Ghoulish, eerie dominate Anoka's Halloween decorating contest

Dan Wiswell confesses it's a macabre obsession that haunts him year-round.

He labors like a mad scientist cobbling together bodies, constructing tombstones and resurrecting a cemetery in his front lawn each year for the Anoka Halloween house decorating contest. Residents of the self-proclaimed "Halloween Capital of the World: take that title seriously.

"It started on a lark a few years ago, cleaning out old clothing and masks that were my dad's. The kids in the neighborhood went nuts," said Wiswell, a courier by day. "It's kind of like a sickness. You start thinking how you could repurpose things."

He points to an elaborate tombstone on his front lawn on 38th Lane in Anoka. Talk about repurposing: It's made largely of a Styrofoam cooler and an old angel knickknack.

Wiswell is one of 13 homeowners who competed this year for the title of best outdoor display. Most say they plot and create all year for the contest.

Wiswell, 37, won last year. This year, he finished second with his vampire-themed "Our Dusk, Their Dawn." The display features a full-sized mausoleum and coffin, Resurrection Cemetery, more than a dozen life-size vampires and vampire hunters (many that move), plenty of skeletons in various states of decay and a life-size witch flying above the roof. He took home first last year with "Blight Upon the Land," which included ghoulish scarecrows roasting things on a spit over a campfire and a scarecrow manipulating an old hand pump with "blood" flowing from its spout. (Many gawkers commented the blood smelled a bit like fruity Kool-Aid.)

Wiswell doesn't have any children, but his nieces, nephews and neighbors all help out. He also finds inspiration online. His favorite website is pumpkinrot.com.

Wiswell said he relies on people's dark imaginations and innuendo as much as gore to scare visitors.

"People appreciate mine doesn't have a lot of blood and gore," Wiswell said. "It's not over-the-top violence."

Last week, judges and other Anoka Halloween volunteers boarded a bus and toured the entries in the dark of night.

The décor may be morbid, but the mood is merry as judges snap pictures, take notes and chat among themselves. They point out little details to one another — Did you see the bloody teddy bear in the bushes? The skull's eyes light up.

This year's home decorating contest is the 23rd, but the citywide celebration dates to 1920, when community members created a series of spooky, fun events to divert children and teens from Halloween pranks. Back then, "when Anokans awoke to find their cows roaming Main Street, their windows soaped and their outhouses tipped over, they decided something had to be done," said the nonprofit Anoka Halloween Inc., which oversees the annual festivities. Events over the years have included parades, dances, pillow fights and a variety of decorating and costume contests.

Heidi Wells is the home-decorating contest coordinator. "The community, the family — that's what I love about it," she said.

Judges gravitate to handmade decorations, original ideas and family participation.

Darlene and Gerald Lazarz of Andover have competed for 20 years. Theirs is a bit more cheery for the younger kids.

"We enjoy having the kids come on Halloween," Darlene Lazarz said. Last year they counted 110 trick-or-treaters.

Many entrants dress up and play a role in their nightmare visions. That might have been what secured the win at Candy and John Dreshar's house on Orchid Street in Andover.

More than a dozen creepy nightmare characters, including disturbing clowns, a witch and Beetlejuice, wandered their lawn as judges arrived. Two young, hollow-eyed girls in tattered dresses stood at the front gate silently greeting guests. One of the girls dragged a metal pole behind her, creating an eerie sound as it scraped the pavement. The girls — Kelsey Haggard and Sarah Koester — don't speak but they circle the school bus one more time before the judges leave.

Anoka may take Halloween to new heights, but the holiday has grown across the country. Total spending on Halloween this year will reach $7.4 billion, according to the National Retail Federation.

For a list of winners, go to http://anokahalloween.com

Shannon Prather • 612-673-4804