Decorative Dragon Is Monster Hit In New Jersey Neighborhood
MAPLEWOOD, N.J. (CBSNewYork) – An imaginary creature has been a monster hit in the suburbs.
As CBS2's Jessica Layton reports, the inflatable dragon is all the talk of an otherwise quiet New Jersey neighborhood.
Walking home from school on Ridgewood Road in Maplewood, it's impossible to miss the massive dragon that sways back and forth in the breeze while breathing fake fire. The orange ornament is about eight feet tall and 15 feet long.
It's been on a family's front lawn since before Halloween. And days away from Thanksgiving, it still hasn't come down.
"Our son loved it, so we'd leave it up a for little bit longer," said homeowner Ian Synnott.
Synnott and Lauren Harris joked that it was pure laziness and fear of a toddler tantrum that has kept them from taking down the dragon.
They know in some areas, it might get odd looks or that some might think it's tacky. But to their surprise and delight, it turns out the neighborhood adores the gigantic decoration set up by their new neighbors.
"Bringing the kids by, coming out of the way just so they can see it," said Synnott.
People love the dragon so much, they started offering to help the family with the electricity bill. The couple said that isn't necessary, but say there is a way their neighbors can help them help others.
A few feet away from the display, there's a donation bin on their porch where visitors can leave warm coats for the homeless.
"We want to just do whatever we can, whatever is within our means to assist anyone experiencing any kind of hardship," Harris said.
So when do they foresee the dragon coming down?
"We talked about leaving it up through the holidays, until the end of December," Synnott told Layton.
The neighborhood kids say they're all for it.
