MARGATE – Ari Goldberger is at it again. He’s been decorating the front of his stately Parkway home for Halloween since Labor Day and still has more to go, but passers-by are already enjoying this year’s theme – “Circus Bezerkus” – and providing positive feedback to its creator.
“People come by and say it looks great using phrases like ‘jaw dropping,’” Goldberger said. “I’m not even done yet, but it will be finished before Halloween.”
This year’s theme includes dozens of scary clowns, some as tall as 15 feet high.
“One clown collapsed and had to be repaired twice, and I was told to just bring it back to Lowe’s to get it replaced. The service at these Halloween stores has been amazing,” he said.
People stop day and night to view the display, which spans the entire width of the property. There’s even a huge elephant on an upper deck that some say pays tribute to Lucy the Elephant.
“They walk through, and I listen to what they are saying about it. One guy walked by and said I am doing a great service to the country,” he said laughing. “Just like in my childhood, I liked playing with my toys and setting them up.”
Goldberger said his love of carnivals goes back to his youthful days. Although he was a shy kid growing up, he overcame his shyness by the time he got to high school, he said.
“When I got into high school, I met up with the cool kids in the drama club and came out of my shell,” he said.
That’s when he got involved in coming up with themes and decorating for his high school dances – the biggest one was the Saturday Night Fever dance, which provided the inspiration for last year’s Halloween display.
He said when he was only 8 years old, he used to put on carnivals to raise money for Jerry’s Kids.
“The first time, we raised $75 and in the second year, we raised $90. We were pretty proud of that,” the son of Polish Holocaust survivors said.
The idea of Circus Bezerkus came quickly when he was deciding on this year’s theme.
“I thought it would be an easy, cool theme to work with because clowns are scary and fun,” he said.
Goldberger has so many large Halloween decorations that he may need to rent a storage unit or store them in the garage at his Cherry Hill house, he said.
He is grateful to a handful of friends who help him with the display.
He recommends people stop by when it’s dark to really get the full effect, he said. The display features motorized clown characters, sound effects, black and spot lighting and scary and “happy” music.
What motivates Goldberger to express his love for Halloween in such a way?
He said he would like to set an example for the community by creating an environment that creates joy and unity - something that's needed with the angst and division of today.
It's all about the smiles on the faces of those who see it.
“Grandparents come and FaceTime with their grandkids or send them videos, parents come with kids, even infants. Wouldn’t it be great if we could all make that kind of positive impact in our communities?”
Ari Goldberger presents 'Circus Bezerkus' for Halloween this year.Copyright Access Network 2024
