Halloween in Schoentown

by Lindsey Shuey

SCHOENTOWN — Teresa Kline sat in her living room, smiling, as orange and green lights moved across the walls and witches and ghouls watched from the shadows.

“It’s just traditional,” Kline said. “It’s just good, family Halloween.”

Kline’s classic Halloween theme of pumpkins and skeletons has been a tradition in her family for approximately 33 years. She decorates her home — inside and out — in extravagant Halloween decorations that feature animatronics and homemade characters.

Her porch is home to “The Nightmare Before Christmas” characters Jack Skellington and Sally, whom Kline and her family made from PVC pipe and a windsock. The spooky residents include witches, skeletons and a gravedigger.

Although her house is easy to find when driving through Schoentown at night, Kline said many people find out about her house through word-of-mouth.

“I’ve been meeting so many neighbors that I never knew I had,” she said.

Kline said she saw an increase in onlookers last Halloween, which she believes was due to COVID-19 restrictions and her house appearing in the Republican Herald.

“This was kind of like a safe spot,” Kline said. “They can come out and run on the porch and play with the stuff.”

Kline is working on expanding her Halloween fun to the backyard at the request of her young visitors.

Growing up, Kline celebrated a quiet Halloween with her parents.

“Back then, early ’70s, they didn’t really have anything but the macaroni decorations,” Kline said.

As a child, she only went in trick-or-treating a handful of times due to schoolmates not living nearby. Her expression of Halloween now is a way for her to make up for the lack of childhood festivities.

Kline hopes that one day, when she’s no longer able to decorate, her daughters will want to “shop from the garage” and carry on the tradition of providing neighbors with Halloween chills and thrills.

Story, photos, and video originally published Oct. 23, 2021 in the Republican Herald.