Talk about Town - The Durango Herald

Donald Trump takes a back seat to Durangoans at Adele concert

How much would you pay for fourth-row tickets to see Adele at Radio City Music Hall? The 27-year-old, appearing on stage for the first time in years and on the eve of dropping her much-antic...

DATE: Nov 23, 2015 | CATEGORY: Local News

Durango High School band ends season on high note

The Durango High School Red Pride Marching Band ended its season by breaking a school record. At the Western Slope Regional Qualifier in Grand Junction in mid-October, the band, w...

DATE: Nov 20, 2015 | CATEGORY: Local News

Flags will be lowered to honor fallen Colorado trooper

Gov. John Hickenlooper on Friday ordered flags be lowered to half-staff Monday in memory of a Colorado state trooper who was killed in an accident. Trooper Jaimie Jursevics was as...

DATE: Nov 20, 2015 | CATEGORY: Local News

Durangoan vies for prizes on ‘Price is Right’

A Durango man will demonstrate his shopping savvy Friday as he appears on “Price is Right.” Mum’s the word on how he did or what he won. But Randall Ash at least came the closest ...

DATE: Nov 11, 2015 | CATEGORY: Local News

An artful way to keep your place

Forget the scrap paper or old envelope to mark where you stopped reading as you were falling asleep. Courtesy of the Durango Friends of the Library, bookmarks designed by area stu...

DATE: Nov 4, 2015 | CATEGORY: Local News

Durango High School cross country champs get standing ovation

They may not have gotten a ticker-tape parade, but the Durango High School boys varsity cross country team that won the 4A state championship Saturday got a standing ovation at the Durango C...

DATE: Nov 2, 2015 | CATEGORY: Local News

Calendar supports animal rescues on Navajo Reservation

The La Plata County Humane Society, like most animal-welfare agencies in America, rescues hundreds of unwanted dogs and cats every year, working to find them forever homes. But the Blackhat ...

DATE: Oct 29, 2015 | CATEGORY: Local News

Purgatory Resort begins snowmaking for early opening

Purgatory Resort has begun making snow in preparation for its earliest planned opening in recent history. The resort, 30 miles north of Durango, began blowing snow Friday night, s...

DATE: Oct 28, 2015 | CATEGORY: Local News

7-2-11 shutters its doors

The longstanding 7-2-11 on Main Avenue closed its doors this month. The store has been stripped of its gas pumps and cleaned out over the last two weeks, said Rubel Montoya, an e...

DATE: Oct 26, 2015 | CATEGORY: Local News

Emergency fund needs to raise $1,000 to help those harmed by Gold King Mine spill

For many of us, life has returned pretty much to normal after the Gold King Mine spill at the beginning of August. But for those who took a financial hit, recovery is still underway. ...

DATE: Oct 22, 2015 | CATEGORY: Local News

‘Game of Thrones’ actor Jason Momoa visits Durango

Fans of science fiction or fantasy entertainment would be interested to know that actor Jason Momoa was in Durango this week. The 6-foot-4-inch-tall Hawaiian-born Momoa played Ron...

DATE: Oct 22, 2015 | CATEGORY: Local News

Former Durango High School band leader inducted into Hall of Fame

These days, the Durango High School band is thriving under the direction of Katharine Reed, but in the early 1960s, the baton was in the hand of a young band leader just starting his career,...

DATE: Oct 19, 2015 | CATEGORY: Local News

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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

Donald Trump takes a back seat to Durangoans at Adele concert

Durango High School band ends season on high note

Flags will be lowered to honor fallen Colorado trooper

Durangoan vies for prizes on ‘Price is Right’

An artful way to keep your place

Durango High School cross country champs get standing ovation

Calendar supports animal rescues on Navajo Reservation

Purgatory Resort begins snowmaking for early opening

7-2-11 shutters its doors

Emergency fund needs to raise $1,000 to help those harmed by Gold King Mine spill

‘Game of Thrones’ actor Jason Momoa visits Durango

Former Durango High School band leader inducted into Hall of Fame

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