Rod Ohira's People
Having a huge Halloween
By Rod Ohira
Advertiser Staff Writer
Between them, Kapalama neighbors Isabel Silva and Iola Seymour have 15 children, 27 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. Because of their descendants, the two women have been decorating their yards to mark special occasions such as Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas to the delight of others for nearly three decades.
Eugene Tanner • The Honolulu Advertiser
Few people, however, celebrate Halloween to the extent that Silva and Seymour do. They not only dress up their yards but hand out goodies to trick-or-treaters, many of whom stop by after attending nearby Bishop Museum's annual Halloween affair. Last year, Silva and Seymour handed out a total of 3,200 bags of treats to youngsters.
Isabel Silva holds great-granddaughter Taylor-Ann Silva-Perez, 18 months, outside her home. Silva and neighbor Iola Seymour decorate their yards every year for Halloween.
"Some get excited, some look scared," said the 72-year-old Silva, who wears a witch's costume to greet people who come to view her yard display at the corner of Kapalama Avenue and Bernice Street. "My kids told me that one year, a man came to bless my house twice. I guess he must think I'm a devil.
"One woman says her father used to bring her here every Halloween and now she brings her kids. It makes me feel good, but ancient."
Seymour, 73, lives near the entrance to Bishop Museum on the corner of Kapalama Avenue and Peter Buck Street, less than 50 steps from Silva's house.
"The other day, a lady stopped by in front of my house," Seymour said. "She got out of her car, came up to the gate and threw something in my yard. It was a $5 bill. I'm going to use it for candy."
The two women work independently of each other in putting up their displays.
Silva, who has eight children, 14 grandchildren and a great-grandchild whom she baby-sits, uses recycled materials, such as plastic milk cartons, and extra material from her sewing to construct her displays.
"I use Halloween masks that my kids wore and the oldest is 45," she said. One of the more haunting pieces in Silva's yard is a large black cat. "A girl gave it to me," she said. "It's getting close to retirement."
At Seymour's house, it's more of a family project. The yard display features a "pumpkin tree" and 10-foot tall spider web made by her son, Puna.
"My children come over on the last Sunday in September or the first Sunday in October and we work on it," Seymour said. "On Halloween night, Puna puts a black light on the spider web and it looks good."
Seymour usually puts up an inflatable Godzilla that is as tall as her one-story house but has a smaller version this year because the bigger one is damaged.
There's usually heavy traffic in the neighborhood on Halloween night. But Silva and Seymour have the lights on nightly for those who want to see the yard displays before Halloween.
Silva recalled that as a youngster Halloweens were nothing special for her. "It was more simple," she said. "We dressed up in a costume and went to a few houses. Mostly, they gave us lollipops.
"Nowadays, even the adults dress up in costumes. I like to see the people."
Silva and her husband, John, moved into their house at 1420 Kapalama Ave. in 1951. Silva began putting up yard displays in 1963, starting with Christmas. "We won second place in a Christmas decoration contest, and I've been doing it since," she said.
Silva, who also puts up decorations inside her house for each occasion, enjoys sketching. Many of her ideas are drawn and colored on sheets of paper she keeps in a box. "I got the idea for using plastic milk cartons to make skeletons from a magazine," she said.
"We never had trick or treat when I was growing up," Seymour said. "At Halloween, we made pumpkins out of papaya and threw eggs at each other."
When she moved into her house at 1409 Kapalama Ave. in 1968, Seymour recalls that Silva was already putting up seasonal yard displays. "We didn't start doing it until my granddaughter (Maile Galolo), who was in kindergarten at the time, asked for a pumpkin tree," Seymour said.
That was 26 years ago.
"I love Halloween because the kids enjoy it," Seymour said. "It's fun to sit in the front yard, hand out treats and watch the kids and their parents."
Sometimes, 1,800 and 1,400 bags of candy handed out by Seymour and Silva are not enough to meet demand. "A couple of years ago, we ran out," Silva said. "I had to send my son to the supermarket to buy more candy."
The Silvas' 55-year lease is up in 2006. "That'll be the last year," Silva said.
Reach Rod Ohira at 535-8181 or rohira@honoluluadvertiser.com.
