A cast of Halloween characters
Favorite children's characters are waiting to greet passersby on Sperry's Forge Trail in Westlake.
One of my hobbies, evolving over the past 10 years or so, is making figures of various characters to display on my front porch on Sperry’s Forge Trail in Westlake for Halloween month. Many people have been kind enough to tell me that they look forward to them so I continue, usually adding a new figure or two each year.
When I began, I used a real pumpkin as the head of each of my homespun statues – these included: Elvis, Lincoln, Toy Story’s Woody, Spider-Man, The Joker, Captain Jack Sparrow and several more. However, as time passed, I grew more and more reluctant to have to eventually toss their decaying heads into the trash each year. I then used artificial pumpkins, switching in recent years to various other construction as I made full bodies and not just heads on stands. This way I get to keep the figures and they get to return every year.
Last year, I added Charlie Brown and Snoopy to my gang, joining SpongeBob SquarePants, The Hulk and Superman from prior years. Sadly, the mostly cardboard Hulk succumbed to the heavy rains of last October and is no more. Charlie, Snoopy, SpongeBob, Superman (flying again across my driveway) are back, joined by the newly formed Lucy and Bob the Minion – all backed by “The Big Pumpkin.”
I hope you can find the time to drive by – with or without kids – to see them. Photos are welcome especially with the little ones who love these guys.
Mel Maurer
Mel Maurer lives in Westlake