Miss Fortune/Image: Facebook @Matteo Iadonisi
A Pennsylvania man’s four-year effort to turn his sister’s front lawn into a Halloween attraction has culminated in a 70-foot homemade pirate ship, complete with costumed characters welcoming visitors. Halloween, also known as All Hallows’ Eve, is observed on October 31 and has roots in the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, which marked the transition from summer to winter around November 1.
Lisa Knox said she sometimes returns from grocery shopping to find the scale of the installation at her home hard to believe. The free display, built by Chris Clark with help from relatives and friends, has become an annual project at his sister’s home in Broomall. The project has also become a shared activity for the neighbourhood. Another family member described the work as a team effort, with people from the community joining in as the display grows each year. The Celts believed the boundary between the living and the dead became thinner during this period, prompting traditions such as lighting bonfires and wearing costumes to ward off spirits.
Clark works as a business office manager at a local nursing home and previously spent 10 years as a wedding planner. He also studied theatre design and technology at DeSales University, a background that has informed his approach to building large-scale themed displays. His own home did not attract enough Halloween visitors, so his sister, Lisa Knox, and brother-in-law, Dan Knox, offered their front lawn as a venue. Clark began using the property about four years ago, with the family and their neighbours helping him bring each year’s concept to life.