JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – In this episode of First Coast Gems, we introduce you to a very special couple who live in Riverside with their beautiful dog. They put up Halloween decorations not only for themselves, but for the kids who beg for it every year!
“Last year I promised this was the last time I would decorate- I told my husband I’m not doing this anymore, it’s a week of work,” Ron from Riverside said. But he has a heart for the neighborhood kids and he loves Halloween too. So much so, that he and his neighbors actually compete at times to see who will put up the most lights. His house is located on the corner of Forbes Street and Osceola Street. Kids line up around the block and love to look at the decorations.
“Some little kid came up and said ‘Hey Mister, when are your decorations going up?’ And I said ugh okay, so I went out and bought new stuff and here we are,” Ron said. But don’t let him fool you, he lives for a spooky time.
“I love Halloween,” Ron admitted. Emma, the family dog is in it for the treats, but not so much the tricks. When the kids get candy, Emma gets a dog cookie.
Ron’s decorations are so popular, it’s caused traffic backups.
“The first night we had them up, we turned on the lights, and we had a traffic jam on the corner of Forbes and Osceola. Cars were backed up, people wanting to take pictures and so on,” Ron said.
And for Riverside, this is typical. The community, Ron, his husband and Emma all love it...especially around Halloween.