Bethpage-Tribune_2003-10-31

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;,m . imtrtn iiui unt SERVING BETHPAGE, ISLAND TREES, OLD BETHPAGE, PLAINVIEW, SEAFORD AND PLAINEDGE
VOL. 41 NO. 41 October 31 - November 6, 2003 FORTY CENTS
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2 Bethpage homeowners transform their homes into Halloween-town to benefit needy
By Linda Mangano
In recent years Halloween has
certainly moved up on the
"Holiday Popularity Chart. " It
seems as though more residents
are really getting into decorating
their homes in honor of this
ghoulishly festive holiday. And
while most of us put out a
pumpkin or two, some creepy
cobwebs, perhaps a ghost and if
we 're really energetic some
lights, there are two homeowners
in Bethpage who have taken
Halloween to a completely
different and devil-ishious level.
John Ferrara and Al Alaimo both
admittedly have always loved
Halloween and boy does it show.
The neighbors Who live on
Romscho Street in Bethpage have
transformed their two homes into
a totally unbelievable Halloween
display, which will scare and
delight the young and young at
heart. Every square inch of these
two homes is covered with creepy
delights, chilling characters and
surprises, which are hidden
around each and every corner.
This labor of love has taken
approximately 700 hours to
accomplish and one can only
imagine the astronomical cost
involved in this type of display.
Lights, props, PVC pipes,
extension cords, batteries and so
much more go into this tribute to
Halloween. "We have over 95
masks and 25 characters, some
of which move and believe it or
not we 're still not done, " said
Ferrara. John and Al built all
the lifelike, scary creatures by
hand and have gotten a lot of
ideas off of the Internet as well
as from other residents who
much like Al and John are true
Halloween enthusiasts. Yet it is
obvious that most of their ideas
come from their creative minds
and their unbelievable
determination and tireless efforts
to create a truly memorable
display. "We really do it all for
the kids. It is so great to see the
children's faces light up when
they see our display, said
Alaimo. "Halloween has really
been cast in an ugly light (no pun
intended) in recent years because
of all the vandalism and
destruction. We wanted to give
the kids a place to go as well as
put the fun back into Halloween,
Ferrara explained.
These two ghoulishly creative
gents have a display that truly
encompasses not only their two
homes but is spreading down the
block and across the street, as
neighbors have caught the
Halloween bug from Ferrara and
Alaimo.
Decorating their homes for
Halloween began almost 9 years
ago and each year the display
gets bigger and bigger, although
this year it is phenomenal.
Complete with a great lighting
and electrical display, which was
executed (no pun intended) by
Dennis Soldo, electrician, this
years display has far surpassed
what Ferrara and Alaimo ever
expected. What makes these guys
even more special is that this
year they are hosting a
Halloween Fright Fest
Fundraiser to benefit the
Bethpage Community
Foundation. "For years people
have asked if they could make
donations and so this year we
decided to accept donations and
have the money raised benefit the
community of Bethpage, " said
Ferrara.
And so it will. And so has
their display, which has been
John Ferrara, Al Alaimo and Dennis Saldo should be commended for their
imagination and dedication to Halloween.
attracting droves of adoring
Halloween enthusiasts, who have
been driving to John Ferrara and
Al Alaimo's homes since mid
October to view their ghostly
array of Halloween decorations
and fun.
Ferrara and Alaimo wanted
to be sure to thank all their
neighbors and friends who have
helped them with this project and
also wanted to thank them for
decorating their own homes as
well which helped to create a
true Halloween atmosphere on
the entire block.
I can't even imagine what is
in store for Ferrara and Alaimo
next year. This display is
certainly hard to beat. Yet the
one thing that I am sure of is that
their tradition of Halloween fun
has become a much-anticipated
part of celebrating Halloween
and that is a gift we thank them
for. Keep up the great work guys!
It looks BOOO-tiful!
(continued on page 9)