Neighbors, we have a problem.
We live in the Halloween Capital of the World. It is a title we wear with pride. We do parades, we do house decorating contests, and we own the month of October.
But look outside. We are buried in snow, and our town looks just like… well, every other town in Minnesota.
This is absurd.
Why do we let the spooky spirit hibernate just because the temperature drops? Why are we building boring, button-nosed Frosty the Snowmen when we could be turning Anoka into a Spooky Snowman Graveyard?
The “Phantom” Has Already Struck
If you’ve driven past the Welcome to Anoka signs recently, you may have noticed something watching you. A lone, skeletal figure has risen from the snowbanks. It wasn’t built by the city. It wasn’t a school project. It just… appeared.
I plan to build more. But I cannot do it alone.
The Challenge
I am officially challenging every resident, business owner, and winter warrior in Anoka to join the Spooky Snowman Invasion.
We have the snow. We have the Halloween decorations sitting in storage bins in our basements. Let’s combine them.
The Goal: To fill the major spots, street corners, and front yards of Anoka with the creepiest, funniest, and most creative “Nightmare Before Christmas” style snowmen the state has ever seen.
How to Participate:
- Build It: Pile up that snow. It doesn’t have to be perfect; rough and jagged looks scarier anyway.
- Spook It: forget the carrot nose. Grab that old scream mask, use food coloring to paint a skeleton ribcage, or give your snowman a jagged pumpkin head.
- Share It: Snap a photo and post it with the hashtag #AnokaSpookySnowmen.
Let’s Make Them Wonder
Imagine the morning commute when Main Street is lined with snow-zombies. Imagine the walking trails guarded by snow-ghosts. Let’s get the whole town wondering, “Who built these?”
We are the Halloween Capital of the World, Anoka. Let’s act like it all year round.
Grab your shovels. The invasion starts now.
3 Ideas to Keep the Mystery Alive (For your “Guerrilla” Campaign)
Since you plan to build more of these yourself to spark interest, here are three high-impact spots in Anoka to target next (safely and legally, of course):
- The Roundabout/Main St Bridge: High visibility. If you put one near the pedestrian areas of the bridge, people walking into downtown will see it immediately.
- Near the Rum River Dam: The backdrop of the rushing water would make for a very cinematic, spooky photo of a snowman.
- City Hall / The “Pumpkin” Rotunda: Placing one within eyeshot of the City Hall building is a cheeky nod to the city council to get involved.
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