Creating Community

Tara Kiene

Position: Staff reporter

Finding gratitude for our privileges

This is a time of year when a lot of Americans stop and take stock of the many blessings we have. Along with turkey, ham, tamales, shrimp cocktail, frozen pizza or whatever your family enjoy...

DATE: Nov 8, 2024 | CATEGORY: Creating Community

The Public Health Water Lab: Safe drinking water for all

Access to safe drinking water is a fundamental need that supports community health, prevents waterborne disease and contributes to our overall quality of life. The La Plata County Public Hea...

DATE: Nov 1, 2024 | CATEGORY: Creating Community

You don’t have to age alone

At what age do you become an older adult? For many of us, the definition of “old” changes as we age. Or perhaps it’s “at least 20 years older than I am now.” Aging is a very subjective and p...

DATE: Oct 9, 2024 | CATEGORY: Creating Community

Know your options: Health coverage open enrollment begins soon

Colorado’s health exchange open enrollment is just around the corner. Connect for Health Colorado and Colorado Connect enrollment starts Nov. 1, and continues through Jan. 15, 2025. Now is...

DATE: Oct 3, 2024 | CATEGORY: Creating Community

A look at some of the tricks used by fraudsters

I think I am essentially an optimist about humanity. Most people are basically good; even when we do a bad thing, it’s either a mistake that we can learn from, or we are doing it for what we...

DATE: Sep 13, 2024 | CATEGORY: Creating Community

Photos: It’s about to get creative in Ignacio

The Dancing Spirits Center for the Arts in Ignacio nears its grand opening

DATE: Sep 7, 2024 | CATEGORY: Gallery

Better worlds start with great families: Nurse-Family Partnership

The birth of a first child can lead to many questions for new parents: How will my life change? Who will help me? Can I afford this? Can I do this? Nurse-Family Partnership is a community he...

DATE: Sep 6, 2024 | CATEGORY: Creating Community

Teaching children about disabilities

What did you learn about disabilities as a kid? I grew up in Louisiana and Arkansas in the 1970s and ’80s, and I suspect my experience was typical of that place and era. If there were kids w...

DATE: Aug 8, 2024 | CATEGORY: Creating Community

Animal-borne diseases: Prevent rabies, plague, West Nile virus, hantavirus and tularemia this summer

As we navigate through the summer and early fall, La Plata County Public Health Department is reminding residents to prevent animal-borne diseases that can have serious health implications. ...

DATE: Aug 2, 2024 | CATEGORY: Creating Community

Everyone should be able to enjoy outdoor recreation

It’s summer in Colorado. For many Coloradans, this means taking to the great outdoors to enjoy our beautiful state. While limited number of trails are wheelchair accessible, the vast majorit...

DATE: Jul 12, 2024 | CATEGORY: Creating Community

Harm reduction: A response to substance use and overdoses

La Plata County Public Health Department’s Harm Reduction program is a response to the rise in opioid-related overdoses both nationally and within La Plata County. Overdose deaths have more ...

DATE: Jul 3, 2024 | CATEGORY: Creating Community

Embracing lived experience: A win-win for everyone

Our Own Lives is a new nonprofit in Southwest Colorado and will serve people with intellectual and developmental disabilities with a wide array of supports. Formerly the direct service arm o...

DATE: Jun 5, 2024 | CATEGORY: Creating Community

Final phases of project underway at Camino del Rio and Main Avenue

Photos: Marching for women’s rightsDurango Women’s March on Saturday starts at Buckley Park, continues down Main Avenue

Durango Women’s March on Saturday starts at Buckley Park, continues down Main Avenue

Photos: Durango High School football DHS beat Vista Ridge 20-14 at home Friday night

DHS beat Vista Ridge 20-14 at home Friday night

Gallery: Animals, super heroes and other creatures take over Main Avenue

Photos: A fun and spooky day at school

Haunted house northeast of Durango gets bigger every yearCody Petersen’s Halloween hobby is his escape from the daily grind

Durango resident Cody Petersen said when he moved into his home at 15 Edgemont Way several years ago, his house on the corner looked lonely and spooky.Today, it’s a madhouse. Halloween decorations are splayed practically on every inch of his lawn, in the trees and up and down his home.

A group of school-aged kids stop in front of his house every day to pose with a little gothic doll in the lawn, he said. It’s the favorite attraction amongst hundreds of decorations Petersen bought locally and online as early as July in preparation for Oct. 31, Halloween.He said he doesn’t want to think about how much money he’s spent on fog machines, animatronics and Christmas lights, but the bill easily totals several thousands of dollars.

For trick-or-treaters on Halloween, whom he encourages to visit, jumpscares abound at Petersen’s home, featuring animatronic spiders, growling wolves and other monsters, he said.He’s working on his own animatronic coffin, which shakes and rattles, and a pulley system that will push and pull a ghost up and down the yard, but neither will be ready for this year’s Halloween.He said he has fond memories of his parents decorating for the holidays during his upbringing and he’s a huge horror genre fan. So he enjoys going all out on decorations for the spooky season. He justifies his hobby with the logic his kids will only be in high school a few more years, and it isn’t as cool to decorate the lawn for Halloween when one doesn’t have children living at home.But the neighbors enjoy his haunts as much as the rest of the community. He said his Halloween scene has gradually grown larger every year; at least 50 trick-or-treaters turned up at his home last year.“I'm a home inspector, so I do have a lot of tools and no fear of trying things out,” he said.

He said typical Halloween animatronics cost $400 a piece, but they only last one year or so without breaking. That’s frustrating, he said, and he believes he can do better by building his own.He said this year’s display and experience is more organic than past years thanks to his handiwork. Among his myriad decorations, trick-or-treaters can spot easter eggs referencing “Beetlejuice,” “The Nightmare Before Christmas” and “Pet Sematary.”Among the horror props are real animal bones Petersen said he’s found on hikes across the countryside.“I've got ghosts and spiders and witches and that kind of thing,” he said. “Here in Edgemont, we have giant spiders for real. ... We get these huge wolf spiders that are bigger than my hand. I mean, huge, bigger than tarantulas.”

Petersen said he was motivated to make his first decorations within the first month he and his wife moved into the home on the corner at 15 Edgemont Way.A lone pine tree, a typical Christmas tree that would be strung up with lights and ornaments in December, stood out to Petersen in the yard, he said. He just felt compelled to decorate it and light it up.He said he thoroughly decorated the tree and left it lit year-round. Within a month of moving into the house, his neighbor died. The man was old and suffering from Alzheimer's.

Months later, the man’s wife approached Petersen and told him she and her husband’s last salient moments together were spent looking out at Petersen’s lighted Christmas tree, pretending it was Christmas. In the following hours, the man succumbed to delirium. He died several days later.“I don't know why I had that tree, why I lit it, but that's why that tree, even when Halloween is over, all year round, that Christmas tree always stays lit now,” he said.Petersen is a horror movie fan, and in particular he’s always enjoyed the sinister character Michael Myers of the “Halloween” franchise.

He said every year, after thrilling trick-or-treaters at his home, he takes to downtown and East Third Avenue in his Michael Myers costume, bearing a giant bowl of candy, to continue the fun.The highlight of his yard, the creepy doll neighborhood kids like to pose and take pictures with, is Petersen’s “elf on the shelf,” he said. He likes to move the doll around the house, sometimes propping her up to hold animal bones.“I have a real busy and pretty stressful job,” he said. “I just love the fall so much. And to come home, it's just a good way to wind down and, you know, de-stress, just go out and work in the yard.”cburney@durangoherald.com

Cody Petersen’s Halloween hobby is his escape from the daily grind

Reader-submitted photos of Halloween decorationsLast week, we asked readers to submit photos of their Halloween decorations or a neighbor’s decorations. We received dozens of photo submissions. We have selected some of the most spooky, elaborate and fun photos to share in this gallery. Enjoy!

Photos: FLC volleyball returns homeFort Lewis College volleyball took on Adams State University on Tuesday

Fort Lewis College volleyball took on Adams State University on Tuesday

Photos: Expert leathercrafter and collector estate sale near IgnacioItems belonging to the late Alex Pappas were auctioned for sale on Saturday

Items belonging to the late Alex Pappas were auctioned for sale on Saturday

Photos: Pro boxing in DurangoLegends on the Animas boxing showdown took place on Saturday

Legends on the Animas boxing showdown took place on Saturday

Finding gratitude for our privileges

The Public Health Water Lab: Safe drinking water for all

You don’t have to age alone

Know your options: Health coverage open enrollment begins soon

A look at some of the tricks used by fraudsters

Photos: It’s about to get creative in Ignacio

Better worlds start with great families: Nurse-Family Partnership

Teaching children about disabilities

Animal-borne diseases: Prevent rabies, plague, West Nile virus, hantavirus and tularemia this summer

Everyone should be able to enjoy outdoor recreation

Harm reduction: A response to substance use and overdoses

Embracing lived experience: A win-win for everyone

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