Overland Park residents who deck out their homes for Halloween have until Thursday, Oct. 22, to enter the city's Most-Spirited Halloween Home Contest.
The City of Overland Park is accepting photo submissions of exterior decorations through its website. Entries opened Thursday, Oct. 8. Only Overland Park residents are eligible.
The city described eligible displays as everything from skeleton armies and glowing pumpkin patches to mazes of cobwebs.
Public voting begins Friday, Oct. 23, and closes Friday, Oct. 30, at noon. Votes must be submitted through the city's official online form to count. The city plans to announce the winner at 5 p.m. Oct. 30 on social media.
The top vote-getter receives an official winner's yard sign and up to six one-day admission passes to an Overland Park attraction of the winner's choice.
Entrants can also opt to place their home on an official self-guided tour map. Once entries are in, the city will publish an interactive map so neighbors can plan a nighttime drive past decorated homes across the city.
The contest comes as at least one Overland Park household is already drawing crowds. Daniel Taber, who lives near 124th Terrace and Nieman Road, displays more than 370 carved pumpkins, FOX4 Kansas City reported. His designs include Bob Ross, Taylor Swift, Jaws and Pokémon.
Taber's tradition started 16 years ago with two pumpkins. He told FOX4 on Oct. 9 that the display now draws 20 to 30 visitors on weekdays and hundreds on weekends.
"All of a sudden you being the pumpkin house and you either lean into it or you don't, and I obviously leaned into it," Taber told FOX4.
Taber has collected donations at the display for Harvesters, the community food network serving the Kansas City region, since 2020. He raised $1,800 for Harvesters last year and had nearly reached $1,000 this year as of Oct. 9. Taber told FOX4 he expects to surpass last year's total.
Entry forms are available at opkansas.gov/HalloweenHome.
Upcoming dates
- Thursday, Oct. 22 — Entry deadline
- Friday, Oct. 23, through Friday, Oct. 30, at noon — Public voting
- Friday, Oct. 30, at 5 p.m. — Winner announced on social media
