Tour to ‘awaken the spirit of Halloween’ this year

ST. CLAIR SHORES — Get ready for stunning displays and a taste of the Halloween spirit at this year’s Halloween Tour.

Jessica Krutell, president of the city’s Halloween Tour board, said the tour is on Oct. 25 and Oct. 26. Applications open on Sept. 1 and can be submitted until Oct. 13. The tour weekend is one weekend before Halloween as opposed to last year when it was two weekends before.

The tour lasts from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. on each day with 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. being monster-free for the kids.

Krutell said the main rules to follow for home applicants include no political signs or memorabilia, no offensive imagery or words, and nothing, she said, that could hurt anyone’s feelings in any way. Krutell also mentioned in a text that the event must start after dark.

“We do random spot checks to just make sure that even after we see the house that they didn’t change anything or put up anything political,” Krutell said. “If there are any political signs we will remove them from the tour list.”

No props, scare actors or lights are allowed on the right of way as well. Steven Pelkey, a Halloween Tour board member, said he thinks this rule is also in place to prevent tripping or any other accidents.

“That’s technically owned by the city so it’s just best for us to just keep everything off of the road,” Krutell said.

Pelkey said guests should respect the displays and the actors. Guests should also practice safety by staying on the sidewalk and being mindful of other guests and cars.

“I don’t think we pass out candy or anything like that in these events so it’s not like a trick or treat kind of event,” Pelkey said. “It’s just to get out and check out the displays.”

The number of houses included this year increased to 25 houses from 20. Krutell said there are going to be five featured houses. These houses will be the best dressed in the Halloween Tour board’s opinion.

“We’re going to test a little bit more, but we still want to keep it in a safe number that if somebody wanted to travel (to) all of the houses within one night that they would be able to do so within that three-hour window,” Krutell said.

Though last year they saw a drop off in attendance, Krutell said they’ve seen a lot of traction on Facebook. She also said they see a lot of the same people apply to be part of the tour.

“We always encourage folks, too, that if you didn’t make it one year that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t try again,” Krutell said. “We factor in a lot of different things when we’re judging the houses. And if we see improvement year after year, that’s definitely getting some bonus points on the board.”

The board looks for originality when they judge the houses. Decorations can be a mixture of store bought and handmade. Participants can also utilize scare actors, though if these actors are reported to be acting inappropriately it will ban the house from all future tours. Krutell also said the scare actors are only available during the event.

“Guests are still welcome to do the tour outside of event hours, but a lot of us actors have full time jobs so we can’t commit to being outside every single night doing that extra element,” Krutell said.

Pelkey said he started working on props at the end of March when the weather broke. When the weather is colder, it is more difficult to cure products like latex.

“Once the weather broke, I was out in my garage building new stuff for this year,” Pelkey said. “I really have a nice upgrade coming to my display this year.”

He’s been a part of the Halloween Tour board for four years. He said he is excited for this year’s Halloween Tour and residents and others should come check it out.

“Come out and enjoy it,” Pelkey said. “We hope to awaken the spirit of Halloween in more people.”

To apply to be a part of this year’s tour, email scshalloween@aol.com or message the Facebook page St. Clair Shores Halloween Tour with a photo of your decorated house and address.