Halloween Rocks!

Halloween Rocks!
By Shelley T. Hudson

Stop the music! Halloween is just a few short weeks away and so much is happening this year it’s scary. Get in costume, play the part and treat yourself to some hauntingly good fun throughout South OC.

Dana Point
This is the place to be on All Hallow’s Eve. The city is oozing with opportunities for spooky family fun. First up is Saturday, October 22nd, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. with the Haunted Campground at Doheny State Beach. The campground will spotlight educational booths and a fun zone for kids. The event is free, but please bring a non-perishable food item donation.

The Ocean Institute’s Tidepool of Terrors takes place on Sunday, October 30th. This annual event is free to kids in costume and features ghost stories, critter crafts and spooky science labs. Kids can trick-or-treat throughout the facility and take part in the costume contest. Prizes will be awarded for Scariest, Ocean-themed and Most Eco-Friendly costumes.

The City of Dana Point is going all out for its First Annual Halloween Spooktacular and Moonlight Movie. This event is absolutely free and is packed with family-oriented activities. The fun starts at 3 p.m. on Saturday, October 28th, at Lantern Bay Park with cupcake decorating, pumpkin carving and a costume parade. The event concludes with a screening of Disney’s Monsters, Inc. at 6:15 p.m. Free popcorn will be distributed during the movie and other refreshments will be available for purchase.

Laguna Beach
Laguna Beach is getting in on the frightful action this year with a children’s Halloween Scavenger Hunt on Saturday, October 29th, from 9 to 11 a.m. Kids aged 5 and older can explore the wilderness searching for treats and learning about nature. Beware…the hunt includes a one-mile hike that can be a little steep. The event fee is $2.00 per person and parking is $3.00 per vehicle at Laguna Wilderness Park. 

Laguna Niguel
A Halloween tradition not to be missed is the 11th Annual Haunted Trails event at Crown Valley Community Park with this year’s theme: “It’s a mad, mad world!” Small groups will tour through the very scary trails and experience the fright of their lives. The festivities are scheduled for October 27th through the 29th and it all begins at 6:30 p.m. The cost is $10 per person and organizers ask that you bring only children aged 8 and older.

For a twist on Halloween tradition, check out the Pet Project Foundation and the San Clemente/Dana Point Animal Shelter’s Howl-o-Ween at the Ritz Carlton Laguna Niguel on Thursday, October 27th from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. This fundraiser and doggie costume contest supports local animal rescue efforts and is sure to be full of laughs and arfs. Dogs will enjoy “Yappy Hour,” featuring Beastly Bacon and Creepy Chicken flavored waters and owners can sip on wines from Mutt Lynch Winery—we’re talking Unleashed Chardonnay, Merlot Over and Play Dead and Chateau d’Og Cabernet Sauvignon. The cost is a $10 donation for each costumed canine.

San Juan Capistrano
ZOOMARS’ Pumpkinpalooza is back this year and better than ever. No scary stuff here—kids can paint pumpkins, walk through a haze maze and make Halloween crafts every day in October from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The ‘Palooza will take over the train station on Los Rios Street in SJC. While you’re at it, you can treat the family to a Zoomars’ visit as well-where the kids can pet and feed over 100 different animals. Admission is $7.00 for adults and $6.00 for children.

The San Juan Capistrano Historical Society will sponsor a “Ghost Stories” walking tour of Los Rios Street, the oldest residential neighborhood in California. The tours start at the O’Neill Museum on Los Rios Street at 6:30, 7:00 and 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, October 29th. Creepy tales of “the lady in white,” “the big black dog” and more will be shared and scared. Reservations are required and the cost is $4.00 for adults and $3.00 for children. Bundle up and prepare for a chill!