For Halloween, Sea Isle City is Looking Pretty Scary

Some Halloween decorations are spooky and scary. But T.J. McLeer’s macabre collection of zombies, skeletons, ghouls, ghosts, goblins, witches, creepy clowns and other evil things is downright terrifying.

The horrible creatures that greet visitors at his house at 305 39th Street in Sea Isle City are everyone’s worst nightmare come to life.

“I try to get something new every year,” McLeer said, laughing, about how he enjoys making his decorations even more frightening each Halloween.

His prized new addition this year is a large dog skeleton that looks ready to eat anyone who dares venture up to his house.

The McLeer residence is transformed into a haunted house every Halloween and becomes a favorite stop for trick-or-treaters making their rounds for candy. It is one of the highlights of this Halloween season for people driving around Sea Isle in search of some monstrously good fun.

“They love it when they come here. It puts a smile on their face. But sometimes, it scares them,” McLeer said of the kids on Halloween night.

    Zombies and ghosts greet visitors at T.J. McLeer's house.
  

McLeer thoroughly enjoys entertaining the children and making Halloween even more special for them – and him. He called Halloween his favorite time of year.

Although some of the decorations might elicit a few screams, McLeer has added some comical touches that are sure to make his trick-or-treaters laugh.

Sitting next to his large dog skeleton is a human skeleton comfortably resting in a reclining chair as if ready to watch a Sunday football game. Another skeleton is climbing a ladder on the side of the house, looking like a repairman getting ready to fix the roof.

Some of the bizarre zombies seemingly come to life by “jumping up” to scare anyone who walks near them, McLeer said.

To get the full sound and light show effect of the decorations, the trick-or-treaters will have to stop by McLeer’s house after dark on Halloween night.

    A scarecrow decorates the front of the Sea Isle City Welcome Center.
  

Getting into the swing of things, Mayor Leonard Desiderio has issued a city proclamation declaring Halloween as “an annual event of ghosts and goblins terrorizing the citizens of Sea Isle City to the delight of all children.”

Sea Isle celebrates Halloween in two ways. The city will stage its annual Trunk or Treat candy giveaway at the Sea Isle City Library on the night of Oct. 31 from 5 to 7 p.m. On the same night, traditional trick-or-treating will take place at local homes and neighborhoods from 5 to 8 p.m.

Some of the more creative Halloween decorations found at homes and shops around town are elaborate scarecrows. The Sea Isle City Chamber of Commerce and Revitalization staged its annual scarecrow decorating contest, which produced some eye-catching entries.

At Chrissie’s Boutique at 3806 Landis Ave., customers are greeted by “Sally Sunflower,” an artistically crafted scarecrow created by shop owner Chrissie Ternosky and her sister, Tess Budd.

“This is Sally Sunflower. She’s been around the block. She knows all about Halloween,” Ternosky joked.

    Chrissie Ternosky, owner of Chrissie's Boutique, stands next to her scarecrow creation, "Sally Sunflower."
  

Ternosky and Budd spent three hours creating Sally out of cornstalks, sunflowers, bits of old clothing, and odds and ends from the boutique. The scarecrow is fashionably topped with a stylish sun hat.

“My sister and I, we worked for three hours having fun with her,” Ternosky said. “We had a nice lunch with champagne to celebrate our creation.”

Although Sally wasn’t one of the winning scarecrows in the contest, the fun time Ternosky and Budd had in creating her made it all worthwhile, Ternosky noted.

Speaking of fun, the Halloween display at Anthony and Debbie Milano’s house at 3002 Landis Ave. is sure to generate plenty of laughter. It features two miniature skeletons cloaked in black robes standing next to a black tombstone with the epitaph, “RIP Summer 2024.”

Anthony Milano explained that he has comically said goodbye to the summer season in this way every year, for about 10 years. Each Halloween season, he has a loyal following of fans that stop by to take photos of the decorations. One woman told Milano that she would use a picture of his Halloween display as a screensaver for her computer.

“They look forward to it every year. Some are depressed. They say they hate seeing it, but think it’s clever,” Milano said of the mixed reactions to summer’s demise.

Well, soon enough, Halloween will be over, too, for 2024. But don’t fret. Those Halloween decorations that are stored in attics, closets and basements over the summer will be back outside next fall to give everyone a good scare – and good laugh.

    Two miniature skeletons cloaked in black robes say goodbye to summer in a macabre way at Anthony and Debbie Milano's house.