{"id":884741,"date":"2026-10-16T20:32:24","date_gmt":"2026-10-16T20:32:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/884741\/"},"modified":"2026-10-16T20:32:24","modified_gmt":"2026-10-16T20:32:24","slug":"going-to-cheer-for-the-valkyries-this-saturday-stop-by-boohalla","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/884741\/","title":{"rendered":"Going to Cheer for the Valkyries This Saturday? Stop by \u2018Boohalla\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

Make the pilgrimage to this decorated Inner Richmond home during the WNBA Finals. <\/p>\n

Oct 16, 2026<\/p>\n

Updated 12:36 pm PT<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

A skeleton wearing Golden State Valkyries player Kayla Thornton\u2019s number and jersey, pat of \u201cBoohalla,\u201d the Halloween-themed Valkyries display, created by couple Ainsley Rossitto and Sarah Swig, is exhibited at their home in San Francisco on Oct. 15, 2026. The display is a tribute to the WNBA expansion team\u2019s success in the playoffs.\u00a0(Gina Castro\/KQED)<\/p>\n

At the intersection of Third Avenue and Clement Street in San Francisco<\/a>\u2019s Inner Richmond, there stands a perfect encapsulation of how this reporter\u2019s October is going: A Halloween-themed Valkyries installation, fittingly titled \u201cBoohalla.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

At Boohalla \u2014 an adorable spin on \u201cBallhalla,\u201d which is what the Chase Center becomes for Valkyries fans during games \u2014 you can find skeletons donning signature purple and lavender, a giant roster chalk fun of chilling puns (forward Gabby Williams is now \u201cG. Wicked Williams,\u201d Kaitlyn Chen is \u201cK. Chensaw\u201d) and a graveyard memorializing women\u2019s basketball teams that have lost on the Valkyries\u2019 road to the Finals;<\/a> which are starting this Saturday against the Atlanta Dream.\u00a0<\/p>\n

And, of course, one cannot forget Natalie Na-Cauldron, a skeleton rocking a black tracksuit and long dark hair, reminiscent of Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase, off to the corner, drawing a game plan.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"Bay Area couple Sarah Swig, left, and Ainsley Rossitto, right, who created \u201cBoohalla,\u201d the Halloween-themed Golden State Valkyries display, speak about their creative process and inspiration behind the tribute display at their home in San Francisco on Oct. 15, 2026. \u00a0(Gina Castro\/KQED)<\/p>\n

\u201cCan you tell we\u2019re passionate?\u201d said Sarah Swig, steward of Boohalla.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s become, like, my whole personality,\u201d added her wife, Ainsley Rossitto.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Valkyries have made it to the WNBA Finals in their sophomore year as a franchise, rallying a fanbase that has garnered a reputation in the league for its enthusiasm<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Be sure to also check out KQED\u2019s guide on how to follow the Finals and where to watch the game<\/a>, including bars in or near the Inner Richmond<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"A \u201cThis is Boohalla,\u201d flag hangs in the Halloween-themed Golden State Valkyries display, created by couple Ainsley Rossitto and Sarah Swig, at their home in San Francisco on Oct. 15, 2026. \u00a0(Gina Castro\/KQED)<\/p>\n

\u201cA huge part of the commentary on the Valkyries now making it to the Finals is that nobody saw this coming,\u201d said Rossitto. \u201cBut I think, for those of us in the Bay Area, we all saw this coming.\u201d<\/p>\n

Swig and Rossitto recently bought their home together in the summer, and first set up Boohalla in late September. Known among their friends as the couple that goes all out for Halloween, playoffs gave them the chance to combine their two loves.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you step outside, it\u2019s hard to go anywhere in San Francisco without seeing Violet or the logo somewhere,\u201d Rossitto said. \u201cWe want to build on that enthusiasm.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

The installation changes with each team the Valkyries take on. When this reporter visited, it was still Aces-themed \u2014 the team that the Valkyries swept during semifinals<\/a>. The skeletons are proudly dusting playing cards with a broom.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe did a little bottle service for the skeletons here to celebrate,\u201d Rossitto said. \u201cWe have some things rolling out for the Dream very soon.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

And with the display, come the Valkyries\u2019 fervent fans. Rossitto said that they regularly find people outside their yard, taking pictures and posting on social media.<\/p>\n

\"\"Bentley, the 12-year-old Maltese Yorkie mix, stands in \u201cBoohalla,\u201d the Halloween-themed Golden State Valkyries display, created by couple Ainsley Rossitto and Sarah Swig, at their home in San Francisco on Oct. 15, 2026. <\/p>\n

\"\"Halle Berry, Golden State Valkyries player Gabby Williams\u2019 cat, part of \u201cBoohalla,\u201d the Halloween-themed Golden State Valkyries display, created by couple Ainsley Rossitto and Sarah Swig, is exhibited at their home in San Francisco on Oct. 15, 2026. <\/p>\n

\"\"A tombstone with WNBA team logos that the Golden State Valkyries have defeated is exhibited at \u201cBoohalla,\u201d the Halloween-themed Valkyries display, created by couple Ainsley Rossitto and Sarah Swig, at their home in San Francisco on Oct. 15, 2026.<\/p>\n

\"\"A skeleton holding queen and ace cards is exhibited at \u201cBoohalla,\u201d the Halloween-themed Golden State Valkyries display, created by couple Ainsley Rossitto and Sarah Swig, at their home in San Francisco on Oct. 15, 2026. <\/p>\n

It is especially a hit among kids on their way to school. Two little girls told Swig that they wanted to be Valkyries for Halloween. A young boy, she said, saw the display and rattled off, by heart, all of the teams in the WNBA league.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s really heartwarming,\u201d Swig said. \u201cThis fan base is just so positive, and that really stems from the players, from the leadership, from the team \u2026 They really cultivated the entire Bay Area.\u201d<\/p>\n

That diversity is reflected in the fans the couple has met. They said that people have stopped by the house traveling from all over the Bay Area \u2014 Santa Rosa to the East Bay to the Peninsula.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"Violet the raven and Golden State Valkyries mascot, part of \u201cBoohalla,\u201d the Halloween-themed Valkyries display, created by couple Ainsley Rossitto and Sarah Swig, is exhibited at their home in San Francisco on Oct. 15, 2026. \u00a0(Gina Castro\/KQED)<\/p>\n

\u201cThey don\u2019t feel like strangers,\u201d Rossitto said. \u201cYou guys are bonded by the same thing, and the fandom, and everybody\u2019s been so friendly \u2026 I\u2019d say hundreds of people have come by.\u201d<\/p>\n

And many of them are hungry for more. The couple has already been asked what they are planning for Christmas.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But they are likely capping the installation at the end of October \u2014 which is also the last game of Finals, if the Valkyries and Dream tie.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll be back next year,\u201d Rossitto said.<\/p>\n