Halloween celebrations became a little bit sweeter thanks to the handmade creations of a spooky atmosphere to a Douglasdale family.
Richard Pelczarski and his family, including Zelda Visser and daughter Nikkita Odendaal, handcrafted a variety of decorations and lights outside their house. The big attraction many community members looked forward to was a statue of the legendary Moai Zebs [otherwise known as the Easter Island statues] right outside their house.
“There has been so much Covid negativity, so we did this for the community just try and bring a smile to the kids’ faces even though we don’t celebrate Halloween,” he said.
Decorating the street and statues of Moai Zebs on Pipers Road for different social and religious celebrations is something Pelczarski has been doing since Christmas 2019.
Events such as Mother’s and Father’s Day, Valentine’s Day, Easter, and Eid Mubarak have the statues donned in different clothing and decorations suggested by him or members of the community. Pelczarski said the dressing of Moai Zebs in various cultural regalia is to educate people and embrace all aspects of various cultures.
Nikkita, a learner at Hoërskool Monument, said she and her family are working on a special project for the children at Boys and Girls Town in Kagiso, and are building up the excitement by donating their decorations to them after Halloween.
Pelczarski added, “We will be giving them to Boys and Girls Town once we meet up with the directors. There are a variety of hats and bats they can also use for future events they have.”
Residents near the house came dressed in their costumes and took photos with the Moai Zebs statue on 31 October.
Pelczarski said the current project in his household is getting the street lit up for Christmas with an assortment of wooden handcrafted items telling the story of the holy day.
“We have been working on the decorations since August. Everything that we have planned in handmade, and residents will get to donate something to the home we are working with as well.
“Things are still being worked at the moment, but that’s the big plan we have. We really want to make children happy,” he concluded.
