Tess Foster serves up a scary menu at the Dead Man's Diner on Parrott Street

Communities surrounding Cold Spring Village must have wondered where all the trick or treaters were last Halloween night as costumed children and accompanying adults by the hundreds descended on Parrott Street to experience that neighborhood's special version of the ancient celebration.

No one remembers exactly when the few blocks of Parrott Street began its unique display of diverse decoration and generous hospitality, but every year it draws more visitors attracted by the energy and creativity the homeowners put into their annual ritual.

From the arrival of pre-schoolers in the afternoon until after nine o'clock at night, the good folks of Parrott Street greet their macabre visitors with patient smiles and plenty of sweets, some of which are donated by local merchants to account for the increased traffic from the growing notoriety.

"It's really great, this is our first time," said Melanie Benson of Cold Spring who had brought her three-year old daughter Hannah. Her friend and fellow parent of a three-year old, Rebeka Tighe said, "this is much more than I remember when I was a kid. There are way more children and more houses decorated now."

Lines of mad monks, graveyard denizens, witches and bizarre historical characters formed outside many of the eerily lit and decorated homes as they waited for their treats. Everywhere parents could be seen using cell phones, hand signals and the help of other parents to try and keep track of their children excitedly dashing from one weird scene to another.

For overall visual impact, the home of Maria Theodore Leiter and her husband Robert, which sits at the foot of Parrott Street on Bank Street, had to be considered the standout. Visitors encountered a home transformed into a house of horrors by ghosts on the roof, smoke pouring from a top window, back-lit skulls in all the upper windows, with snakes, skulls and bones strewn across a moss-filled yard with vultures clinging to tree branches. A sixfoot black-caped creature with an enormous skull for a head (rumored to be Robert) dared children to try and snatch candy from his clawed hands as they entered the yard.

"This one is my favorite," said Robert Faust, a Cold Spring native who brought his wife Elena and their child down from Wappingers Falls. "I've never seen anything like it, it's so family-oriented," said Elena, speaking of the entire event.

Erik Magnus, a first time visitor from Garrison along with his one-year old son, Luke, said, he was "really engaged by the general commitment to Halloween spirit and the execution of all the decorations and costumes."

One example of the enthusiasm the occasion engendered was The Dead Man's Diner where chef Lisa Foster, adorned in a bloody apron and wielding a large cleaver, served "human meats" to eager dinners. The diner was set-up at the home of Alison Rooney and her husband Arthur Austin who had auctioned off its use for Halloween as part of the Haldane School Foundation Snow Ball fundraiser last spring.

Rooney said that Lisa Foster had paid "three buckets of blood and an eye of newt," for the privilege of being part of the Parrott Street festivities. "I love Halloween and I love to decorate," said Foster, a graphic artist and painter who set up the diner with her daughter Tess. Tess didn't say what it was like to work alongside a counter girl dressed like the St. Pauli Girl complete with golden pigtails and a moustache. But then she is probably used to her father Joe's long time penchant for Halloween cross-dressing.

Some houses specialized in outright fright while others went for a more subtle menace. 54 Parrott was in darkness except for some scary illumination of monsters and skulls accompanied by a nerve-wracking sound track. Visitors were beckoned up the driveway toward the garage where treats were promised behind a screened entrance. To get there visitors had to run a gauntlet of shadowy statues that suddenly came alive as you passed. The threat of beheading or being caught in a creature's embrace caused more than a few children to back up into their parent's arms.

Next door at number 52 the residents sat quietly on the porch serenely smiling surrounded by a large flock of black birds perched everywhere. The birds could be heard singing or cackling in the finest tradition of Alfred Hitchcock as you approached up the walkway leaving a definitely unsettling feeling.

People of all ages found their way to Parrott Street to take in the sights, sounds and seasonal fun. Among them were many teenagers, most without costumes, drawn by the excitement, yet uncertain how best to enjoy it. Some sprayed each other with shaving cream. A few thought eggs thrown at police officers enlivened the evening's amusement. Most just mingled with each other seeking the company and laughter of their peers. The Cold Spring Police along with the Putnam County Sheriff were out in force to ensure a peaceful close to a most special evening.