Renee Adams has a heart for Halloween

Renee Adams loves everything about Halloween — the opportunity for creativity, the possibilities for silliness, the chance to celebrate with neighbors and friends.

Her home in the Winter Garden neighborhood of Lakeview Reserve is known as the party house every October, for neighbors know to expect something over the top and outlandish. She has turned the exterior of her house into a pirate ship, a ghost train, the entrance to Jurassic Park and the Haunted Mansion.

This year, she transformed her house and yard into a colorful candy creation a la Willy Wonka — complete with a chocolate fountain and a visit from Wonka himself (really her son, Hudson Adams-Farley). Adams hosts an annual party on Halloween, and anyone is invited to stop by 76 Zachary Wade St. for the festivities, which will include snacks, drinks, a bonfire and a showing of the newest “Wonka” movie featuring Timothée Chalamet.

The idea started when Adams-Farley’s girlfriend said he resembled Chalamet. Adams was inspired by that comment and set out to re-create the candy wonderland.

She made her display on a budget, recycling as much of the items as possible. The Oompa Loompas’ shirts were ones Adams was planning to donate to a thrift store, but instead she dyed them brown; and their eyebrows were fur cut off of old boots. All of the characters’ buttons were googly eyes turned backward and spraypainted. She salvaged a neighbor’s old fence, she made lollipop sticks out of old tent poles, and she repurposed old signs in her garage.

“As I was driving around the neighborhood on Sunday nights, I was Dumpster diving,” she said. “The little spiders and things on the ground were Dumpster dives from two years ago.”

She happened upon a garage sale that was selling an armful of black pumpkins. She got the gumball machine from another garage sale being held by two former members of Blue Man Group. She pieced together her son’s Wonka outfit from small purchases here and there. The giant stuffed giraffe on the side of the house was purchased online from a woman who assumed it was going to be placed in a child’s nursery.

Adams said she uses a lot of felt, spray paint and insulation foam to complete the look.

“Some people like to watch TV and read; I like to cut stuff out of foam and use the glue gun,” she said. It’s something I like to do. I like to make stuff.”

She also spends a great deal of time perfecting the display, drawing freehand Wonka’s giant hat and the movie logo.

“It took so long to get that font right, and I was so happy,” she said. “If you don’t get the font right, it doesn’t look as professional.”

Brightly colored umbrellas and inflatable candies dot the yard and trees.

The chance to be creative and the chance to bring her neighbors together are what draw Adams to making the elaborate display each year.

“I’ve been (in this house) 24 years,” Adams said. “New neighbors come in … people meet each other. It’s very much community. They know it’s going to happen in my driveway. And it’s that one night of the year they can all come together. And it’s making memories for them, too.

“One little girl comes every year,” she said. “Another girl said, ‘I just want you to know I’m too old to trick-or-treat but I’m still coming to your party.’ I’m making memories for every kid, not just my own.”

PLAYING DRESS-UP

Adams began her obsession with creating DIY Halloween costumes for her children when they were little. Sydney Adams-Farley is now 24, and Hudson Adams-Farley is 20.

Hudson was just a few months old when he appeared as Humpty Dumpty on a wall that rolled. He also has been a Whac-A-Me (a play on the Whac-A-Mole carnival game), lobster on a plate, “Back to the Future” car, rabbit in a hat, frog on a lily pad and rocket man (which required him to walk around on stilts).

Sydney has been a kiddie cocktail, girl on a surfboard, barrel of monkeys, girl on a piano, jack-in-the-box, a dog in a hot-air balloon and a camera that took real photos.

These elaborate creations started winning first prize in costume contests, so Adams continued each year. She said she even had teachers, friends and neighbors helping drive them to the contests, many of which earned cash prizes.

“We would always check to see who had the best prizes,” Adams said, laughing. “We went to Legoland, the Space Coast. We always swept at Rollins College.”

Twice she won a “boxtume” contest through Amazon and was flown to New York City to be on the “Live with Kelly and Ryan” show.

But as children tend to do, hers grew up and didn’t want to participate anymore. She’s happy her son agreed to don the famous hat and coat this year.

And she is proud of the fact that her daughter just won a Halloween costume contest for her dog.

“It’s making memories,” Adams said.