A nightmare on Sherrill Road: Billy Field, one of the most creative, enthusiastic, scarily talented Halloween decorators, will not be decking out his home this Oct. 31 — or ever after. Mr. Field and his wife are selling their house, a beloved stop on the East Hampton Village trick-or-treating circuit where Halloween is a frightfully serious business.
Over 28 years, Mr. Field honed his skills and amassed about $20,000 worth of decorations. His annual spook-fest, involving an assortment of creepy zombies, monsters, skeletons, and other ghoulish creatures, peering out of windows and popping up in the yard, always delighted crowds of trick-or-treaters.
But fear not, Halloween enthusiasts, there will be one last chance to see his devilish creativity — at Guild Hall’s Community Social and Spooky Silent Dance Party on Saturday at LTV studios in Wainscott. Mr. Field has been appointed the Demon of Décor for the occasion, to mark the end of an era.
“I started when I was younger and I started very small. Then every year I would add on more and more. I just loved doing it for the kids, giving out the candy. We always dressed up and scared the kids,” said Mr. Field.
The retired 75-year-old, who was raised in East Hampton, is moving to North Carolina with his wife but they won’t be taking his ghoulish tradition with them. “The house is too far in the woods and no kids come down there,” he said. Along with his East Hampton house, Mr. Field plans to sell off his bounty of spooky decorations to anyone interested, or perhaps to the new home owner.
Guild Hall’s Halloween dance party on Saturday came about because “we had wanted to do something to celebrate the community and also do something really special for our members,” said Amy Kirwin, the organization’s chief creative officer. A continuation of their offsite programming, the Community Social and Spooky Silent Dance Party will begin at 6 p.m. with live music, wine, Kidd Squid beer, pizza from Roberta’s, savory bites by East Hampton Kitchen, and sweet treats from Lil’ Birdie and Big Olaf ice cream, plus fresh Peconic Bay oysters by Oyster Bliss. The festivities will continue until 10 p.m. with a Quiet Events silent dance party featuring two D.J.s spinning tunes on three stations, plus a 360-degree video photo booth. “It’s really a community party . . . for our members it’s a $15 ticket. We wanted to show our appreciation to them and hope other people might consider joining,” Ms. Kirwin said. Annual Guild Hall memberships start at $55 for an individual and $85 for a family including up to two adults and two children 18 and under. For those who are not members, tickets to the party cost $75 or $20 for those 18 and under.
One of Ms. Kirwin’s colleagues is Samantha Young, a marketing associate and concessions manager at Guild Hall, who also happens to be Mr. Field’s granddaughter. “We knew exactly how enthusiastic Sam’s grandpa was about decorating and Halloween, so we asked him to help us make LTV extra spooky and creepy,” said Ms. Kirwin, who strongly encourages attendees to come in costume, as there will be prizes awarded.
Meanwhile, Mr. Field estimates that it won’t take him more than a day to finish the decorations, which will feature many of his scary props from last year’s “Night of the Living Dead” theme at his home. It was not only his last but also his favorite, he said, and involved zombies, gravestones, skeletons, and witches. “I’m very excited to do something for Guild Hall and LTV by donating my time and my decorations,” he said.
Tickets can be bought online at guildhall.org.
