By Kate E. Salute
"It started at Christmastime," said Neve. "I put out Christmas decorations, usually 20 [inflatables] or so, and last time I had more than I had space for. A few of the neighbors said they wouldn't mind letting me use their lawns. They enjoy looking at the decorations, and even better, having them on their lawns. So that's how it got to be so big."
Halloween may be over, but the celebration at the Neve household lasted for the entire month of October. As a result of the display, the Neves don't mind receiving visitors throughout the month who come to the door with smiles on their faces to compliment the elaborate scene. Leading up to Halloween, Neve said, "We had anywhere from 100 to 200 people a night for the past two weeks, and they all said they were coming back to trick or treat. Last year we had a couple hundred, but this year we made over 1,000 bags of candy, so we've got a ton of candy. We also give out hot chocolate and fresh popped popcorn."
Neve doesn't make any money for the show he puts on; it's only a hobby. "I'm a handyman and I do construction for a living. But I do [this] to give people smiles and make them happy," he said. "It's fun, it's cool. I try to do as much for the people as I can to make them smile.
"Even the police come by all the time. They say they're coming by to check on everything, which I'm sure they are, but I also think they're just coming to enjoy it themselves. We've had firehouse chiefs all around the neighborhood stop by. We've had people from Franklin Square, Hempstead, West Hempstead, Garden City to as far out as Coram and Medford come to see it. I like to see it spreading. The more people the better, not just the kids. I want everyone to enjoy it. It's a great thing to do."
The Neves' seasonal decorations aren't limited to just Christmas and Halloween. By week's end, Neve said he expects to be decorated for Thanksgiving.
