Pine River Times News - The Durango Herald

Bayfield adopts plan to manage conservation during drought

Town outlines increased fines for periods of extreme drought

DATE: Jun 16, 2021 | CATEGORY: Local News

Ignacio pledges support for Creative District

Government resolution could help district tap into Colorado resources

DATE: Jun 16, 2021 | CATEGORY: Local News

Bear Smart Durango to host bird feeder exchange

As part of Be Bear Smart Month at the Pine River Library, Bear Smart Durango will host a bird-feeder exchange from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday June 19 at the library, 395 Bayfield Center Drive...

DATE: Jun 15, 2021 | CATEGORY: Local News

Southern Ute Reservation initiates Stage 1 fire restrictions

Because of the current high temperatures, dry fuel conditions and the occurrence of recent wildland fires, Stage 1 fire restrictions have been implemented for all trust lands throughout the ...

DATE: Jun 14, 2021 | CATEGORY: Local News

Free mulch loading Saturday at Bayfield Convenience Center

The Bayfield Convenience Center accepts dry, brown yard waste such as tree trimmings, slash and tree trunks and then periodically mulches this yard waste. Traditionally, residents are requi...

DATE: Jun 4, 2021 | CATEGORY: Local News

Bayfield seeks 2 volunteers for Planning Commission

The town of Bayfield has two open volunteer positions for its Planning Commission. The commission meets at 6:30 p.m. on the second Tuesday of each month at Town Hall. Duties include land-us...

DATE: Jun 3, 2021 | CATEGORY: Local News

Pine River Library to host book and yard sale

Friends of the Pine River Library will host a book sale from 8 a.m. to noon Saturday June 5 at the library parking lot, 395 Bayfield Center Drive, Bayfield. The book sale will be in conjun...

DATE: May 28, 2021 | CATEGORY: Community

Heritage Museum to reopen

After a 2020 pandemic hiatus, the Pine River Valley Heritage Museum will reopen June 8. With free admission, the museum on Mill Street in Bayfield features four rooms of artifacts, includin...

DATE: May 28, 2021 | CATEGORY: Community

American Legion to host Memorial Day service

American Legion Bill Whitney Post 143 will hold a Memorial Day Service and 100th anniversary honors at 10 a.m. Monday May 31 at Bayfield Cemetery on County Road 501. The San Juan Squadron w...

DATE: May 27, 2021 | CATEGORY: Local News

Engman selected to lead Southern Ute Shared Services

Southern Ute Indian Tribe has named Jeff Engman as chief information officer for the Southern Ute Shared Services. Before joining the tribe, Engman served as the regional IT director for Alt...

DATE: May 13, 2021 | CATEGORY: Local News

Vallecito Community Event Center to offer free safe-boating course

Vallecito Community Event Center will offer a free safe-boating course from 10 a.m. to noon June 5 at the center, 17252 County Road 501, Bayfield. Doors will open at 9:30 a.m. for sign-in. S...

DATE: May 12, 2021 | CATEGORY: Community

Four Corners Back Country Horsemen to host volunteer cleanup day

Four Corners Back Country Horsemen volunteers will host cleanup day from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. May 8 at trailheads, roads and campgrounds at Sauls Creek, near Bayfield. For more inf...

DATE: Apr 30, 2021 | CATEGORY: Community

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Photos: Running up an appetite on Thanksgiving

Photos: Durango High School footballDHS football takes a loss in the second round of playoffs

DHS football takes a loss in the second round of playoffs

Photos: Veterans Day Parade on Main Avenue in Durango

Photos: Fort Lewis College football defeats NM HighlandsFLC wins its last home game of the season against New Mexico Highlands on Saturday at FLC

FLC wins its last home game of the season against New Mexico Highlands on Saturday at FLC

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

Bayfield adopts plan to manage conservation during drought

Ignacio pledges support for Creative District

Bear Smart Durango to host bird feeder exchange

Southern Ute Reservation initiates Stage 1 fire restrictions

Free mulch loading Saturday at Bayfield Convenience Center

Bayfield seeks 2 volunteers for Planning Commission

Pine River Library to host book and yard sale

Heritage Museum to reopen

American Legion to host Memorial Day service

Engman selected to lead Southern Ute Shared Services

Vallecito Community Event Center to offer free safe-boating course

Four Corners Back Country Horsemen to host volunteer cleanup day

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