HAUNTED LAKE

Alabama Power retiree shares her passion for holiday decorating with everyone on the lake

STORY BY BREANNA MANLEY & PHOTOS BY KENNETH BOONE

Melanie Shelton has been collecting holiday decorations since she was a teenager, leaving her with a massive collection of decorations to expand on now that she’s retired from Alabama Power M after 35 years and living full time on Lake Martin. Shelton retired just last month and with her newfound free time, she can focus on something she loves – decorating her shoreline and backyard with holiday decorations.

Melanie Shelton has collected Halloween decorations since her teenage years LAKE 33

Though Shelton loves decorating for every holiday, Halloween has long been her favorite time of the year. With decorations by the dozens at her fingertips, the Coosada native spends weeks at a time decorating both the inside and outside of her cabin.

“I’ve always loved Halloween and Christmas. I decorate for Easter. I do patriotic stuff. I just love decorating,” she explained.

With her backyard facing Lake Martin, Shelton’s decorations are on full display for boaters passing through the area. Following her retirement, Shelton was able to take her time setting up each display and even had help from a friend.

Before her departure from Alabama Power, Shelton was living in Coosada and regularly decorated for Halloween and other holidays. Trick-or-treaters enjoyed the unique displays when making their way to her door, and she always enjoyed seeing the joy the displays brought them.

Though she’s called Coosada home for quite a while, Shelton’s family has had the cabin on Lake Martin since the 1970s. She moved into the property full-time in 2010 and has been sharing her love of decorating with residents on the lake ever since.

“When I moved here in 2010, I asked myself if I should decorate or not. I mean I knew I wasn’t going to have any trick-or-treaters because most people only live here part time, but I wanted to see the decorations myself. I spent all this money, and I have so much of it, so I decided to put it out. I put some of it out; and then, the next year I put out a little more. Each year, I kept dragging more and more out,” Shelton explained.

One of the most beloved pieces by both spectators and Shelton is the flying ghost strung between two trees. It’ll move from tree to tree and immediately grabs the attention of passersby. Included in the yardlength display is a graveyard complete with headstones and skeletons coming out of the ground, three Day of the Dead inspired blow-ups and twinkling lights strung across every bush or tree in sight. There are interactive displays scattered throughout the yard, and the entire display is lit up with Halloween-inspired colors when it starts to get dark outside.

With more time to dedicate to her love of decorating, Shelton decided this year she was going to start decorating for Halloween before Labor Day. The holiday was her opening weekend, and she will keep her spooky decorations up through September and October until it’s time to put up the Christmas decorations.

“I wanted to have it ready by Labor Day weekend because a lot of people stop boating around Labor Day. Kids are back in school, or they have ball games, so they don’t come to the lake as much. I really hustled it, so people would be able to see it,” she explained.

Though lake-goers have seen the decorations in passing over the years, this year has brought on a whole new audience through the use of social media, causing Shelton to develop a schedule for the display to be in its full glory each night.

Shelton plans to take her decorating to the next level with her free time, and she hopes to bring even more elaborate decorations to the shores of Lake Martin.

Gauzy spirits seem to float on air at the dock

Along with a seemingly endless display along the yard, Shelton’s dock is also decorated with twinkling lights sporting Halloween colors while ghosts hang from the top of the dock. If visitors peer past the displays blanketing the yard, they may see Shelton’s covered porch, which sports spooky neon signs, as well as more blowups.

Shelton’s Halloween décor spreads further than just the backyard. Before worrying about outside decorations every year, she pulls out her indoor decorations and takes care of them first. In her den, dozens of pieces of Halloween-inspired art cover the walls up to the ceiling. On various surfaces throughout her kitchen and entryway, she displays cherished memorabilia perfect for the season, including small skeleton statues and stuffed characters from her favorite Halloween movies.

With a large quantity of decorations for every occasion, Shelton’s shed serves as her personal décor warehouse. The building is filled from top to bottom with shelves and storage bins filled with decorations for every holiday. Though a number of her Halloween decorations are displayed proudly in her yard with the approaching holiday, Shelton still has half a wall full of plastic pumpkins, Halloween masks and vintage costumes.

When it comes to enjoying holiday displays, it doesn’t get better than taking your boat out to Shelton’s house just south past Goat Island and enjoying what she’s collected over the years from yard sales, antique stores and even dumpsters.

“It seems to make everybody happy, and that’s why I do it. It makes me happy, but I love seeing people enjoy it. It warms my heart,” Shelton said.

FEELING THE CALL OF FALL? MAKE SURE YOUR HEART IS HEALTHY

As the heat of summer fades and cooler temperatures come calling, we look forward to that feeling of fall. It’s the perfect time to be outdoors with family and friends, and a great time to be alive.

Make sure your heart is ready for the season with an appointment at the UAB Heart & Vascular Clinic at Russell Medical.

Kevin Sublett, MD, is board-certified in cardiovascular care and offers the latest in prevention, testing, and treatment for keeping your heart healthy.

Our clinic is backed by the knowledge and expertise of UAB Medicine, including: • Advanced ultrasound testing • Nuclear medicine imaging in fully accredited labs • Management of cardiac rhythm disorders • Interventional cardiology care

Our expanded clinical team is ready to serve you. Schedule a visit today by calling 256-234-2644.