Loveland Resident Engages Neighbors With Voting Display
Mary Thoma invites the community to shape her interactive Halloween village in the Mariana Butte neighborhood.
Updated on Oct. 16, 2026 in Civic Engagement
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Mary Thoma is transforming her front yard on Foothills Drive into an interactive Halloween attraction known as Butte Hollow. By using a chalkboard and voting buckets, she allows local residents and students to determine new storylines and character additions for the display.
Why it matters
Thoma designed the initiative to foster community connection and provide elementary students with a creative sense of agency over their neighborhood environment. The collaborative project encourages public engagement through real-time decisions on the evolving exhibit.
The display is located at 3926 Foothills Drive and features a collection of named skeletons, including a character named Tibby who was mailed from Louisiana. Thoma has resided in Loveland for 6 years and maintains a dedicated Facebook page for updates.
The players
Mary Thoma
She is a Loveland resident who coordinates the interactive Butte Hollow Halloween display at her home.
The details
Residents cast votes by placing stones into labeled buckets or commenting on the Butte Hollow Facebook page to select new decor and characters. The display has already featured the installation of Gus the Ghost and the unveiling of Tibby, a character originating from Louisiana.
Timeline
Halloween decorations were set out during the last week of September 2026.
The article was published on October 16, 2026.
Voting results for Pip the Singing Pumpkin will be revealed the weekend of October 17-18, 2026.
Thoma plans to continue adding to the display until October 31, 2026.
Political Context
This project follows the pattern of residential art installations that leverage digital platforms to transition from passive neighborhood decorations into active community-led creative spaces. Such initiatives demonstrate how neighborhood-level collaborative projects can encourage public participation in local social life.
Local residents and students can actively participate in the development of the Butte Hollow display by visiting the residence or following the project on social media. This initiative offers a tangible opportunity for neighbors to influence public art and neighborhood atmosphere without formal bureaucratic involvement.
The takeaway
This project highlights how simple, low-cost residential initiatives can serve as effective hubs for neighborhood interaction and youth engagement. Readers can implement similar democratic voting systems in their own local community projects to encourage collaborative decision-making.
What happens next
The voting results for the addition of Pip the Singing Pumpkin are scheduled to be revealed on the weekend of October 17-18, 2026, with further additions planned through October 31, 2026.
Further reading
Learn more about local efforts to increase public participation on the Loveland Civic Engagement section page.
More information
For character biographies and current display status, visit the Butte Hollow Facebook page.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Loveland Reporter-Herald.
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