Lake Stevens man transforms home into pirate ship

He’s a mild-mannered Boeing mechanic by day, a rowdy pirate at night.

Every Halloween, Steve Angehrn turns into Captain Jack.

His clean-cut look is cloaked under swords, sashes and leather. He grows a goatee and trades his golf cap for a pirate hat with long hair and braids.

It’s more than a costume.

He transforms the front yard of his Lake Stevens home, 117 118th Drive NE, into the Pirates of the Caribbean.

Ships, sand, treasure chest, cannons, rope dock rails: the whole swashbuckler shebang. He strings up skeletons, rents giant palm trees, cranks up the fog machine and lights up the yard.

What’s up with that?

“I was inspired when I was 15 going to Pirates of the Caribbean at Disneyland,” said Angehrn, 49.

“I do it for the kids, because I don’t have kids. I wanted kids but it never did happen at the time.”

In his 20s he did a small display in his mobile home park. Skeletons. Swords. Stuff like that. Then he got divorced and gave it up for a long time, until four years ago when he got the pirate bug after seeing a window display at a costume shop.

“It has gotten bigger and bigger,” he said. Friends help him decorate and hand out candy.

Angehrn invested several thousand dollars in the spread. He built the mast. He bought the ship front on Craigslist. He planted a real palm tree.

A pirate flag over the roof is the first sign that this house isn’t quite like the others in the quiet subdivision east of the lake.

The display is still under construction. Angehrn doesn’t turn into a pirate until Halloween night.

It might have stayed under the radar if a neighbor, Debi Demiglio, hadn’t called The Herald last week and told on him.

“It is THE place in the neighborhood. It’s not obnoxious. It’s like Christmas on Halloween and it needs to be seen by more parents who would bring the kids,” Demiglio said. “He’s got it all going on.”

Angehrn poses for pictures with the kids, big and small. Stop by for a selfie on Halloween.

“He really looks like Captain Jack,” Demiglio said. “One year I said, ‘Who are you?’ He said, ‘You know me. I’m your neighbor.’ I really didn’t recognize him.”

Here’s a Halloween house to check out now

Most people wait until December to get the decorating frenzy, but there are other Halloween houses around the county.

In Everett, check out Laura Holland’s festooned house.

As she puts it: “My decorations aren’t gross, creepy or gory. Mine are campy, fun, a tad spooky — the Halloweens I remember as a kid. I also decorate on a budget. I use things I’ve had for years or found at the dollar store or thrift stores.”

Why does she do it?

“I’m single without kids of my own but still very much a kid at heart,” said Holland, who has a home-based accounting/bookkeeping business.

The display stays up all month.

“Kids start asking me in September when I’m going to decorate. One of them even helped me decorate this year.”

She has costumes for her cat and her 150-pound Newfoundland dog.

Does she dress up?

No need.

“I have bright pink hair,” she said. “I’m not your typical 50-year-old accountant. People take life seriously. I like to be silly and fun.”

Send us your photos

Know of other Snohomish County homes with great Halloween decorations? Email photos to abrown@heraldnet.com for a photo gallery to run online.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Life

What’s Up columnist Andrea Brown with a selection of black and white glossy promotional photos on Wednesday, June 18, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Free celeb photos! Dig into The Herald’s Hollywood time capsule

John Wayne, Travolta, Golden Girls and hundreds more B&W glossies are up for grabs at August pop-up.

Rodney Ho / Atlanta Journal-Constitution / Tribune News Service
The Barenaked Ladies play Chateau Ste. Michelle in Woodinville on Friday.
Coming events in Snohomish County

Send calendar submissions for print and online to features@heraldnet.com. To ensure your… Continue reading

Edmonds announces summer concert lineup

The Edmonds Arts Commission is hosting 20 shows from July 8 to Aug. 24, featuring a range of music styles from across the Puget Sound region.

Big Bend Photo Provided By Ford Media
2025 Ford Bronco Sport Big Bend Increases Off-Road Capability

Mountain Loop Highway Was No Match For Bronco

Cascadia College Earth and Environmental Sciences Professor Midori Sakura looks in the surrounding trees for wildlife at the North Creek Wetlands on Wednesday, June 4, 2025 in Bothell, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Cascadia College ecology students teach about the importance of wetlands

To wrap up the term, students took family and friends on a guided tour of the North Creek wetlands.

Mustang Convertible Photo Provided By Ford Media Center
Ford’s 2024 Ford Mustang Convertible Revives The Past

Iconic Sports Car Re-Introduced To Wow Masses

Kim Crane talks about a handful of origami items on display inside her showroom on Monday, Feb. 17, 2025, in Snohomish, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Crease is the word: Origami fans flock to online paper store

Kim’s Crane in Snohomish has been supplying paper crafters with paper, books and kits since 1995.

The 2025 Nissan Murano midsize SUV has two rows of seats and a five-passenger capacity. (Photo provided by Nissan)
2025 Nissan Murano is a whole new machine

A total redesign introduces the fourth generation of this elegant midsize SUV.

A woman flips through a book at the Good Cheer Thrift Store in Langley. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Pop some tags at Good Cheer Thrift Store in Langley

$20 buys an outfit, a unicycle — or a little Macklemore magic. Sales support the food bank.

The Mukilteo Boulevard Homer on Monday, May 12, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
‘Homer Hedge’: A Simpsons meme takes root in Everett — D’oh!

Homer has been lurking in the bushes on West Mukilteo Boulevard since 2023. Stop by for a selfie.

Sarah and Cole Rinehardt, owners of In The Shadow Brewing, on Wednesday, March 12, 2025 in Arlington, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
In The Shadow Brewing: From backyard brews to downtown cheers

Everything seems to have fallen into place at the new taproom location in downtown Arlington

Bar manager Faith Britton pours a beer for a customer at the Madison Avenue Pub in Everett. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Burgers, brews and blues: Madison Avenue Pub has it all

Enjoy half-price burgers on Tuesday, prime rib specials and live music at the Everett mainstay.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.