Story by PATRICK CAMP
What can you do with just a single pumpkin? The obvious answer would be to carve a jack-o’- lantern. You could also paint it, or scoop out and roast the seeds. Those with some degree of culinary skills might use all of the different parts of the pumpkin to make a delicious meal. However, if someone told you to take a pumpkin and create an event that would not only bring a community together, but would also attract thousands of visitors every year, you would probably think they had lost their mind.
Except, that is exactly what Zach Lee and his family did nearly two decades ago when they began a Halloween tradition that would become known as Nightmare on Woodland Street. And it all started with a single pumpkin. Lee is a child of the 1980s, a golden age for the slasher / horror film genre with legacy titles such as“ Friday the 13th,”“ Child’ s Play,”“ Poltergeist,” and of course“ A Nightmare on Elm Street.” After winning a costume contest at West Elementary School’ s annual Fall Festival, he said he was lucky enough to catch the Halloween bug in an era when children were still able to experience the magic of the holiday.
“ You know, we would go to the subdivisions and fill up a big pillowcase with candy. Then we would eat half of it before we got back to the car. I always remember those houses with a guy who sits out on the front porch to scare you, or have a scarecrow out in the yard or a black cat in the window,” Lee said.
During a past Nightmare on Woodland Street, residents Gary Knight and Brian Wilson invite The Sanderson Sisters, from ' Hocus Pocus,' to welcome trick-or-treaters to their spooky end of Woodland Street.
PHOTO COURTESY GARY KNIGHT AND BRIAN WILSON
“ I just want to create something magical for kids.”— Heidi Milliken
Cullman magazine | HOLIDAY 2026
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