The city of Santa Clara announced on Friday the eight winners of its Halloween home decorating contest.
Eighteen residents submitted their homes for judging, vying for top marks from the Santa Clara Cultural Commission. The competition serves to celebrate the fall season. For some participants, decorating their homes becomes an annual way to build community.
“Growing up, my community was always involved,” said Danielle De La Torre, the District 2 winner of the competition. “This is bringing that back — knowing your neighbors.”
De La Torre, who grew up in El Paso, Texas, described her childhood Halloweens as moments to gather with loved ones. She described making costumes with relatives, checking out decorations with friends and exchanging candy bars with her brother.
The De La Torres open their Halloween festivities in Santa Clara to their neighbors. On Friday, they hosted neighborhood kids to carve pumpkins that will join the front lawn decorations.
The concept behind the lawn decorations is a toxic waste spill that raises the dead back to life. One of the skeletons on the yard sports nurse scrubs, courtesy of De La Torre’s mom. Another wears a mailman outfit, gifted to De La Torre by their neighborhood postal worker.
“Everybody puts a little bit of themselves in it,” De La Torre said.
While De La Torre is cultivating a sense of community similar to her Texas upbringing, District 1 winner Danielle Silva is continuing a tradition of Halloween festivities in Santa Clara.
Silva grew up in Santa Clara and lives in the house next to her mom, Katie, who also competed and won one of this year’s awards. She recalled helping her neighbors scare trick-or-treaters and dressing up in classic Halloween costumes of the ’90s, such as a witch and clown.
Silva’s front yard has a variety of figures. The first in her collection was a green witch. That collection now includes skeletons, clowns and a nun, her newest addition. Several of them jump out at passersby when they step on a corresponding floor button.
“I get a lot of kids every year,” Silva said, “and they come to this neighborhood specifically to see the house. I just love it. It brings me so much joy.”
Bob Brennan, who lives near Live Oak Park, said his neighborhood sees up to 1,000 kids on Halloween. That influx prompted his wife, Gretchen, to up the ante on their decorations.
The Brennans won the city’s “Most Innovative Award” for their Scooby-Doo-themed decorations. The lawn shows off skeleton versions of the Mystery Gang and symbols from the Scooby-Doo movies.
Bob described Gretchen, who has the next five Halloweens planned out, as the mastermind behind the decor. He takes on the role of a front-lawn scarer, disguising himself as part of the decorations. He’ll sit idly on the lawn, and when a passerby approaches, he rises — standing at 6’8.
Halloween is special for the Brennans. Bob said they typically travel out of town for Thanksgiving and Christmas, but they use the season to celebrate Halloween and Diwali with their neighbors.
“It’s the holiday we have adopted as our own,” Bob said. “We need more enthusiasts, more participation, and more fun in the neighborhood.”
Chris Ramirez is a California Local News Fellow.
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