Mary Jo and Ruben Lugo’s house at 118 W. Maxson Avenue in West Liberty has always had some decorations at Halloween time, but this year, at the urging of their 10-year-old son Jacob, there are many more!
Jacob wanted to give the local residents something to drive by and be excited about, given all that’s been lost due to COVID-19 in 2020.
“I wanted to put a smile on the faces of both kids and adults so they would have something to look forward to this year on Halloween,” said the young boy, whose home is located just a few houses east of First Church United. “I want them to have a nice Halloween experience, and that’s why I put up the nice decorations.”
A plan was made, and Mary Jo and Ruben worked up a budget to purchase the additional decorations. Not surprisingly, Jacob felt “the bigger, the better!”
Jacob placed the decorations exactly where he wanted, starting with the cemetery area. Dad Ruben made some adjustments with the electrical placement. With everyone helping, including 12-year-old daughter Isabella, the setup was completed in a day.
Even with all the inflatables anchored down, Mary Jo says with the recent high winds and snow, the huge tiered pumpkin has been the biggest “kite,” so to speak.
This is the first year for the family’s huge display of inflatables, and Mary Jo says they do keep them inflated 24/7. Once Halloween is over, they’ll be moved to the garage and remain inflated so they can completely dry out before going into storage.
They also have a scarecrow displayed, as part of the Chamber of Commerce contest.
On Halloween night, during Trick or Treat time, West Liberty residents are invited to a live performance at the Lugo’s home. Mary Jo and Isabella will be wicked witches stirring the cauldron, while Ruben and Jacob will be dancing around the yard with inflatable dinosaurs.
Also, the Lugos will have a table set up with treat bags for kids to just grab one that night. The event will be held rain or shine, and will be inside the fence, so as to allow for plenty of social distancing.
After the Halloween décor comes down, next up will be a Christmas light display, but that may take a different mind-set. “Inflatables do not work well on snow,” Mary Jo said.
The family has lived at the same address since 2007, and Mary Jo and Ruben are the owners of Lugo’s Gourmet Popcorn and Lemonade.
