The History of Tillson St. Halloween
By Vicki Lee

Many years ago when I was small, my Mom used to decorate special for Halloween. Because it was my birthday, and with all the other activities going, she wanted to make it a little more special for me. Years later when my children were small, I started decorating special for them. I've been on Tillson St. for almost 28 years. Back then there weren't many young ones on the street. So when I decorated, most of the neighbors thought I was off my rocker. As the years passed, more and more houses started putting out a few more decorations. Younger families moved in, and even more decorations went up. About 15 years ago, when my boys were out of the trick-or-treating age, they still wanted to stay involved. So they started "Bulldog Security". The Bulldog is the Romeo mascot. My two boys, Mike and David , were in football and track. They invited thier friends to help patrol the street on Halloween against candy thieves and any type of shinanigans that might go on during this fun night. Now, Mike is a coach for the Bulldogs and has recruited his players to help out. They have helped find lost kids, lost belongings, and just a nice visual safe group. A few years ago, one Mom couldn't find her son, she told the Bulldog Security, "He's 9 years old and wearing a Batman costume". That year there were probably 300, 9 year old Batmans. But he was found, he had wondered to to his Grandmas on the next street. This street is fun, spooky and, what I notice the most, is the Family Outings. Mom, Dad, Grandma, Grandpa, Aunts and Uncles, all join in for a wonderful night out together. This just makes all of us on Tillson St. enjoy the celebration even more. Seeing families together, having fun and laughs makes it all worth it.

 

Myths of Tillson St. Halloween:

NO we don't buy everything from Halloween U.S.A.! 90 percent of all decorations are handmade. (What you can do with duct tape, fishing line, dollar store tablecloths, cheese cloth, and a little Flat, black spay paint!)

NO we don't compete between each other! If you come out on a weekend in October, you will see us wandering from house to house, while we are off from our REAL JOBS, helping put up one structure or another or passing out pumpkins and candy that have been donated to our street. The only competition we have, is with ourselves, trying to think of something different for the next year. 

NO we don't get paid to decorate our houses! For safety reasons, the Village of Romeo allows us to close off the street on Halloween night between 5:30pm-8:30pm. They also provide us with street blockades, that we set out and take down that night. However, we are not paid or sanctioned by any organization, to do what we do. We do it for the enjoyment of others (and ourselves, of course).

YES we do sell T-Shirts on the street! We sell the shirts to support the "Buzz Lee Memorial Scholarship", we do not use any of the profit to pay for decorations or candy.  The Scholarship Fund has been supported by a Golf Outing for 5 years, and this is the second year we have been able to donate to this scholarship fund through the T-Shirt sales.  The Fund benefits a Vocational Scholarship as well as a "Pay to Play" Scholarship.  The Lee Family and neighbors are extremely greatful for everyone's donations and support. T-Shirts are available at Vicki Lee's residence (171 Tillson) leading up to Halloween.

YES we do manage to store most everything in our garages, basements and other nooks and crannies. There's nothing odd about that tombstone being stored in the back of our closet, or the black light fixtures underneath the bed.

 

We hope you can come visit us on Tillson St, for a fun filled, spooky, Halloween Night!!