This year something different happened. Over the summer, Mrs. Dragan offered her art to the town's arts council. They enthusiastically said YES first, and scrambled to figure out the details later. According to their website, Mrs. Dragan saw herself as a "memory maker," creating Halloween memories for over 20 years. The work became too much. I heard a rumor her health is not what it was.
This year her artwork is spread throughout Lambertville (mostly in the windows of businesses) from October 1-31 in what has been renamed Trail of Magic. In some cases the scenes chosen appear to be random. In other cases, such as the person eating an ice cream cone inside the ice cream shop, I wonder if it was created new, or at least modified. There were also animals in the vet's window, mannequins enjoying coffee and treats in front of a coffee shop, and the twins playing the accordion in front of the music school. The last one I do remember from past years.
Mrs. Dragan retained a few for her front porch, which has been dubbed The Halloween House.
The other houses on North Union Street still decorate. We were there in late October. I recognized some of the displays. We were more focused on following her trail of magic and enjoying each sculpture as one instead of as a cluster. I wonder if statues will stay in the same place next year, or move around. I found I was able to enjoy each one more this way. Her alleyway became crowded and there was a line to grab a hand (the way she kept track of how many people were in her yard), so i felt rushed to enjoy the displays. This year I paused in front of each one and savored them.
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| Neighbors do a Fairy Tale theme each year |
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| The Dragan Residence |
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| Neighbors |
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| Neighbors |
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| Neighbors -- the details on the packages of food were quite creative |
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