Now in its eighth year, the Toluca Lake Halloween House-Decorating Contest sponsored by Tina Smith Homes brought neighbors together for some frightful fun with themes as inventive as they were spine-chilling. Participants pulled out all the stops with creative displays to earn votes and community admiration.
This year’s 11 decorated homes transformed the neighborhood into a thrilling Halloween playground. Some of the highlights included the “Toluca Haunted Mansion,” a spooky estate filled with eerie portraits, tombstones and skeletons, and a frightening “carnival of nightmares” featuring a creepy circus of evil clowns daring anyone brave enough to approach.
Ruth Ann Jones and McKenzie Allyn took home the best-in-show award for their Forman Avenue home’s spooky twist on a beloved classic with its Wizard of Oz–themed display. Skeletons stood in for Dorothy, the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, the Cowardly Lion, Toto, flying monkeys, Munchkins and the Wizard himself, creating a nostalgic yet eerie atmosphere. Completing the display was the iconic Wicked Witch of the West, watching over the enchanted scene from the rooftop.
Also on Forman, Michael and Gabrielle Bolton’s home was voted most creative for its incredibly detailed Harry Potter theme, sure to make any witch or wizard proud. The display featured quidditch goals on the roof, the brick-wall entrance to Diagon Alley, and the Hogwarts Express dramatically emerging at Platform 9¾.
The award for best craftsmanship went to Gregg Birkhimer and Evan Mitchell on Clybourn Avenue for their colorful Nightmare Before Christmas display, which featured Jack Skellington, Sally and Zero the dog, surrounded by an intricately detailed Halloween Town scene. Last but not least, Sarah and Stephen Whitney won the spookiest award for their hair-raising display that proclaimed, “Here lie the Pirates of Clybourn Manor.” Their haunted setup included tombstones and a skeleton pirate guarding his treasure. Adding to the fright was a ghostly figure standing in the second-story window, casting an unsettling gaze over the festivities below.
Halloween Bike Ride
Cyclists took to the streets for a festive outing celebrating Halloween and showcasing the neighborhood’s love for spooky fun at the Halloween Bike Ride on October 27, organized by the Toluca Lake Homeowners Association and sponsored by Tina Smith Homes/Sotheby’s International Realty. Starting from the Chase Bank parking lot, 20 community members, decked out in their most chilling costumes, pedaled throughout the neighborhood and checked out the creatively eerie homes entered in Smith’s annual Halloween House-Decorating Contest.
Community Howl
Pet lovers and their furry friends gathered on October 30 for a festive community dog walk hosted by Mutt & Mingle and sponsored by the Toluca Lake Chamber of Commerce and a number of local businesses. In addition to the group stroll down Riverside Drive, the event included prizes for the best costumes, giveaways and keepsake photos of community members with their pups.