Horseheads resident recycles unusable materials to create Halloween décor

ELMIRA, N.Y. (WETM) – One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.

For one Horseheads man, Jim, Long, this seems to be true as he continues to keep the tradition alive by recycling un-usable materials and turning them into creative Halloween decorations.

They aren’t just any regular decorations.

Fire pits, mannequins, and tombstones can be seen from down the street.

“A lot of the stuff was found on the side of the road people’s scrap wood, I took an old headboard and porch frames, I made the archway, some of it was bought obviously, and some of it was thrown out by stores,” said Long.

He also makes tombstones for his family members, all in the spirit of Halloween.

“We just wanted to let all of our family know that we were thinking about them.”

One thing about Halloween is that there are no rules and for the past eight years Jim Long has been recreating ideas right in his front lawn.

“We’ve had a lot of people stop by and walk through, I always make them feel welcome,” said Long.

With Halloween different this year, long says it was something to look forward to.

“There’s been a lot of serious stuff going on, lately and hopefully this gives people a distraction from all the chaos,” said Long.