Couple leaves no (head)stone unturned in decorating for Halloween

Published 1:32 pm Saturday, October 24, 2020

It seems it’s not just the kids who get to have all the fun on Halloween.  

Andy Jackson and Cathy McArdle are getting in on the action, too.  

The pair, who live in Glenwood Circle, has transformed their yard into a ghoulish playground for all things that go bump in the night.

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And to make things more chilling, they make sure the spirits aren’t resting in peace

“Some days I might change it where a skeleton changes positions,” McArdle said, or they will add some other ghostly effect.

This will be the couple’s second year to decorate their yard for Halloween.

McArdle said she has always loved Halloween.

“Halloween is like my favorite holiday. It trumps Christmas,” she said.

Last year, McArdle said she and Jackson decorated their yard similarly to how it started out this year, but after seeing the number of trick or treaters they had last year, decided to make things a bit more thrilling.

Admittedly, they are also in a bit of a competition with their neighbors.

“This is kind of hilarious,” McArdle said.

Jackson and McArdle had met a couple from down the street last year after Halloween. After this couple found out it was Jackson and McArdle who had gone all out with their decorations, McArdle said, they joked with them about their enthusiasm.

“It turned out they were like the big wigs when it came to Halloween and they were like, ‘You can’t come in here your first year in the neighborhood and do that,’” McArdle said. “So it’s a little bit of a competition and that’s why we are setting it up in increments. We don’t want everything out there all at once and they figure out how to trump us.”

However, McArdle did reveal that digital decorating is yet to come. This entails a projector with short movies put on the screen — including audio.

“We have spooky stuff and not so spooky for kids like singing pumpkins,” Jackson said. “We will probably roll some of that out about two nights before (Halloween).

While the couple has an abundance of Halloween décor out this year with more to come, all of it is new.

Jackson said the couple’s storage unit was recently broken into, with the suspects stealing all of the couple’s Halloween decorations.

Fortunately, this did not deter them from the frightful fun.

“The kids enjoy it and the neighborhood enjoys it. We had a ton of trick or treaters,” McArdle said. So the hair-raising entertainment continues.

About Terri Cowart Frazier

Terri Frazier was born in Cleveland. Shortly afterward, the family moved to Vicksburg. She is a part-time reporter at The Vicksburg Post and is the editor of the Vicksburg Living Magazine, which has been awarded First Place by the Mississippi Press Association. She has also been the recipient of a First Place award in the MPA’s Better Newspaper Contest’s editorial division for the “Best Feature Story.”

Terri graduated from Warren Central High School and Mississippi State University where she received a bachelor’s degree in communications with an emphasis in public relations.

Prior to coming to work at The Post a little more than 10 years ago, she did some freelancing at the Jackson Free Press. But for most of her life, she enjoyed being a full-time stay at home mom.

Terri is a member of the Crawford Street United Methodist Church. She is a lifetime member of the Vicksburg Junior Auxiliary and is a past member of the Sampler Antique Club and Town and Country Garden Club. She is married to Dr. Walter Frazier.

“From staying informed with local governmental issues to hearing the stories of its people, a hometown newspaper is vital to a community. I have felt privileged to be part of a dedicated team at The Post throughout my tenure and hope that with theirs and with local support, I will be able to continue to grow and hone in on my skills as I help share the stories in Vicksburg. When asked what I like most about my job, my answer is always ‘the people.’

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