This Penticton family has Halloween in their bones

Neil and Rachel Terry love Halloween.

The Penticton couple is behind a Facebook page known as “The Skeleterry’s.” They describe themselves as "a skeleton family living on Kilwinning Street in Penticton. Their living human family love all things Halloween.”

It was a hard-earned appreciation for the holiday.

“Rachel’s always been crazy about Halloween, probably partly because her family didn’t celebrate it when she was growing up," Neil says. "I’m mostly along for the ride but it’s fun building ‘props’ for her."

The skeleton theme and the Skeleterrys photoshoots on Facebook evolved over time as people saw them and liked them. Rachel now does a daily photoshoot every October, when interest in the page is highest. She does other photoshoots with the skeleton props on other occasions throughout the year.

So, where do all the skeleton props come from?

“Doesn’t everyone have a few skeletons in their closet?” Neil answers.

The Terry’s house at 920 Kilwinning street is home to a Halloween display that’s been ongoing for more than 20 years. The “K” streets neighbourhood – Kilwinning, Killarney and Kensington, located east of Government Street around the IGA – are known as a Penticton hot spot for trick or treaters. Neil says they usually see around 250 trick or treaters, but expect to see a lot fewer this year due to COVID-19 restrictions.

“We now have parents bringing the kids who came themselves as kids,” he says, but adds the K streets aren’t as popular for trick or treating as they were a decade ago.

The Terrys have a new front yard display for this Halloween, designed with COVID-19 in mind. Neil has constructed a fortune teller booth that Rachel will operate, complete with a glass partition for distancing and a chute for dispensing candy.

“It’s as safe a way to do Halloween as we can manage. We take COVID seriously and wanted to find a way to safely do Halloween in 2020,” Neil says.

He’ll be on the sidewalk to ensure kids are safely distanced and he’ll be equipped with hand sanitizer to provide as needed.

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