Festive and Frightening: The Schoolcraft's annual Halloween display hosted record crowds

After a delayed start due to Hurricane Ian, Brandy and David Schoolcraft were impressed with the size of the crowds in attendance at their Halloween display.

  • By Michele Meyers
  • | 12:30 p.m. November 2, 2022
  • Ormond Beach Observer
  • Neighbors
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Brandy and David Schoolcraft hosted their ninth-annual Schoolcraft Halloween display to record-breaking crowds this year at their home on Pine Creek Court in Ormond Beach. Brandy Schoolcraft’s mother, Marjorie Cutsingers, had a passion for decorating during the holidays. The couple has been carrying her passion on after she died in 2017.

The Schoolcrafts met in 2002 and discovered that both of their mothers loved to decorate. At that time, they lived in southern Indiana, where inflatables were not ideal to decorate with due to the wind. Instead, they had approximately one million lights spread out on 26 acres between three houses.

“We just want to give something for the community to do, especially here in the past couple years,” Brandy Schoolcraft said. “They needed something to be able to enjoy. We are constantly getting thanked for offering family fun.”

Over the years, they have had visitors from Germany, France, Brazil, South America, Austria, Canada, United Kingdom, Japan, Russia, Ukraine and Sweden. They had eight cars arrive from Miami, and the occupants asked the Schoolcrafts where else they could enjoy lights. They then created a list of locations and posted it on their Facebook page for those that expressed interest in other light displays.

Many locals have been bringing their children to the display since they were babies and toddlers. Ormond Beach resident Danielle Caravella has brought her daughter Carmella Scrofano since Carmella was 5. She’s now going to be 14 and dressed as Chuckina, the female version of the horror doll Chucky.

“There’s also a Christmas event and there’s a Santa,” Caravella said. “You can have your picture taken with Santa, and they’re really great photos. They give you a stuffed animal and they post it on their Facebook page. So it’s really nice for those families that can’t afford Bass Pro Shop ... because the pictures are amazing.”

“We just want to give something for the community to do, especially here in the past couple years. They needed something to be able to enjoy. We are constantly getting thanked for offering family fun.”

BRANDY SCHOOLCRAFT, co-owner of the Schoolcraft Halloween display.

It’s not just for kids. Adults also get a kick out of the display. The Schoolcrafts have had women that were 104, 94 and 93 years old.

Setup for the Halloween display commences on Sept. 1. This year, the Schoolcrafts were interrupted by Hurricane Ian and had to cover everything as best they could. They were up and running by Oct. 7. The display makes way for Christmas the day after Halloween. The Schoolcrafts would like to have the Christmas display up by Thanksgiving night, even if it is not fully set up.

In nine years, they have never duplicated a Christmas display, the couple said.

ABC reached out to the Schoolcrafts and asked if they would like to participate in “The Great Christmas Light Fight” TV show. They applied for Season 11, but have not yet heard back.

“I told them this isn’t really lights, it is airborn inflatables,” David Schoolcraft said. “I would have thought by now we would have heard something. It’s OK. We don’t intend on changing anything. It was kind of neat to go through that experience, though.”

Donation boxes are standing throughout the displays. The funds are not used for the power bill, which averages $1,000 for the months of October and December, but are used to purchase stuffed animals which are given out during Christmas.

“We pay for the decorations and electricity ourselves,” she said. “The donations, we try to put right back into the community.”

After 19 and a half years, David Schoolcraft retired from firefighting and suffers from PTSD. He got very sentimental when asked to choose a favorite inflatable.

“Now, you know, that’s like choosing which one of your children you like better,” he said.

 

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