The four winners of the 2022 myBurbank News Halloween House Decorating Contest have been selected!
Here are the victors for each of our categories:
Our Spookiest Decorations winner is: Pam Elliott of 427 N Reese Pl.
Elliott’s goal was to make “a spooky haunted graveyard” outside of her home this year. The Burbank community member used visual effects to create chilling scenes in her front windows and festive additions like singing Halloween pumpkins, ghosts and dancings skeletons.
“I did some research on how to do projections and hollusions so that ghosts would be hanging out amongst our tombstones, make pumpkins come to life with singing fun songs and show some scary scenes happening in the house,” Elliott said. “I also learned how to create 5-foot tall tombstones and make them look realistic.”
Elliott will be given a box of spooktacular Halloween cookies from Modern Bite, where customers can order tasty custom cookies with amazing designs for special occasions like weddings, birthdays, baby showers and more.
“I feel honored and excited to have won! And I’m looking forward to having some yummy cookies for my birthday coming up,” Elliott said. “Thank you so much for putting on this contest for Burbank … there are so many great houses in this area – I’m sure it was hard to judge!”
The Most Unique Decorations winners are: Arnulfo Padilla and Tina Schaefer of 1505 N Valley St. The couple created a stunning Wizard of Oz scene at their home that features life-size figures of the main characters from the movie, a yellow brick road, a glowing apple tree, and a replica of the Emerald City that covers the exterior of the house.
Their reward is a $50 gift card from Tequilas Cantina & Grill, a lively Burbank eatery that provides delectable Mexican food and includes services such as patio dining, to-go orders, and catering for private events.
The Cute ‘N Creepy Decorations winners are: Natalie and Jimmy Escobar of 1821 Bonita Ave. These champs decided to use a Nightmare Before Christmas theme for their decorations after being encouraged to do so by their son, who is a fan of the animated film. Characters from the movie and details such as the Town Square Fountain, the Holiday Doors and the Christmas tree with presents are incorporated into the eye-catching decorations.
“This was a labor of love, and to be even considered with Burbank’s finest decorators is truly rewarding in itself,” the pair said.
They will receive a $50 gift card to MA’s Italian Kitchen, a homey dining spot with delicious, classic Italian meals at reasonable prices for the whole family.
And lastly, our Best Overall Decorations winners are: Michael, Kathy, Sam and Noah Reyes of 814 N Bel Aire Dr.
Drawing inspiration from numerous sources, the family created a “Voodoo Village” concept for their front yard display. This includes a lit-up green swamp area complete with a 4-foot inflatable alligator, false rats, snakes, insects and a frog, as well as an archway adorned with bones and branches. This structure is illuminated with red LED lights and was made using “old two-by-four lumber, fallen wood and bark from our local mountains, old bones, skulls, hands and feet typically used in most of [the family’s] Halloween displays,” Michael explained. Furthermore, spooky fog blows through the yard while the sounds of thunder, lightning, and banjo music can be heard on display nights.
“We took a little of Disney’s Princess and the Frog, Mardi Gras, the Bayou and voodoo magic and mixed them together to give you our vision of the Voodoo Village,” Michael said.
They have earned a $100 gift card to Red Maple Cafe. This restaurant serves coffee, espresso, tea, a full breakfast menu, sandwiches, salads, bowls and more to customers in a warm, welcoming setting.
Upon receiving the award, Michael described his family’s joy in witnessing the community’s enthusiastic response to their elaborate Halloween lights.
“It is such an honor to win best overall decorations! Working on this project for most of October gives me and my family pride that we were able to execute a display that brought out some emotion from each of you,” Michael said. “Whether it be happiness, fear or excitement … we are so happy to have been part of this!”
Thank you to everybody who entered their homes in the competition, and Happy Halloween to all!
Below is a list of homes that have been selected for honorable mention of the contest:
1738 N Evergreen St.
2352 N Orchard Dr.
1921 N Rose St.
532 S Mariposa St.
2028 N Maple St.
2020 N Manning St.
511 N Parish Place
1021 N California St.
1621 N Frederic St.
1030 N Cordova St.
