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Writer's pictureMary Ann

How do Artists Celebrate Halloween? Get the Spook-Tacular Details



Holly Auna

Holly Auna

Favorite Halloween Candy: I love candy corn! It’s not my favorite candy of all time but by far my favorite Halloween specific treat!

Where does Halloween stack up in the list of holidays for you? I would have to say Halloween is my second favorite holiday, second to Christmas! 

Favorite childhood costume: I loved The Lion King and The Wizard of Oz as a kid and I remember one year being so excited to go as a lion! 

One tradition you had every Halloween: My favorite Halloween tradition was when we used to go camping and decorate our campsite every year. We used to spend every weekend of every fall camping with our horses at Brown County State Park in Indiana.  They always had a campsite decorating contest and every year we turned our horse trailer into a “Haunted Trailer.” Those will always be some of my favorite memories. 

Are you a pumpkin carver or painter? Both! But I prefer carving even if it’s messier!

Do you have any plans for this Halloween? This Halloween I will actually be hiking on the Knobstone Trail in Indiana with my boyfriend and my dad! This trail is 50 miles and it will be my first experience doing a hike that includes overnights. I’m a little nervous but very excited! 

When the weather turns chilly what's your favorite cozy beverage? Pumpkin coffee with pumpkin creamer! 



Paige Johnson

Paige King Johnson

Favorite Halloween Candy: Twix

Where does Halloween stack up in the list of holidays for you? If I'm being honest, it's pretty far down on the list. I'm a scaredy cat, so haunted houses and scary movies are something I've always done my best to avoid.

Favorite childhood costume: Probably a princess. I never got super adventurous with my costumes, but I always loved an excuse to dress up and wear a crown.

One tradition you had every Halloween: All the neighborhood kids got together to go trick-or-treating

Are you a pumpkin carver or painter? Carver

Do you have any plans for this Halloween? None at the moment

When the weather turns chilly what's your favorite cozy beverage? Probably a Chai Latte



Alecia Nugent - grandbabies: L-R: Ari, Rylynn, and Kason

Alecia Nugent

Favorite Halloween Candy? homemade popcorn balls

Where does Halloween stack up in the list of holidays for you?  I love Halloween because it kicks off the holiday season; but Christmas is my definitely my favorite, with Easter following,  then Thanksgiving and Halloween.  

Favorite childhood costume:  Actually, I don't have one.  I was always a big chicken of scary masks and costumes, so most of the time I didn't bother dressing up.  It wasn't until I was an adult, that I realized I could dress as anything, didn't have to be scary.

One tradition you had every Halloween. I didn't have one growing up, but I started a tradition with my kids to carve pumpkins together.  

Are you a pumpkin carver or painter? Carver.  Haven't tried painting but I'm sure it's fun too.

Do you have any plans for this Halloween? Taking my grandson trick or treating

When the weather turns chilly what's your favorite cozy beverage? Hot chocolate



Sarah Harralson - I was the artist, Sia, for Halloween last year

Sarah Harralson

Favorite Halloween Candy: Sour Patch Kids!

Where does Halloween stack up in the list of holidays for you? Christmas has always been my favorite, but Halloween is a close second. I love costume contests and scary movies.

Favorite childhood costume: The most memorable costume was when I was the girl version of Elvis one year. Looking back, I just looked like Priscilla with a jumpsuit on, haha.

One tradition you had every Halloween: As a child, I would always go trick or treating of course, and some Halloweens, we would do trunk-or-treating, where you trick or treat with candy out of people's car trunks in a parking lot. The cars would usually be decked out in some sort of Halloween theme.

Are you a pumpkin carver or painter? Carver. I like buying the stencil layouts sometimes to do more intricate carving projects.

Do you have any plans for this Halloween? I think I will spend this Halloween with a few friends and do a costume contest at one of their houses. I won't let COVID put a damper on some Halloween fun! After all, Halloween is mask friendly ;)

When the weather turns chilly what's your favorite cozy beverage? I love making mulled wine in the fall. So yummy!



BLÜ Eyes

BLÜ Eyes

Favorite Halloween Candy: Milky Way - Midnight. All the way. 

Where does Halloween stack up in the list of holidays for you? Honestly, I'm VERY much a Christmas person, and no other holiday comes remotely close to my love of that time of year. I still love Halloween though! I don't particularly love scary movies or dressing up, but I do have a massive sweet tooth and love the fun festive events that come with Halloween (obviously not this year though). Favorite childhood costume: I think one year I was a Dalmatian from 101 Dalmatians - that was fun :) One tradition you had every Halloween: Trick or treating! My neighborhood growing up was the BEST for trick or treating, and my friends and cousins would all come to my house and we'd walk around getting candy together. Are you a pumpkin carver or painter? I haven't done either in a minute, but probably a painter? Less messy haha. Do you have any plans for this Halloween? None! Probably will just watch Hocus Pocus and hang with my family :)  When the weather turns chilly what's your favorite cozy beverage? Ooh, great question. Probably a nice hot chai latte. Definitely a classic.


https://www.instagram.com/blueyesmusic/


Abby Lindsey

Abby Lindsey

Favorite Halloween Candy: Carmel apple suckers HANDS DOWN

Where does Halloween stack up in the list of holidays for you? Halloween is probably my second favorite holiday next to Christmas. I love to go ALL OUT with decor! My favorite part is hanging skeletons from my second floor balcony and scarecrows on my hanging light fixtures!

Favorite childhood costume: Hmm… probably a genie — I had the pointy shoes and everything! This costume was also the first time my mom ever let me wear pink lipstick 🤣

One tradition you had every Halloween: We went to our church’s fall festival every year in our costumes for games and candy. It was definitely the place to flex the Halloween costume!

Are you a pumpkin carver or painter? Definitely a pumpkin carver — mostly because painting is not my thing lol!

Do you have any plans for this Halloween? My boyfriend and I are hosting a party for our friends again this year! I make lots of Halloween goodies, like “Witches Blood” aka: red wine sangria and “Goblin Eyeballs” aka: Oreo truffles with sugar candy eyes on top and red gel veins on the sides. I’m a very festive person haha!!

When the weather turns chilly what's your favorite cozy beverage? Definitely a glass of red wine or a cup of ginger lemon tea. Both are my favorite thing to drink by a good bonfire.



Lloyd Carter

Lloyd Carter

Favorite Halloween Candy: It would have to be a tossup between a Snickers and an Almond Joy, but not before throwing them in the freezer for about 10 minutes to get them nice and chilled.

Where does Halloween stack up in the list of holidays for you? I have to admit, it is a lot of fun dressing up in costumes and watching the kids go from house to house to get their treats. One of the things I love most about Halloween is the little hint of Fall in the evening air.

Favorite childhood costume: Oh gosh being a child of the 80’s who could not remember those costumes you used to get at the local Kmart or Woolworth. They all had those hard plastic masks over your face with that tiny breathing hole. If I had to pick one that was my favorite it would be that awesome Halloween when I was an eight year old “Steve Austin, The Six Million Dollar Man."

One tradition you had every Halloween: Well growing up out in the country you had to go into town to trick-or-treat. My grandparents lived in my home town of Lakeland Georgia so my folks would take me there to go trick-or-treating. My grandma Carter was a great cook and wonderful baker, she would always make homemade treats for my cousins and I. One of my favorites were her green caramel candy apples.

Are you a pumpkin carver or painter? I’ve always been a carver, if I could paint I would love to I just haven’t been blessed with that gift. Anytime I try to draw or paint anything it never comes out how I want it to, I just wind up with a mess.

Do you have any plans for this Halloween? We live out in the country so normally what we will do is load up our Polaris Ranger and head to a neighborhood a few miles away with friends. I normally hook the utility trailer to the back of it with some Haybale‘s on it to make them a nice little hayride.

When the weather turns chilly what’s your favorite cozy beverage? I’ll tell you, to me there’s nothing better when there’s a little bit of nip in the air sipping on a nice bourbon on the rocks in stainless steel rambler.



Joel Ansett, Photos by Tyler Krippaehne

Joel Ansett

Favorite Halloween Candy: Almond Joy

Where does Halloween stack up in the list of holidays for you? Middle of the pack, more of a Christmas person.

Favorite childhood costume: Spiderman for sure.

One tradition you had every Halloween: Halloween wasn't huge for me as a kid, but I do remember one of our neighbors would always dress up like a witch and sit perfectly still on their porch with a bowl of candy in their lap. They honestly looked like a prop or a blow up doll and they would scare you as soon as you reached for a piece of candy. It was terrifying/amazing.

Are you a pumpkin carver or painter? Carver for sure. Gotta get those seeds out and bake em.

Do you have any plans for this Halloween? Zero plans. Honestly can't think that far ahead.

When the weather turns chilly what's your favorite cozy beverage? Hot apple cider for sure, maybe a splash of whiskey?



Christopher Griffiths

Christopher Griffiths

Favorite Halloween Candy: Twizzlers. Its my favorite candy period.

Where does Halloween stack up in the list of holidays for you? In the middle. I love dressing up but you don’t get school off so its kind of a wash.

Favorite childhood costume: The Punisher. Not even kidding my dad had a full out cosplay Punisher costume he killed it.

One tradition you had every Halloween: Apple Cider and All spice donuts. Near a campfire.

Are you a pumpkin carver or painter? Carver. That’s how you get to the seeds.

Do you have any plans for this Halloween? Probably not, maybe some pumpkin carving. As a musician Halloween actually becomes a pretty lucrative work night.

When the weather turns chilly what's your favorite cozy beverage? Hot apple cider.



Filipa

Filipa

Favorite Halloween Candy: Plain M&M’s.

Where does Halloween stack up in the list of holidays for you? Definitely number 2 on my list, right under Christmas.

Favorite childhood costume: The Corpse Bride. I was obsessed!

One tradition you had every Halloween: I would beg my older brother to take me trick-or-treating around our neighborhood. It was always fun with him and I didn’t want to go with anyone else. I would say that the begging “Please, please, please!" was certainly a tradition.

Are you a pumpkin carver or painter? A painter for sure. I’m not a great carver.

Do you have any plans for this Halloween? Unfortunately, I don’t have any major plans this Halloween, but I’ve decided to stay indoors and enjoy re-watching some Harry Potter movies with some snacks.

When the weather turns chilly what's your favorite cozy beverage? Coffee. I also drink it black with no sugar. It’s my favorite any weather beverage!


https://twitter.com/FilipaMusic


The Wistful Larks

The Wishful Larks

Favorite Halloween Candy: Adam: Candy corn, Tony: Adam’s disgusting, Cody: Candy corn

Where does Halloween stack up in the list of holidays for you? Adam: 3rd. Christmas, Thanksgiving, Halloween. Cody: Fishnets stockings...need I say more? Tony: I eat nothing but candy, so that speaks for itself. 

Favorite childhood costume: Cody: I was Raphael. The painter, not the turtle. Adam. Jar Jar Binks. I was five years old.  Tony: I was Robin Williams as the genie. Age undetermined...

One tradition you had every Halloween: Tony: Eat as much candy as I possibly can! Cody: Watch "Hocus Pocus." Adam: AMC monster movie marathon. 

Are you a pumpkin carver or painter?  All three of us are pumpkin carpenters...we mean carvers. 

Do you have any plans for this Halloween?  Adam: No, there’s a pandemic. Tony: Yeah, there’s a pandemic going on - I might check that out. Cody: Summoning the undead...

When the weather turns chilly, what's your favorite cozy beverage?  Cody: Hot Chocolate Adam: Hot Chocolate  Tony: Hot Chocolate 



Tera Lynne Fister

Tera Lynne Fister

Favorite Halloween candy: I think that I would have to say that Candy Corn is my Halloween candy weakness!

Where does Halloween stack up in the list of holidays for you? Christmas and Halloween are my top 2. I actually really love Fourth of July as well.

Favorite childhood costume: I don’t think I’ve ever been anything but a witch! LOL! I have always been wildly obsessed with Hocus Pocus and nothing has changed!

One tradition you had every Halloween: Honestly, just practicing my spells in my witch outfit!

Are you a pumpkin carver or painter? Pumpkin carving all the way! Although I would not say I'm skilled at it! But I have fun!

Do you have any plans for this Halloween? We have a handful of friends having costume parties that we are currently getting ready for! I will actually be playing up in New Jersey on Halloween night! With my two girlfriends Sara Spicer and Tori Allen! We are dressing up as the Sanderson Sisters!

When the weather turns chilly, what’s your favorite cozy beverage? Tea and coffee! Hazelnut and Throat Coat are personal favorites


Instagram: @IAmFister

Twitter: @IAmFister


Brecken Miles, Forrest Gump, Photo Credit:Daisy Brown

Brecken Miles

Favorite Halloween Candy: Reese’s peanut butter cups Where does Halloween stack up in the list of holidays for you? Second behind Christmas, only because my birthday is November 1  Favorite childhood costume: Batman One tradition you had every Halloween: We would go with our neighborhood friends and go trick-or-treating.  Are you a pumpkin carver or painter? I am a pumpkin carver, not a good one though.  Do you have any plans for this Halloween? This Halloween we will be taking a party bus out and doing some ghost tours with friends.  When the weather turns chilly what's your favorite cozy beverage? Coffee, all day every day


Twitter: @breckenmiles

Instagram: @breckenmiles


Brecken Miles's 2 yr old daughter Remi and Olive their Yorkie as pumpkins

Alayna - Photo Credit: Manny Cobo

Alayna

Favorite Halloween Candy? Kit Kat!

Where does Halloween stack up in the list of holidays for you? I’d give it a nice bronze 3rd place.

Favorite childhood costume: Pocahontas

One tradition you had every Halloween. Decorate, decorate, decorate!

Are you a pumpkin carver or painter? Carver

Do you have any plans for this Halloween? Dress up and pass out candy to trick-or-treaters! And attend a Halloween party afterwards.

When the weather turns chilly what's your favorite cozy beverage? Hot apple cider



Jennifer Lauren

Jennifer Lauren

Favorite Halloween Candy: Well, the children do just give up the Reese’s on day one to avoid me hunting through their rooms for the Reese’s later. But I’ve also been known to “steal” Snickers and Twix from the candy caches in my home. Where does Halloween stack up in the list of holidays for you? It’s tops! Although, we don’t really go all out celebrating any holiday in the commercial sense. At Halloween we usually have a bonfire and a few close friends and family for a great fall feast. For me, the spirit of the holiday season starts with Halloween and ends with my Momma’s birthday in January. So, I really look forward to Halloween! Favorite childhood costume: I was raised in a family that didn’t celebrate Halloween, so I don’t have a favorite childhood costume... but, in my late twenties I did a zombie princess look that turned out smashing!  One tradition you had every Halloween: Our churches always had a fall festival, so I looked forward to participating in that every year when I was a kid. Now that I’ve got a family of my own, we look forward to corn mazes, apple cider, and bonfires! Are you a pumpkin carver or painter? Carver, all the way!!! Ok, I didn’t know painting was an option. We will have to try that this year too and see which is best. Do you have any plans for this Halloween? We are so excited about our daughter visiting from Colorado! She’s all grown up and we can’t wait to show her around Nashville and have our first bonfire at our new home. We’re planning to do ALL the corny Halloween activities, except no haunted houses. That’s not our thing. When the weather turns chilly what's your favorite cozy beverage? I’m a sucker for a well made Hot Toddy. Maybe it’s the singer in me, but absolutely nothing beats hot tea, lemon, and a little bit of Tennessee whiskey.


Z.SMITH

Z.SMITH

Favorite Halloween Candy: Oh Kit-Kat's by far, but really anything chocolate. I've never been a big fan of hard candy or taffy or anything like that, but chocolate and I go waaaayyy back. 

Where does Halloween stack up in the list of holidays for you? I'd have to say it's in my top three. New Year's is always number one for me, but Halloween and Christmas tend to go back and forth in that number two spot. Halloween always seems to bring out the most fun in my kind of people, though!

Favorite childhood costume: Robin, from like Batman & Robin. People tend to throw some shade at Robin, but when I was like eight I put on that costume and I instantly became the kid who got to run the streets with Batman. That's all I've ever wanted, really.

One tradition you had every Halloween: In my younger days, it was always carving pumpkins with my family. It was like a pride thing, trying to carve the best designs on our block and we always spent 1-2 nights together making sure we did just that.

Are you a pumpkin carver or painter? Carver, always a carver. Save the painting for the Easter eggs. Carving is a skill.

Do you have any plans for this Halloween? On a Halloween with a full moon? You don't plan for that night, that's a night that has plans for you.  When the weather turns chilly what's your favorite cozy beverage? Everyone loves hot chocolate, but Johnny Walker Black has always managed to keep me warm. He's a good friend, ya know. 


https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFeum1GPS33JXrxrAT71xXQ



Karen McCormick

Favorite Halloween Candy: Reese's! Where does Halloween stack up in the list of holidays for you? I love it, I'm more of a "give out the candy and see the costumes" type of personality. Favorite childhood costume: Pop star/singer One tradition you had every Halloween: Everyone in my family gets an entire bag of their favorite candy bar to themselves. (we usually ended up sharing)  Are you a pumpkin carver or painter? Carver, though I'm not very good! Do you have any plans for this Halloween? I might try to actually face my fear of scary movies and watch a couple! When the weather turns chilly what's your favorite cozy beverage? Apple Cider!



Johnny Gillespie- A drawing of me from a friend as a joker

Johnny Gillespie

Favorite Halloween Candy: Sour Patch Kids, watermelon

Where does Halloween stack up in the list of holidays for you? October is my favorite month- hence why im dropping my album on October 23rd

Favorite childhood costume: Pirate

One tradition you had every Halloween: Going to a pumpkin patch to pick out my pumpkin to carve.

Are you a pumpkin carver or painter: Carver

Do you have any plans for this Halloween? I plan on having a private halloween album release party.

When the weather turns chilly what's your favorite cozy beverage? Coffee



Bailey James

Bailey James

Favorite Halloween candy: My favorite Halloween candy is Sour Patch Kids!

Where does Halloween stack up in the list of holidays for you? Halloween is my third favorite holiday.

Favorite childhood costume: I wore a Cat Woman costume when I was about 5 or 6. My grandma made it and it was fierce!

One tradition you had every Halloween: Every Halloween, me and my family go on haunted hayrides in Pennsylvania, where I grew up. I love them! Are you a pumpkin carver or painter? Carver! It’s way more fun.

Do you have any plans for this Halloween? I’m going home! My uncle has a band and they are playing a Halloween outdoor concert!

When the weather turns chilly, what’s your favorite cozy beverage? I love hot chocolate.


Instagram: @BaileyJamesGang


Colleen Lippert

Colleen Lippert of Anchor Publicity

Favorite Halloween Candy: I love any and all things chocolate, but I’d have to say 3 Musketeers!

Where does Halloween stack up in the list of holidays for you?  Full disclosure – I am a HUGE scaredy cat. It is not hard to startle me. I like seeing all of the different costumes, but if someone comes dressed as a clown, I am done for the night! I always preferred to hand out candy as a kid, rather than go trick-or-treating.

Favorite childhood costume: It’s a tie between two – Mary Poppins and Cher. My two idols in life! I also dressed up as a bathtub one year. I wore nude colored clothes and my mom fastened a laundry basket to me. She blew up white and iridescent colored balloons for the bubbles and attached them onto my clothes. It was such a cute idea, but all my friends called me “Tubby” after that. It’s a good thing I can laugh at myself! One tradition you had every Halloween:  My mom used to make my costumes every year and that’s something I always appreciated. I realized how much time and effort she put into something just to make me happy.

Are you a pumpkin carver or painter?  I love to paint pumpkins. This year I painted two that look like Mike and Sully from Monster’s Inc.

Do you have any plans for this Halloween?  I just moved to a new house in a neighborhood with a lot of young children. I had some fun getting crafty during quarantine, so I made a witches’ cauldron wreath out of Christmas tree ornaments for the front door. I hung up some purple, orange and lime green lights around my lime green front door, so I’m excited to sit outside and hand out candy to the kids…safely and socially distant, of course! When the weather turns chilly what's your favorite cozy beverage? I like to mix milk, a little bit of heavy cream and a BIG spoonful of Nutella – microwave that for a minute or so and it feels like a gourmet hot chocolate!


Colleen Lippert


Matt Koerner

Matt Koerner

Favorite Halloween Candy: Candy Corn

Where does Halloween stack up in the list of holidays for you? Towards the bottom haha. I’m way more of a thanksgiving and Christmas guy.

Favorite childhood costume: Red Power Ranger

One tradition you had every Halloween: Pillowcase for candy collection.

Are you a pumpkin carver or painter? Carver for sure! I’m terrible at it though 🤣

Do you have any plans for this Halloween? Honestly, no. Covid really put a damper on Halloween this year.

When the weather turns chilly what's your favorite cozy beverage? Peppermint mocha from Starbucks!! Reminds me of Christmas and there is just something about that beverage that makes me happy.


YouTube:https://t.e2ma.net/click/f9p4jo/jwe68qb/jc3n38c


Molly Lovette

Molly Lovette

Favorite Halloween Candy: Hershey bar

Where does Halloween stack up in the list of holidays for you? Not as great as Christmas, but better than Thanksgiving!

Favorite childhood costume: Rockstar

One tradition you had every Halloween? My mom would make taco rings and we would trick or treat and hang out with the neighbors.

Are you a pumpkin carver or painter? Carver!

Do you have any plans for this Halloween? I will be in Texas celebrating my best friend’s birthday!

When the weather turns chilly what's your favorite cozy beverage? Coffee


Instagram - @mollylovette

Facebook - @mol.lovette Website - www.MollyLovette.com Twitter - @mollylovette


Cody Clayton Eagle

Cody Clayton Eagle

Favorite Halloween Candy? Snickers

Where does Halloween stack up in the list of holidays for you? Halloween is 3rd on my list

Favorite childhood costume: Zombie

One tradition you had every Halloween? Pumpkin carving with the family

Are you a pumpkin carver or painter? Carver

Do you have any plans for this Halloween? Get together with family

When the weather turns chilly what's your favorite cozy beverage? Hot coco


Instagram - @codyclaytoneagle

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