Behind the scenes of judging the Midway Woman's Club annual Halloween Decorating Contest

The overall winner was at 211 South Winter Street.  For a larger version of any photo, click on it.

By Kennedy Sabharwal
University of Kentucky School of Journalism and Media

For the past four years the Midway Woman’s Club has held an annual Halloween Decorating Contest among the homes in town. This year 12 awards were given, ranging from Scariest to Best Spider Web to Most Kid Friendly.

On Sunday evening, members of the Woman’s Club drove around town and took a look at all of the decorated homes. The judges were quite surprised that only a few businesses decorated this year. The judges said they gave the award to Commotion! At 104 E. Main St. because of its “festive window display” that consists of skeletons and a bat hanging above the front entrance of the business.

The judges gave the Most Fun award to a family that set up a full Wizard of Oz scene in their front yard. 121 Carriage Lane won because it was “very creative and fun,” a judge said. “The characters, you could tell exactly which they were, and even the witch was melting!” The excitement this house brought to all of the judges was reason enough for the award.

318 North Winter Street won for Best Daytime decorations.

Some other awards and reasons included the Best Daytime award at 318 N. Winter St. for being “eye catching when driving through town and being impressive, comprehensive, having thought of design, and use of multiple elements,” the judges said.

One of the hardest awards to give was the Best Spider Web, because so many homes had neat and diverse webs. Some had webs across bushes, trees, and the lawn, while others had webs covering their entire porch. The award went to 223 Johnson St. because of its creativity and intricate webs on its porch, the judges said.

Best pumpkins: 106 Cottage Grove

The Best Pumpkin award at 106 Cottage Grove won for its “pumpkins being artfully carved and arranged,” a judge said.

The award for Best Overall décor went to 211 S. Winter St. because of its “spectacular Halloween display… It’s creative, it’s a little scary, they continue to use lights every year,” a judge said. “It’s cool in the daytime as well in the nighttime. It’s just a lot of fun.”

During the car ride around town, one judges spoke about how hard it was for her to choose winners. “It’s difficult,” she said. “I mean you see how difficult it is to choose who wins each award … Everyone’s home just looks great in their own way.”

Many homeowners in Midway went all-out and allowed their Halloween spirit to shine through each decoration. The judges said they want to add more awards next year, such as Best Porch, because of how many amazing decorations they saw during the judging process.

The judges gave the award for Scariest display to the residence at 119 East Stephens Street.

The Messenger thanks the club for letting us ride with the judges, whom we granted anonymity.

128 S. Winter St. won a Halloween Spirit Award.

These homes received awards:
Most Kid Friendly - 111 Turner St.
Scariest - 119 E. Stephens St.
Best Use of Technology - 323 S. Winter St.
Best Spider Web - 223 Johnson St.
Best Pumpkins - 106 Cottage Grove
Best Use of Inflatables - 231 Higgins St.
Creepiest - 245 Higgins St.
Best Overall - 211 S. Winter St.
Most Fun - 121 Carriage Lane
Best Daytime - 318 N. Winter St.
Halloween Spirit Award - 218 219 W. Higgins (below), 128 S. Winter, 232 W. Higgins