Meet the Berlins: The family behind the skeletons, spiders, and witch on Summer Street

KENNEBUNK, Maine — When Aaron and Kristen Berlin moved into their new home last fall, a few people told them their neighbors on Summer Street liked to go all-out with decorations to entertain the trick-or-treaters every Halloween.

“We were told ahead of time that Halloween was a big deal here," Kristen said.

So the Berlins went to work and turned their front porch and yard into one big spook-fest, complete with skeletons strewn across the yard, spiders and their webs, and a large, broom-wielding, purple-clad witch that hovered near the sidewalk.

“We jumped right in,” Kristen said.

Then they noticed something: a couple of days before Halloween, they saw that, well, few of their neighbors had decorated their homes for the holiday. They wondered if they had been had — perhaps falling for some kind of initiation prank played on new residents on Summer Street.

“And then, literally, two days or the day before Halloween, everybody put them all up,” Aaron said about his neighbors’ decorations. “And then, the day after Halloween, they were all down.”

Aaron said he and Kristen handed out about 3,000 pieces of candy last year. And now, with Halloween less than two weeks away, the Berlins already are stocked up for their second round of spooky fun on Oct. 31.

If you routinely drive by their home at 31 Summer St., you’ll see the high-flying witch is back, and you’ll notice something funny about the skeletons in their yard. Every day, they seem to be doing something ... different.

On Oct. 17, one of the skeletons was riding a 10-speed bike. Another was walking a dog. A third was petting large spiders clinging to the columns on their porch. And yet another was helping to pull a ghoul out of the ground.

The Berlins said they and their four children — ages 8-12 — have a few more ideas up their sleeves about what more the skeletons can do between now and Halloween.

On Oct. 31, the town of Kennebunk will close down Summer Street, from Route 1 to Depot Street, from 5 to 9 p.m. During that time, Park Street also will be closed from Summer Street to Dane Street. Trick-or-treaters will be able to go safely from house to house ... including, of course, the one owned by the Berlins.

According to the couple, it’s an old ship captain’s house, built in 1835 with secret passages that were part of the era’s Underground Railroad.

As far as the Berlins know, there have not been any haunted happenings inside their historic home. There may be a reason why.

“In theory, the blue painted underneath the porch is to keep the spirits out,” Kristen said.

Before heading to Summer Street, however, families can get a jumpstart on their candy raid by visiting local businesses that will be handing out goodies between 4 and 6 p.m. For a list of participating businesses, please visit the Kennebunk-Kennebunkport-Arundel Chamber of Commerce’s website.

Museum's All Souls’ Walk returns

Before all the trick-or-treating in Kennebunk, there's this: The Brick Store Museum will host its 20th annual All Souls’ Walk on Saturday, Oct. 28.

The event features continuous tours through Hope Cemetery beginning at noon, with the last tour departing at 3 p.m.

Tickets are $15 per person, and children under 12 can take the tour for free.

The narrated historical walks begin at the Brick Store Museum at 117 Main Street and cover a half-mile loop through Kennebunk’s Hope Cemetery, lasting approximately 75 minutes. Costumed interpreters portray historical figures and share their stories of love, loss, and fate. Participants visit more than a dozen gravesites and learn local history through the fascinating and often tragic tales of residents from bygone eras.

Advanced reservations are required, with limited “walk-in” spots possible but not guaranteed. Tickets can be reserved in advance at the Brick Store Museum, or online.

In the event of inclement weather, a rain date will be announced.

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A Haunted Hayride in Wells

The town of Wells will hold its annual Haunted Hayride at the Walter Marsh Recreation Park at 412 Branch Road this Sunday, Oct. 22, starting at 4:30 p.m.

Tickets, which cost $13, are available on the Wells Recreation Department’s website and must be purchased in advance. Tractors will be pulling hay wagons through the haunted trail all evening, and those with tickets are urged to get in line for their scheduled ride 15 minutes before it begins.

Concessions and entertainment also will be part of the night’s fun.

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There'll be witches on the water in Sanford

On Sunday, Oct. 22, you’ll be able to see Witches on the Water — or will be able to join them, if you’d like — at Number One Pond, along William Oscar Emery Drive in Sanford.

The event, led by local business owner and City Councilor Ayn Hanselmann, will take place from 3 to 4 p.m.

Participants are invited to dress as witches and wizards and bring their kayaks and paddle boards to take onto the water. Non-witches and non-wizards are welcome to watch from dry land.

Participants are welcome to “fill your cauldron with candy” to pass out to families watching the witchy water-wading from land.

According to Hanselmann, the event is not officially organized or sponsored, so witches and wizards will be participating at their own risk.

“Witches do melt on water, so try to stay on your board or boat,” Hanselmann said on the event’s Facebook page.

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Kennebunkport to host Zombie Dash

Kennebunkport Recreation, Kennebunk Outfitters and the Kennebunkport Conservation Trust are teaming up to offer thrill-seekers a night of “nautical nightmares” with its annual Zombie Dash at the Trust’s headquarters at the Emmons Preserve at 57 Gravelly Brook Road on Friday, Oct. 27, from 4:30 to 7 p.m.

For those who dare, here’s how it works: you make your way through a wooded trail, all the while overcoming obstacles and avoiding zombies who will try to snag your football flag from you. If a zombie gets your flag, then you become “infected.”

The dash will be divided into two segments, both in step with the night’s pirate theme. A “pirate in training” wave, for children ages 5 and older, will start when it is lighter outdoors at 5 p.m. A “scallywag” wave, for children ages 8 and older, will take place under moonlight and will start at 6 p.m.

Participants are urged to bring flashlights or headlamps, as the trail will be minimally lit.

Tickets are $10 for children and $12 for adults, or $30 for families.

You can register online at the Recreation Department’s website.

“We have plenty of openings,” Recreation Director Stephanie Simpson said on Oct. 27.

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Halloween 2023: Here's what's happening in southern Maine