Laboring on Labor Day Weekend

It's been a BUSY weekend for us!

Last weekend we managed to get our front (Halloween) fence put up. (--> Fenced in area before props were set out)

This allowed us to complete the setup of our Halloween (Light-O-Rama0 Music and Light show on Saturday of this weekend.


The show area is a bit smaller than in the past (several of the props we put out front last year were stolen so we're keeping things closer to the house and all enclosed in fence this year).
 
Our lead singer (ghostly lady on the left) is accompanied by a skeleton, a ghost, and a pair of pumpkins and skulls up front.
Also accenting the show are alternating light strings in each of the three fence panels up front, and some colorful strings in the large tree out front. All wired up to the controller and tested! :-)

There will be lots of tweaking before we start running the show - and we haven't hooked up the sound yet... but it was a major item off the checklist!

And this was just Saturday.

On Sunday we moved to the back. We have several new projects out back this year - and one remake of an old project.

View as you approach the viewing area

Viewing area with table and coffin (which will go on the table once it's properly dressed).

First new project is a new "viewing" tent in the graveyard where passers by will get to pay their respects to a VERY recently passed victim.

View as you walk toward the tunnel...

Next is a completely new prop for us that we're very excited about... a 10 foot long "spider tunnel". This weekend we got the basic frame up and covered and started to place some props inside. We have yet to add all the webbing and lighting that will really make it POP, but to give you an idea... Note you won't see what you're getting "in" to until you step inside as the entrance is on the right side and partially covered...

The approach as you'll see it walking up to it -->

And the view as you're leaving the tunnel:

Another 6ft spider in the trees as you leave the tunnel.

And looking back IF you make it through...

 

And to wrap up the weekend - on Monday we began two of the larger project areas in the back. First up was a major rehab of our 10x20 storage tent. It's getting a major makeover this year; basically turning it into a 10x20 shed with metal roof. And in the process - the front will get a temporary facelift as a hillbilly shack. 

We got the beginning of the new 2x4 framing attached to the tent - a tougher and more complicated job than we'd hoped - but it will be a twofold project for us. The shack facade will be part of the show; and after the show the new and improved wood and metal roofed shed will allow us to store a lot of our Halloween props and decorations in a secure and weatherproof environment.

I didn't include any pictures of the tent yet but we'll cover that in a future posting.

The other major obstacle for us this weekend was to get a cover over the 20x20ft "cave" area that will house the still and other surprises. Pulling two 10x20 tarps up and over the steel pipe frame in the ~90 degree heat and 95% humidity was no small feat in itself. We did get it up and lightly secured as we figure out how to handle the side panels and water runoff.

Top tarps over the future moonshine still cave