CARISSA HEBERT
Editor
Entertainment comes in all forms, and for those who enjoy decorating for the holidays, they entertain thru their decorations.
That’s what is happening on Green Oak Road as the Bonjangles Skeletons pose in different scenes each day. Everyone in the area is passing to see the new looks, and now many are following on Facebook™.
“I was hesitant to post them on Facebook,” Holly Duplichan said.
Then someone posted on the community calendar, “Who has skeletons on Green Oak Road?”
Once she saw the interest from comments being made, she began posting them to her Facebook page. To roll out their first one for Facebook, the couple used an old tire they found at the dump for exercising and said it was a ‘roll out event.’ There came the skeletons rolling a big tire across her yard.
If you don’t know Duplichan, then you might have already guessed her favorite holiday is Halloween. “I was born one hour and 10 minutes too late to have been born on Halloween,” she said. (Her birthday is November 1.)
Inspired by a friend in Lake Charles, Duplichan decided she wanted to share her creativity with her family and friends. Her friend also decorates her skeletons in her own front yard in Lake Charles.
Duplichan loves the holiday and every year, she holds a pumpkin carving event. She also likes to cook the five-course meal for her pokeno team in October and share her Halloween spirit. The inside of her house is always decorated with Halloween decorations at this time of the year. She said she doesn’t have any more room inside. The thought to go outside occurred after several things she did.
Last year, for her birthday, she took her skeleton with her to her birthday party. “He was a big hit,” she said as people posed with him for photos and asked to borrow him. Then she found a skeleton dog at a garage sale and decided to purchase another skeleton. She began coming up with themes for her yard and here came the decorations. She said she couldn’t do it without her boyfriend, Josh Roberts.
“He’s the handy man,” she said as she explained he figures how to make her ideas come to life on the front lawn. “They are difficult to do sometimes – to make them do what you want them to do.”
“People on Green Oak pass at 70 mph,” she said. She didn’t think they would notice her skeletons. Then someone posted on the Kinder Community page inquiring who owned the skeletons on Green Oak and others begin commenting.
She said Josh pointed out people are slowing down on their road. They are looking at their skeletons.
She likes sharing her love of Halloween, especially with her three-year-old grandson, Jax. At this year’s annual pumpkin carving event, she decided she would use that theme outside with her skeletons. This past week after they carved pumpkins, her skeletons were found outside carving their own pumpkins too.
She said when she was younger, she did trick-or-treating door-to-door. She bought candy and no one came to her house. Maybe this year it will be different. If not, she always has a bunch of people stop and visit, especially her grandson.
“It’s a big thing for me. I love it.”
Now, she is looking on Pinterest, listening to friends and coming up with her own ideas. That creativity sometimes occurs during the day, while she is in the bath or even about to close her eyes for the night. She keeps a list. Her and Josh have been working on possibly doing Marilyn Monroe. It may come to life soon, she said. “We may have to think on that one.”
Usually at the end of August, her ideas are ready to be put together. She enjoys doing the skeletons throughout September and October. Right now, she and Josh are shopping for better skeletons. They are already thinking of next year. She is really enjoying these displays. She said it’s also time that her Josh spend together. They will grab buckets with things they need after work each night. Spray mosquito repellent on them and head out the door.
One of her postings depicting her skeletons enjoying tea. She had a friend from Liverpool, England, who lived in Kinder for some time before moving to the Philippines. “We did the tea posting in honor of Michael, because I was missing him.” She reached out and sent him a photo of her skeletons enjoying tea.
She knows some roll their eyes, but many text and call to say they are driving by everyday with the kids to see what the skeletons are doing. She said those looking for her postings can do a search for the bonejangles green oak skeletons or find her under Holly Duplichan if they want to follow her skeletons.
“I’ll be bored when Halloween is over,” she said. “What will I do…..start thinking about next year.”
Holly, who works at the Gold Nugget, is the mother of one, Ryan, and grandmother of Jax. She is the daughter of Mike and Chris Duplichan. Josh, who works at CSS, is the son of Sandra Roberts and Ron Roberts.