Stephen Mastroianni hangs out with one of the two monsters in chairs on his front porch at 22 Elmwood Road in Swampscott. Item photo by Owen O’Rourke
By Michele Durgin
SWAMPSCOTT — The town of Swampscott is getting into the Halloween spirit. For the second year in a row, For the Love of Swampscott, a resident volunteer group, is sponsoring a house decorating contest and preparing to hit the streets and select winners from among the houses covered in cobwebs and spiders for the popular October holiday.
“This is the second year we have run the contest and there seems to be a lot of excitement and enthusiasm around town as we prepare to check out the homes that are participating,” said group member Joanna O’Neil.
According to O’Neil, folks in town were asked to decorate their homes in a style that reflected the categories that would be judged. They were then asked to submit a photo of their decorated home, along with their address, to the group’s website. The categories include scary, fun and seasonal. She added there were no complicated rules to follow and the true purpose of the event is to promote town spirit and friendship.
“Our only rule was ‘have fun’ and we made it clear that anything goes,” she said. “We are hoping that town-wide events like this bolster a strong connection among our residents and help to bring us all closer together as a community.”
A detailed map of the homes in the contest is available on the group’s website, fortheloveofswampscott.org, and O’Neil is asking families to download the list, visit the homes that are participating and vote for the ones that they believe are the best in each category.
Prizes will be awarded to the winner of each of the listed categories.
“We are very lucky to have great prizes again this year,” she said. “Rob Kipp Photography is providing custom framed photographs of Swampscott. Each one is valued at several hundred dollars. Everything seems to be coming together for a great celebration in our town. I like to say ‘There’s nothing better than a little home cookin’, and events like this really bring that to life.”
