I Won First Prize At West 69th Street’s Halloween Decorating Contest

To my surprise and delight, I won FIRST PRIZE in West 69th Street’s Halloween Decorating Contest for my “Princess Frogs” display.

Everything, except for the wigs and crowns, was made from recycled materials. I used water bottles, pizza boxes, FedEx boxes, damaged comic books, broken lampshades, paper towels, toilet paper rolls, New York Times newspapers, bubble wrap, coffee cans, lids, and packing foam.

As I collected single-use plastics—such as water bottles, take-out food containers, cups, straws, and food packages—for two months, I was truly opened to the staggering amount of trash I contribute to the environmental crisis.

I created a “Single-Use Swamp” using plastic bottles and cardboard packaging, which I painted to resemble foliage. The extent of single-use plastic consumption is frightening and overwhelming. Like most people, I’m horrified by the billions of plastic items choking our oceans, lakes, and rivers. Recently, I’ve been reading about the harmful effects of Bisphenol A (BPA) on our endocrine systems. I encourage others to research this topic thoroughly, as it requires more than just a quick Google search to understand fully.

Sitting atop my vision of a lily pond—crafted from old T-shirts, pillowcases, and towels—are Queen Elizabeth I and Wonder Woman.

Upon seeing my display, I was overjoyed when a young girl passing by exclaimed, “Princess Frogs!”. Her mother informed me that her daughter loves to dress up as a princess. It warms my heart to know that my target audience appreciates my work!

Janet and Rosetta Van der Voort, born in the 1800s, were two wealthy sisters whose father rarely let them leave the house unaccompanied. The one place they were allowed to visit was Central Park’s Wollman Rink, where they went ice skating in the winter.

The two sisters never married, were lifelong best friends, and died a few months apart. Since their death, their ghostly spirits have been seen periodically skating together on the Central Park Pond, wearing the same red and purple outfits they wore over 100 years ago.

Divabetic pays tribute to the sisters’ spirits, hoping to encourage you to indulge in the creativity associated with Halloween instead of candy. Halloween’s record-breaking sugar consumption and its detrimental effects on overall health are scarier than any ghost story. It’s been reported that consumers gobbled up a record $36.9 billion in candy, gum, mints, chocolate, and other confections in 2021.

High intakes of dietary sugars in the setting of a worldwide pandemic of obesity and cardiovascular disease have heightened concerns about the adverse effects of excessive consumption of sugars. The American Heart Association suggests limiting adding sugars to no more than 100 calories per day (about 6 teaspoons or 24 grams) for most adult women and no more than 150 calories per day (about 9 teaspoons or 36 grams of sugar) for most men.

Credits Producer: Max Szadek Writers: Max Szadek, Wendy Radford, Lorraine Brooks Voice Actors: Max Szadek, Verna Henry, Lauren Ricks Graphic Designer: Max Szadek

Divabetic Halloween Displays 2022

My office is on New York City’s Halloween street. We’re expecting 3,000 – 5,000 trick-or-treaters. Everyone decorates their brownstones and flower beds. This year, I made 3 displays with my friend, Lauren.

Display #1: Ghost of Lily, the Central Park Zoo Polar Bear (1987- 2004)

“Lily was the beloved companion of Gus, a 700-pound polar bear that mesmerized tourists. He swam lap after lap in figure-eight patterns, pawing his way through the water with powerful backstrokes. He did this for as many as 12 hours a day. Every day. Every week. Every month. Lily would grin and bear it.

Materials: I used office shreddings, a dollar store mask, masking tape, plastic Chinese Restaurant soup containers, bubble wrap, a plastic serving bowl (belly), a Dollar Store child’s tutu, and newspaper to make her!).

Inspiration: I had no plans to make this bear until I received a package that arrived with pink bubble wrap. I couldn’t stop wondering if I could make a tutu using it!

Display #2: The Amy Wine “Haunted” House Twins:

“Rockstar Amy Winehouse died too soon

She misused hard drugs
drank too much booze

Maybe a lesson for October
is to remember you can make great art even when you’re sober”

Materials: I used Diet Coke bottles (shoes), hangers, newspaper, Dollar Store masks, pipe cleaners, Target (dress), water bottles, 1-gallon water jugs (heads), styrofoam balls, takeaway food serving utensils (hands), yarn, shower loofa (flower), yarn (hair), masking tape, and office shredding to make these beauties).

Inspiration: I adored my friend Catherine Schuller’s beautiful fascinator made out of water bottles that she wore for Halloween a few years back, so I challenged myself to build something out of my recycling pile.

Display #3: Real-Life Van der Voort Sister Ghosts. These beauties will make their debut later today! When I googled ‘Central Park Ghosts,’ I found a few articles about the two Victorian sisters, Janet and Rosetta Van der Voort, who haunt the ice rink in Central Park. Their story has such Gothic overtones that I got carried away. I produced a short audio story (with the help of Lorraine Brooks, Wendy Radford, Verna Henry, and Lauren Ricks), designed an art installation, and recruited my boyfriend, Joe, a found art sculptor, to create an additional display. I can’t wait to share it with you! Happy Halloween!