By Meg Deak
The Haldimand Press
CALEDONIA — Craig Colbert’s skeleton displays are sure to make you smile.
Colbert started the display for Halloween last year to brighten people’s day at a time when the pandemic had everyone on edge. Inspiration for the display came from Facebook posts and Craig’s hobbies. He said, “I wanted to make people smile and raise their spirits.”
This year Craig started the display earlier, at the beginning of October. It features four skeletons with a rotation of changing props every few days. For Thanksgiving, the four skeletons sat around a table for their own harvest dinner.
“We had the skeletons peeking out behind the trees … and the skeletons were doing yard work, hanging from the tree and just having fun,” Colbert said of the activities, which also included yoga and canoeing. “I just wanted to create something fun. Not one of those gory Halloween displays. It’s just four silly skeletons.”
Craig’s display has become something of a tourist attraction, making him neighbourhood famous: “We have lots of people come back just to look at the display. There is a neighbour who sends pictures of the display to his relatives in Scotland. Someone else sends pictures to their relatives in Australia.”
Across the street from the Colberts is a school bus stop, and the kids love seeing the display as well: “When the school bus comes around, sometimes we see the kids point at the display and hear them say, ‘Look, he changed it again!’ with big smiles on their faces.”
Regular visitors to the display all say they have a different favourite. Craig’s wife, Louise, added, “People love the changing display. Some people’s favourite is the canoe scene, others like the golf one.”
Colbert will keep his display up until Halloween. If you’re in need of cheering up, go take a look at the skeletons at 16 Tartan Drive in Caledonia; the skeleton display is sure to bring a smile to your face!
