By Melanie Petrucci, Senior Community Reporter
Shrewsbury – The McNamara family is well known for their “Haunted Hillando Halloween Maze” each year. This year the family hadn’t planned on doing it due to the coronavirus pandemic. But after Meg McArdle came home one day with a pumpkin they came up with a new plan – a large display of carved pumpkins.
McArdle’s husband, Sean McNamara, said that if they were going to do this, that he may as well bring out some of his skeletons and ghosts to make it festive.
“We weren’t going to do anything. We weren’t going to do a display. We were just going to do a really basic front yard thing, maybe a skeleton or two, just to dissuade people from coming and congregating,” he said.
From now until Halloween night, Saturday, Oct. 31, the family will display outside their 48 Hillando Dr. home over 120 carved and lit pumpkins. There will also be a few skeletons and ghoulish ghosts on display to spread some Halloween spirit for all to enjoy – safely.
McNamara said that the goal is to have people drive by. It is okay for people to stop and get a quick photo but not to congregate and no walking around the yard.
“I do want people to come and see it and I do want to spread the holiday cheer but I feel very strongly that we don’t contribute to any vector of infection at all,” he stressed.
Last year, the family took donations for the Shrewsbury Youth and Family Services (SYFS) in lieu of an entrance fee. They were able to donate $5,000 to SYFS.
This year, they set up a go-fund-me page with the goal of raising $2,500 for the agency. To donate, visit: https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-support-syfs-in-this-time-of-critical-need?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=p_cf%20share-flow-1&fbclid=IwAR0tiJ6vu_k4dcprUsp9wyt_l76mAgytlCPyUxfS59s_Q4zMkoEAI1xlkr4.
