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Roadside Bigfoot: This Georgia museum is devoted to legendary beast

CHERRY LOG, Ga. – Along a bustling four-lane highway that winds through the north Georgia mountains, an unassuming wooden structure breaks the monotony of churches, billboards and stores sel...

DATE: Oct 27, 2019 | CATEGORY: Travel

Eyes in the sky: NYC outdoor viewing deck is 100 stories high

NEW YORK – Thrill-seeking visitors at New York’s Hudson Yards will be able to catch expansive views from a 100-story-high outdoor observation deck early next year. Hudson Yards Ex...

DATE: Oct 25, 2019 | CATEGORY: Travel

Central Park to get first statue honoring women

NEW YORK – Central Park has 23 statues of men who left their mark in history but not a single one honoring the accomplishments of a woman. That will change after a city commission...

DATE: Oct 23, 2019 | CATEGORY: Travel

Qantas completes longest non-stop New York-Sydney flight

SYDNEY – Australia’s Qantas on Sunday completed the first non-stop commercial flight from New York to Sydney, which was used to run a series of tests to assess the effects of ultra long-haul...

DATE: Oct 21, 2019 | CATEGORY: Travel

Weather Service winter forecast: A bit warmer, but chaotic

WASHINGTON – Expect big swings in weather this winter, government forecasters say. The National Weather Service says the large global forces that help drive broad patterns of wint...

DATE: Oct 21, 2019 | CATEGORY: Travel

Empire State Building shows off new $165 million observatory

DATE: Oct 20, 2019 | CATEGORY: Travel

California to build largest wildlife crossing in world

LOS ANGELES – Like many urban singles, the mountain lion P-22 lives a solitary life in a too-small habitat. And he has a hard time finding a mate in the big city. Famous for trave...

DATE: Oct 19, 2019 | CATEGORY: Travel

New fresco with gladiators discovered in Pompeii

ROME – Archaeologists excavating what may have been an ancient Roman drinking den in the ruined city of Pompeii said Friday they have unearthed a well-preserved wall painting of gladiators i...

DATE: Oct 17, 2019 | CATEGORY: Travel

Conservationists seek protection of California Joshua trees

LOS ANGELES – The western Joshua tree needs protection under the California Endangered Species Act because of threats from climate change and habitat destruction, the Center for Biological D...

DATE: Oct 17, 2019 | CATEGORY: Travel

California to ban smoking on state parks, beaches

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – California will ban smoking on state parks and beaches starting next year under legislation signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom. The law also bans disposing cigar and...

DATE: Oct 14, 2019 | CATEGORY: Travel

Kentucky’s underground rock star: Mammoth Cave National Park

Weeks before I actually headed to Mammoth Cave National Park for a weekend trip, and a day after I’d booked several guided cave tours, I encircled my chest with a tape measure. I was relieve...

DATE: Oct 13, 2019 | CATEGORY: Travel

California bans hotels from using tiny plastic bottles

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Hotels in the nation’s most populous state will have to stop giving guests small plastic shampoo bottles under a new law set to take effect starting in 2023. ...

DATE: Oct 9, 2019 | CATEGORY: Travel

Gallery: Animals, super heroes and other creatures take over Main Avenue

Photos: A fun and spooky day at school

Haunted house northeast of Durango gets bigger every yearCody Petersen’s Halloween hobby is his escape from the daily grind

Durango resident Cody Petersen said when he moved into his home at 15 Edgemont Way several years ago, his house on the corner looked lonely and spooky.Today, it’s a madhouse. Halloween decorations are splayed practically on every inch of his lawn, in the trees and up and down his home.

A group of school-aged kids stop in front of his house every day to pose with a little gothic doll in the lawn, he said. It’s the favorite attraction amongst hundreds of decorations Petersen bought locally and online as early as July in preparation for Oct. 31, Halloween.He said he doesn’t want to think about how much money he’s spent on fog machines, animatronics and Christmas lights, but the bill easily totals several thousands of dollars.

For trick-or-treaters on Halloween, whom he encourages to visit, jumpscares abound at Petersen’s home, featuring animatronic spiders, growling wolves and other monsters, he said.He’s working on his own animatronic coffin, which shakes and rattles, and a pulley system that will push and pull a ghost up and down the yard, but neither will be ready for this year’s Halloween.He said he has fond memories of his parents decorating for the holidays during his upbringing and he’s a huge horror genre fan. So he enjoys going all out on decorations for the spooky season. He justifies his hobby with the logic his kids will only be in high school a few more years, and it isn’t as cool to decorate the lawn for Halloween when one doesn’t have children living at home.But the neighbors enjoy his haunts as much as the rest of the community. He said his Halloween scene has gradually grown larger every year; at least 50 trick-or-treaters turned up at his home last year.“I'm a home inspector, so I do have a lot of tools and no fear of trying things out,” he said.

He said typical Halloween animatronics cost $400 a piece, but they only last one year or so without breaking. That’s frustrating, he said, and he believes he can do better by building his own.He said this year’s display and experience is more organic than past years thanks to his handiwork. Among his myriad decorations, trick-or-treaters can spot easter eggs referencing “Beetlejuice,” “The Nightmare Before Christmas” and “Pet Sematary.”Among the horror props are real animal bones Petersen said he’s found on hikes across the countryside.“I've got ghosts and spiders and witches and that kind of thing,” he said. “Here in Edgemont, we have giant spiders for real. ... We get these huge wolf spiders that are bigger than my hand. I mean, huge, bigger than tarantulas.”

Petersen said he was motivated to make his first decorations within the first month he and his wife moved into the home on the corner at 15 Edgemont Way.A lone pine tree, a typical Christmas tree that would be strung up with lights and ornaments in December, stood out to Petersen in the yard, he said. He just felt compelled to decorate it and light it up.He said he thoroughly decorated the tree and left it lit year-round. Within a month of moving into the house, his neighbor died. The man was old and suffering from Alzheimer's.

Months later, the man’s wife approached Petersen and told him she and her husband’s last salient moments together were spent looking out at Petersen’s lighted Christmas tree, pretending it was Christmas. In the following hours, the man succumbed to delirium. He died several days later.“I don't know why I had that tree, why I lit it, but that's why that tree, even when Halloween is over, all year round, that Christmas tree always stays lit now,” he said.Petersen is a horror movie fan, and in particular he’s always enjoyed the sinister character Michael Myers of the “Halloween” franchise.

He said every year, after thrilling trick-or-treaters at his home, he takes to downtown and East Third Avenue in his Michael Myers costume, bearing a giant bowl of candy, to continue the fun.The highlight of his yard, the creepy doll neighborhood kids like to pose and take pictures with, is Petersen’s “elf on the shelf,” he said. He likes to move the doll around the house, sometimes propping her up to hold animal bones.“I have a real busy and pretty stressful job,” he said. “I just love the fall so much. And to come home, it's just a good way to wind down and, you know, de-stress, just go out and work in the yard.”cburney@durangoherald.com

Cody Petersen’s Halloween hobby is his escape from the daily grind

Reader-submitted photos of Halloween decorationsLast week, we asked readers to submit photos of their Halloween decorations or a neighbor’s decorations. We received dozens of photo submissions. We have selected some of the most spooky, elaborate and fun photos to share in this gallery. Enjoy!

Photos: FLC volleyball returns homeFort Lewis College volleyball took on Adams State University on Tuesday

Fort Lewis College volleyball took on Adams State University on Tuesday

Photos: Expert leathercrafter and collector estate sale near IgnacioItems belonging to the late Alex Pappas were auctioned for sale on Saturday

Items belonging to the late Alex Pappas were auctioned for sale on Saturday

Photos: Pro boxing in DurangoLegends on the Animas boxing showdown took place on Saturday

Legends on the Animas boxing showdown took place on Saturday

Fort Lewis College women’s soccer loses to Colorado School of Mines 5-1

Photos: Durango Cowboy Gathering draws crowd with Horseback Social and paradeThe cowboys, cowgirls and their horses took center stage Saturday in downtown Durango

The cowboys, cowgirls and their horses took center stage Saturday in downtown Durango

Durango Cowboy Gathering hosts its first ever mechanical bull roping competition

Roadside Bigfoot: This Georgia museum is devoted to legendary beast

Eyes in the sky: NYC outdoor viewing deck is 100 stories high

Central Park to get first statue honoring women

Qantas completes longest non-stop New York-Sydney flight

Weather Service winter forecast: A bit warmer, but chaotic

Empire State Building shows off new $165 million observatory

California to build largest wildlife crossing in world

New fresco with gladiators discovered in Pompeii

Conservationists seek protection of California Joshua trees

California to ban smoking on state parks, beaches

Kentucky’s underground rock star: Mammoth Cave National Park

California bans hotels from using tiny plastic bottles

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