Staff writer
Pumpkins and hay bales have heralded the beginning of fall on many porches and patios in Marion County as residents get in the spirit.
Stephanie Ax joined the Peabody community in setting up Halloween displays for the first time this year. Eight skeletons are now rappelling off her balcony.
“I usually just do autumn decorating,” she said. “Then I saw these skeletons on Pinterest and decided, ‘why not?’”
Ax, who served as Peabody’s city clerk four years ago, is retired with no kids and said she had “nothing better to do” than decorate. She also puts up decorations for Easter and Christmas.
The skeletons are high enough to be out of vandals’ reach and easy to set up by going on the balcony, Ax said. “I didn’t get spotlights, I got those little twinkling purple lights,” she said. “So you can’t see them very well at night. Oh well, something for next year.”
Other less spooky decorations have featured mums, pumpkins and hay bales.