Halloween decorating contest in Crystal Lake invites community votes

Twelve Crystal Lake homes are vying to be the spookiest on the block.

The homes are participating in the Crystal Lake Park District's Haunted Home Decorating Contest, which this year will be decided by the public.

The homes include: 1714 Birmingham Lane; 154 College St.; 1345 Boxwood Drive; 1029 Colony Drive; 592 Darlington Lane, Apt. 1; 997 Camelot Drive; 378 Meridian St. in Lakewood; 584 Blackthorn Drive; 93 Burning Bush Trail; 1096 W. Stone Creek Circle; 531 W. Woodstock St.; and 384 Buckingham Drive.

Instead of Crystal Lake Park District staff judging in person this year, voting will be open to the public via Woobox. Between now and Oct. 26, entrants will upload a photo or video link to the site, which will then be used to create a gallery where the public can view all entries and vote for their favorite.

A link to the gallery once it is finalized will be available on the special event page of the park district's website as well as on Crystal Lake Park District social media sites. Voting is allowed one time per day per IP address.

Public voting will open on Oct. 27 and continue through the end of the day Oct. 29.