Ghouls Night Out

Halloween is all about kids demanding a bribe in the form of candy. Otherwise, as the explicit threat “trick or treat” succinctly points out, there will be unspecified mayhem or vandalism to the householder’s domicile. This is, after all, the “nightmare before Christmas.”

You could tour through most neighborhoods on Marco on the evening of October 31 without being accosted by a band of zombies, ghosts, and spooks – even though it was Halloween, All Hallows’ Eve, the traditional night for costumed candy extortion. Around Tommie Barfield Elementary, though, not so much. 

The residential streets surrounding the school have become a mecca for Halloween revelers. Families bring out their children from all over the island and beyond, for some old-fashioned, albeit chaperoned, trick or treating, and many of the adults indulge in a little dress-up themselves. The classic television Addams Family showed up – retired fire chief Mike Murphy was Lurch the butler to his daughter Andrea Leiner’s Morticia, with her daughter O’Hara Leiner, 12, as Wednesday Addams. Juan Carlos Pons and Shannon came as the Incredibles’ Mr. Incredible and Elastic Girl, with Mia, five, and Marcos, two, in matching red and black. 

Homeowners take their spooky fun seriously, with some putting out dozens of creepy front yard embellishments, from giant spiders, skeletal animatronic butlers – “the master is just dying to see you” – wispy ghosts dangling from the trees, witches with glowing, glaring eyes, and skulls and bony hands reaching up out of the earth in front of inflatable RIP-emblazoned tombstones. 

Perhaps the pinnacle of ghoulish décor came at the house of Maria Magee, who had seemingly every Halloween-related lawn decoration, leading up to the inflatable castle archway where the mistress herself handed out treats wearing a white zombie mask. The effort bespoke thousands of dollars and hours upon hours spent, as well as a serious storage issue for the rest of the year. 

“I’ve been doing this since I bought the house in 2001,” said Magee. “You should see the inside of the house – it’s Halloween in every corner.”

At a number of houses along the way, there were treats for the adults as well. Gary and Eymy Griska offered up a buffet in their garage and welcomed friends and strangers alike. They have participated in the neighborhood “spookathon” for over 22 years, and some residents say the tradition goes back 35 years or more.

The Marco Island Police Department had a massive presence, with officers on foot and in their patrol vehicles, as well as crossing guards at every intersection, making sure everyone stayed safe. Ten or more of the guards came from the Marco Police Foundation, including Bernadette DiPino, a former law enforcement officer herself and a member of the MPF board. 

With all the parents shepherding the kids around, not to mention law enforcement at every corner, there was no evidence of “tricks” being perpetrated – not that the youngsters of Marco Island would ever do such a thing. But unlike all the patriotic and religious holidays on the calendar, Halloween, along with the “Dia de los Muertos” or Day of the Dead coming soon after, speak to a darker little corner of the psyche and give people a chance to let their inner demons – or Mighty Morphing Power Rangers – walk free for a few hours.