Question about vandals

[Gloomy_Gus]

Have any of you ever had trouble with vandals?

This will be the first year that I put out my display days before Halloween and I'm a little nervous that the longer it sits out there the more opportunities it will have to get damaged either intentionally or unintentionally. I was just wondering if I'm just being paranoid or if this has actually happened.

[gypsichic]

hell yeah this happens..........i've read of several folks dealing w/this on other lists

we have a spycam & a dog that will bark if she hears a leaf blowing down the road..........lol

other folks use cables to tie down props, some take their more expensive masks off the props nightly and take them inside.........some use motion lights

i'm sure others will have other input

[Gloomy_Gus]

LOL. Maybe I just found a new market! I work for a company that manufactures high security intrusion detection systems. Not like ADT or Brinks, these are the type that banks and military use. I was going to "borrow" some equipment to use around the yard. I should see if we have any old gear lying around and we could start a rental division for you guys.

[TearyThunder]

I have been lucky so far it seems. I'm 5 years I have been doing this I have had no problems with anything being vandalized/stolen.

[Hellrazor]

Other peeps in my area have had some thefts. 2 winters ago my Candy Canes went mysteriously missing, but other than that, so far so good. I lock up my reaper but thats it. I have a "fortress" around my yard (its actually hedges across the front. So I think that has a lot to do with the good graces I have had. I also wait till Halloween to put out my "loose" props. Eg: severed limbs, bluckies that are loose etc....

[trishaanne]

The first year we did this we lived in another area of town and one of the neighborhood "darlings" came and stole all of our good masks. Since we've moved over here, we have had no problems whatsoever. We havve ours set up for the month of October and some of my skellies were literally 3 inches off the front sidewalk where anyone could reach them and touch them and they were fine. My neighbors kind of look out for us...once last year I had moved something to another area of the yard and they came to check to be sure it wasn't stolen.

[Frighteners Entertainment]

I did have an orange marking cone cone stolen a few years ago.

[Gloomy_Gus]

My neighborhood is pretty quiet and probably safe. I think my biggest fear is that I am going to put up a cemetary fence and I'm worried that the kids who climb the fence to get to the school next door will try to climb over the prop fence. I could put up signs but that might take away from the overall look.

[gypsichic]

you'd think they'd figure it out as soon as they grabbed the fence

[Gloomy_Gus]

You'd think so, but I was a teenager once too and I know what I'd be thinking...

"Hmm, this is cool. I wonder how strong it is?"

[gypsichic]

lol..........see in my head i'd go.........."ohhhhhhhhhh this is flimsy better not climb on it........."

[Gloomy_Gus]

lol..........see in my head i'd go.........."ohhhhhhhhhh this is flimsy better not climb on it........."

Female thinking vs. Male thinking LOL.

[gypsichic]

or my ego - if its flimsy then that could mean i'd fall and look stupid in front of people

[turtle2778]

that is too funny. I just built my first section of fence and put it out in my yard to dry. I leaned it up on my trampoline and guess what...my neighbor's kids came over and tried to climb up on it to get to the trampoline...DUH. He's like 12 so it broke the bottom off the poles, which i can fix, but my husband was P>O>ed. he doesnt really care for my halloween habit as it is so when i costs more money or gets broken he is a total ass. Thank god it wasnt at me, i dont think ill have any other problems. HOPEFULLY

[Gloomy_Gus]

or my ego - if its flimsy then that could mean i'd fall and look stupid in front of people


I'm showing my age, but when I look at teenagers today, I don't think the thought of looking stupid in front of people ever crosses their minds. Come to think of it, it never crosses my mind either :googly:

[TearyThunder]

I'm showing my age, but when I look at teenagers today, I don't think the thought of looking stupid in front of people ever crosses their minds. Come to think of it, it never crosses my mind either :googly:

It still applies....ever see any of the google videos where they are doing silly sunts and really mess themsevles up? I'm letting you know some are a Dawin Award waiting to happen.

[Gloomy_Gus]

lol don't I know it. I went to high school with "Wee Man" from Jackass.

[Front Yard Fright]

luckily none of my halloween stuff has gotten stolen. but, my dad is really into christmas and a few years ago some of his things went "missing". we found them up at the college that is in town. also, we thought that somebody was cutting our light cords, but my neighbor said it was rabbits... my dad now hates rabbits. :p also, to help prevent things from being stolen i have a cemetery fence that blocks off the side yard, and for the rest of the yard we put lights around the whole thing. it won't stop people from coming into your yard, but i will help to keep 'em out!

[.id.]

I've never had any problems, but then again, I usually haven't decorated the yard until the afternoon of Halloween although we usually left things out over night. This year I'd like to start decorating earlier....

[jdubbya]

We also put the majority of our display up the day of Halloween, and take it down that night. We don't live in a bad neighborhood, but there are a lot of kids that walk by and the temptation is there. I have a couple things that go up high (foyer roof) that are out by early October. Last year we did put up the fence three days before and no one messed with it, but I'd rather do it all in a day and not have the anxiety about stuff getting ripped off. IMO, it also adds to the "magic" a bit, by having the whole thing appear for one night, and by the next morning, it's all gone.

[slightlymad]

We to put up 90% the day of but we live in the nice part that ajoins the bad part to the extent that sometimes holloween is not on holloween. The bad partis actually another town.

But next year we move to a house that has not done holloween in ten years and is at the end of the street so alot of work will have to be done. Motion lights and a larger display.

[grapegrl]

... we thought that somebody was cutting our light cords, but my neighbor said it was rabbits...

:p I know exactly what you are talking about, FYF! When I first planted the vines in my vineyard four years ago, I noticed that some of the vines were being cut off about 2-3 inches from the ground. It looked exactly like someone had come along with a pair of clippers and snipped the little vines. It drove me crazy and I went to the trouble of buying one of those X-10 camera setups to catch whoever it was. An acquaintance of mine who worked for the county extension agent told me it was rabbit damage. I never even got to set the camera up, but traded it later for a couple of Dayton motors.

Anyway, regarding vandals...my house is too far off the road for vandalism to be of much concern. The only down side to that is that my house is also too far off the road for anyone to see my display as they drive by, so it's a trade-off of sorts. My set-up is purely for the enjoyment of any TOTers or visitors we get.