Frederic Sandy’s “31 Days of Halloween” in Forest Hills
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Behind The Scenes at The Spooktacular Halloween House!
By Michael Perlman | mperlman@queensledger.com
2023 Halloween with 112th Precint Community Affairs officers with Frederic Sandy
There is no shortage of Halloween decor, festivities, and treats when it comes to Forest Hills. On Halloween or “Hallowe’en,” derived from “All Hallows’ Evening” in Old English, Austin Street and Metropolitan Avenue shops and restaurants, apartment buildings, schools, and banks are among the destinations that cultivate a neighborly and creative spirit. The adorned Forest Hills Gardens’ rowhouses along Burns Street and nearby offer a field day for trick-or-treaters of all ages.
A Halloween mastermind is Frederic Sandy, who along with his family, calls Forest Hills home since 2007. He is the originator of the “31 Days of Halloween” at 87-23 69th Avenue near Metropolitan Avenue and Sybilla Street, and often begins decorating on the first day of fall. “It’s great to see folks start passing by early in September, to see if we have begun,” said Sandy. When this real estate and property management professional is not planning and giving back to the community through his epitome Halloween decor and festivities, he pursues his love for amateur astronomy, plays guitar, and is up for a nature hike.
Since 2014, the “31 Days of Halloween” tradition continues to grow, and Sandy is grateful for the community who also contributed to a success story. Previously, his family and friends would only host Halloween parties. He explained, “I’ve seen trends over the past few years of ‘Summerween,’ where enthusiasts begin getting into a Halloween spirit very early. While I myself don’t do that, it is tradition to begin decorating on the first day of fall and hopefully be ready by October 1. To dress up our house for the community to come only on one day would be a disservice, so we like to think that beginning on October 1, the season begins, and our house is open for business.”
2023 selection of donated jack-o’-lanterns
Each year, new visitors uncover the buzz of what feels like the ultimate haunted house, and loyal visitors are eager to see what will distinguish it from earlier years. “This year, we started getting creative by producing video shorts on social media and created a website dedicated to our home. Our goal is to make it bigger in years to come and add all things Halloween in our community, and not just our home. We always try to add new things every year, which can be challenging since we are mostly out of space. We were able to create DIY additions without sacrificing space for visitors to move around freely.” Sandy takes pride when visitors pinpoint new additions.
The spooktacular ambiance may make a visitor feel as if they jumped into another dimension, as beauty is in the detail, and music offers a stage production vibe. He explained, “Some decorations are over ten years old and require extra care, as most are not meant to be outdoors, so lots of time goes into fixing some decorations. Getting our lighting to be just right is the key to making our decorations stand out. We dedicate a lot of time towards moving things around, just to get the right mood. Having music in the background has been a success, as it adds to the experience. On Halloween, we go from having spooky ambiance music to having a full-blown party vibe with the most famous Halloween hits and other great tunes.”
Another attraction is the community’s participation in the “100 Pumpkin Challenge,” which entails dropping off creative pumpkin carvings, enabling local residents to play a role by adding to the display. “The more jack-o’-lanterns we receive, the better it makes our house stand out. The first year we arranged that was in 2020, which symbolized having the community stand together in midst of all the negativity. I really strive for the pumpkin challenge, and find it really heartwarming when folks wish to be part of it,” he said.
A 2024 clown scarecrow offers a giant lollipop & Spooktacular pals greet residents
This year, Sandy promised to scale back on his budget, but has not compromised quality. A decent amount of funds is dedicated towards purchasing treats, especially for the children. He finds himself maintaining statistics, where he and his family prepare over 1,500 goodie bags annually and runs out. “The funny thing is I jokingly apologize to the parents for only giving out lollipops (Dum-Dums) and not chocolates, as a lot of our budget goes into batteries, new lights, miscellaneous repairs and buying fresh bales of hay every year from a farm that gets delivered to our house,” he said.
There are more behind-the-scenes facts that reflect a labor of love. “The first day of fall is when we bring everything down from the attic, which is very taxing, since there is not a lot of headroom. We literally use a chain to bring everything down and out to our backyard. There we begin building, and then moving everything to the front of our house. The larger props are built on site. Our backyard will be very messy during this transition. Putting everything back can be a real drag, since the energy is just not the same. However, what motivates my kids and I is that as soon as our Halloween decorations go away, we prepare for the holiday season and unveil our cuter decorations.”
Halloween is undoubtedly a multi-generational holiday, according to Sandy, who encounters many adults and their children in costume. He continued, “We see a lot of seniors visiting with their adult children in the neighborhood, while taking leisurely walks. There are times when I am outside fixing decorations, and I will engage with many neighbors in the area and have great small conversations.”
A skeleton has emerged
The community always expresses their gratitude, and Sandy feels it is a learning experience. “People really appreciate what we do, since the most common remark is ‘Thanks for doing this for the community.’ Over the years, I had good surprises from friends that go back to my childhood, just showing up out of nowhere. The biggest surprise was in 2020 when Fox 5 News did a story on us. To this day, I don’t know who the person is that tipped them off, and I always wanted to thank them. It was very cool and humbling.”
Sandy and his family have not received accolades from organizations, but considers the best reward to be the massive quantity of residents who stop by throughout the month and especially on the big day. “All the recognition that we need is when we see how all the hard work has paid off,” he said.
Sometimes life tosses curve balls as in the case of Sandy’s injury this year. Therefore, his family and friends stepped right up. “I did most of the organizing, but the physical labor was done mostly by my family,” said Sandy. Since the outdoor festivities are very time consuming, costume ideas usually emerge within the last few weeks. “Certain years we try to dress up as a theme. I usually wing it in the last week, since I work well under pressure and during crunch time,” he continued.
A London Plane tells a Halloween story
Fond recollections of Halloween date to Sandy’s childhood, which is partially why he takes pride in giving the community much more than a one-day celebration to remember. He reminisced, “I would go to stores to see decorations, and remember thinking how cool it would be to have a lot of decorations. We always lived in apartment buildings, so I was only able to put a few lights in the window and have a pumpkin carved each year. One of my fond memories is going camping during Halloween, and trick-or-treating on campgrounds. It was really amazing to see how everyone was in such a festive mood. Being outdoors during the season, seeing all these decorations, just did it for me.”
Living in the northeast, he realizes how quickly the seasons change, and for a long time, Sandy treats Halloween as if it was New Year’s Eve. “I jokingly say that on November 1, we will begin our New Year’s resolutions and get a head start. The changing of the season is really like saying goodbye to summer and preparing for colder months ahead.”
Skeletons, zombies, & more
The Halloween festivities always generate positive feedback. Sandy explained, “I appreciate it when people observe the small details. It is always the small details that make it a standout. The best feedback is from kids, since they always say the darnedest, funniest, and most insightful things.”
Looking ahead, Sandy’s huge dreams continue to flow. “My goal would be to help coordinate a Halloween parade on Metropolitan Avenue. I don’t know what the logistics of something like that would entail, but I thought about speaking with the right people.”
To embark upon the Halloween expedition through photos and videos of earlier years, as well as learn more about this year, visit www.ForestHillsHalloween.com
