COMSTOCK, Mich. — After months of preparation, a Halloween staple that brings popular storybook characters and fantastical dragons to life is coming back.
“People are welcome to walk through the path during the day and then at night at dusk then all the lighting effects and the sound and the animation effects come on,” said artist and Storybook Hollow creator Jennifer Dunahee. “I like people to feel a little bit of escapism, you know? It's just kind of fun.”
The installation, now in its 14th year, will feature 2022 ArtPrize winner Twigg the Forest Dragon and will continue to collect donations for the Humane Society of West Michigan.
“It just seemed like there was more of an opportunity there that I was missing to do some more good with it,” she said. “(It) also makes it feel more worthwhile — like I'm working on this year-round.
“It seems like it might be a little silly — just to do it just to have it out in my yard. So I thought, if I use the opportunity to start a fundraiser for an organization that means a lot to me, it sort of (gives) it more of a purpose than just the display and it's worked out really well because the Humane Society is an organization that's just really dear to my heart.”
She said the effort has long been influenced by her rescue kitten “Poppet.”
“He really inspired me to start the fundraiser,” she said. “We've been formally partnered with Humane Society for this is our fifth year and he passed away this past year… I'm hoping to be able to contribute a lot to the Humane Society this year in Poppet’s honor.”
This year, The Haunting of Storybook Hollow will be wheelchair accessible.
Dunahee is hoping to collect $6,000 for the animal rescue – almost twice the amount she was able to raise last year. She said she has already pledged a large amount of her earnings from ArtPrize.
The display is located at 4970 Biddeford Drive in Comstock Park. More info can be found on their Facebook page.
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