Bedford Halloween Display Is Something To Behold: Watch

BEDFORD, NH — The COVID-19 pandemic has put its tragic mark on nearly everything from schooling, sports, summer parties, and now, even trick-or-treating in some communities.

But some people are still getting into the spirit of the holiday and, in the case of the Daigle family on Back River Road in Bedford, going all-out to create a festive and frightening atmosphere for everyone.

Right along one of the town's main drags at County Road, where commuters busily zoom by, at dusk, the home and yard are lit up in orange lights with pumpkins, ghosts, flashing spiders, and fog.

Kristi Daigle has spent months setting up the display and traces back her love of Halloween to the days when she was a girl and the family would have dinner at her great grandmother's house on Wilson Street in Concord for a rather bland shell pasta dinner, with peppers, onions, and hamburger, and then, a tromp through the streets of the South End to trick-or-treat.

"She was my favorite person on the planet," Daigle said. "That created the love of Halloween … it has always been my favorite holiday."

To this day, she makes the same pasta meal while hubby, Joe, "cringes," she said.

"It's very plain Jane; just plain tomato sauce," she giggled.

From there, she started collecting Halloween items. And then, this summer, she went all-out and purchased the personal collection of Norman Dupont, who used to decorate his home on Riley Avenue in Manchester, until his death about this time last year. Nearly three-fourths of what she has now came from his estate.

"His kids had no idea what to do with his stuff," she said.

Decked out in a Jack Skellington sweater, from the now-classic animated feature, "The Nightmare Before Christmas," Daigle has Jack driving a rusted-out Austin Healey convertible roadster that is the centerpiece of the display on her lawn.

And the car, a British sports car back in the day (it appears to be a Sprite, from the mid-1960s) has a story, too. When the family bought their new property in East Concord, where they will be moving soon, it was kind of a hoarder situation. They both joked after buying the property that they would find a car somewhere in everything. And they did.

But, it fits right in with display now, with its rusted panels and original New Hampshire license plates, last registered in 1971.

"It's so cute," she said. "He looked at me like I had three heads when I said, 'I want to take the car to Bedford.' He was like, 'What?' I'm using it for the Halloween display!"

Normally, the Daigle household does not put together a big display. And, they do not get many trick-or-treaters either. And that is not a surprise considering the vehicles zooming back and forth on Back River Road. The record is two, she said. But this year, Daigle hopes a lot of people will come to the house in what will be their last Halloween in Bedford.

"As a goodbye to Bedford," she said. "2020 sucked, I mean, honestly. 2020 has been a bust. I really wanted to have this last hurrah here. I wanted a place where people could feel as if they could walk through. Everything is canceled, for the most part. A lot of people don't want to do Spooky World, because of the COVID. Spooky World is about being scared and, a lot of these little kids, don't want to get scared."

During the past week, when the kids show up, "(their) faces light up," she said, "and it makes us feel really good … we did it for everybody and to see that we actually have people taking us up on our offer and are walking through … it makes me feel good."

The family has a bonfire and social distances or will also wear masks, too, which people are welcome to do themselves. And, they have gotten to know their neighbors, too, who have stopped by to check out the display and hang for a bit.

The lights are turned on around 6:30 p.m. and the family welcomes others until 10:30 p.m. to check out the display. It is about a 10-minute walk around the front yard and back of the house to take in all the lights, displays, cackling heads, sounds, and music, and even some geese and ducks honking in the backyard. Joe ordered signs which will be displayed soon allowing people to text a time when they would like to come by.

The Daigle family is relocating to East Concord soon, after buying a property with about 7-acres of land. And they have big plans for 2021: A large pumpkin patch and a haunted trail display for all to see.

"How great would that be?," she asked. "They can come to our farm, get pumpkins, go on a haunted nature walk, and we have all the things to make it happen. I'm really excited."

Got a news tip? Send it to tony.schinella@patch.com. View videos on Tony Schinella's YouTube channel.