan’s installation of this year’s legion of Halloween characters came to life over a week ago. Lights are turned on each day at dusk. Motorists pull over and youngsters pile out to trek along the sidewalk that covers three sides of the property to stare at the lighted ensemble in motion. The show runs through Halloween, October 31. Dan and his minions have assembled enough candy for all the trick or treaters in town, with some left over for out of town visitors. After two decades of this ever expanding display visitors come from everywhere to share a glorified grown-up version of the magical Halloween’s of Dan’s youth in North St. Louis. But that’s another story.
Halloween is one of America’s favorite holidays. Unlike those holidays that the federal government has officially rescheduled to the previous Monday so everyone can have a three-day weekend, Halloween always takes place on October 31 – ‘All Hallows Eve.”
Adults and Children, men and women, shy persons and showoffs dress up in sometimes spooky garb aimed to create a little magic. Last year American’s spent more than $10 billion on Halloween, the economists tell us.
And every year, Dan sneaks past the crew that installs his light show – who warn him against adding any more lighted creatures –
And every year, Dan sneaks past the crew that installs his light show – who urge him against adding any more lighted creatures – to buy something new for the big show.
This year it was Ursula.
Without the crew – the same group year after year – assembling the display would be a 40 hours job for two people.
“Working together, we can put it all together in about a day and a half,” Dan said.
When the holiday is over, they spend another day and a half packing it all back onto the orange tubs for storage in the garage.
Although Halloween 2001 was the first of these light shows in the Payne Street yard, Dan later added similar extravaganzas for St. Patrick’s Day, Easter, July Fourth, Thanksgiving and Christmas.
