Ghostly Pleasures

By eric

Oct. 22, 2009 5:05 PM PT

Boo-tiful fun abounds for Halloween

All dressed up and nowhere to go this Halloween? Check the following list of seasonal fun for all ages — most events are happening right in your own backyard!

Del Mar

Halloween Happening: Village Association’s Oct. 25 event offers trick or treating from 2 to 5 p.m. and magic show from 4 to 5 p.m., L’Auberge Amphitheater, 1540 Camino del Mar; arts and crafts, 2 to 4 p.m. at the Del Mar Library; Fun at Pinky’s Big Top face-painting and hair-coloring, 2 to 4 p.m. at the Del Mar Plaza. (858) 755-1179. www.delmarmainstreet.com

Scream Zone: 7 p.m. to midnight Friday-Saturday, 7 to 11 p.m. other nights, Oct. 22-31, Del Mar Scaregrounds, 2260 Jimmy Durante Blvd. Triple Haunt: House of Horror, Haunted Hayride and The Chamber, $27.99; House of Horror or Haunted Hayride, $14.99, at www.ticketmaster.com/

venue/81980.

Pumpkin Station: Activities, rides, inflatables, slides, petting zoo and more throughout the park through Oct. 31, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Del Mar

Pumpkin Station: Activities, rides, inflatables, slides, petting zoo and more throughout the park through Oct. 31, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday-Sunday. Free parking and admission. 15555 Jimmy Durante Blvd. (858) 481-4254.

Concerts

Opening night: The La Jolla Symphony & Chorus will open its 55th season with a Beethoven-Bartok-Golijov concert conducted by Steven Schick. 8 p.m. Oct. 31-Nov. 1. Mandeville Auditorium.

Symphony concert: Dia de los Muertos, a Mexican Day of the Dead Celebration, 7:30 p.m. Nov. 1, features the music of Mexico’s greatest musicians with Mariachi Champana Nevin, vocalists Monica Abrego and Jorge Lopez-Yanez, and Ballet Folkloric Flores del Desierto. Tickets: $20-$85. (619) 235-0804, www.sandiegosymphony.com.

Bar party: Halloween Heat with Blasphemous Guitars, 9 p.m. Oct. 31, Belly Up Tavern, 143 S. Cedros Ave., Solana Beach. $25. (858) 481-8140.

Worth a trip

Botanic Garden Fun. Scarecrow Overrun, 1 to 4 p.m. Oct. 25, Hamilton Children’s Garden. Great photo ops. Free with admission. Halloween Party and Parade, 9:30 to 11 a.m. or 11:15 to 12:45 p.m. Oct. 31 for ages 2-6, crafts, plant potting, treat hunting, snacks, Seeds of Wonder area. $12 per child, nonmembers $17 per child. Reservations required. San Diego Botanic Garden, 230 Quail Gardens Drive, Encinitas. (760) 436-3036, ext. 222. E-mail SOW@sdbgarden.org.

Brick-or-treat: Legoland California, 5 to 9 p.m. Oct. 24 and 31. Costume contests, treat or treating, live music and entertainment. Some rides open late. Themed exhibits. $25 event only; www.legoland.com or (760) 918-LEGO.

Fiesta de Reyes: Trick or treating through shops and museums, 4 to 6:30 p.m. Oct. 31; storytelling of “Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” 8 p.m. in the yard behind Seeley Stables. Free. Old Town San Diego State Park. (858) 689-9909.

“Rocky Horror Picture Show”: Classic, campy horror musical, midnight Fridays, La Paloma Theatre, 471 S. Coast Highway 101, Encinitas. $9. (760) 436-SHOW.

Ghosts at Old Town: Led by a clueless ghost hunter, visitors are off on a search for the ghosts of real San Diegans who met tragic deaths in Old Town during the 1880s. 6:30 and 7 p.m. Oct. 23-24 and Oct. 30-31. Meet near Visitor Center, Wallace/Calhoun streets. Tickets: $10. www.brownpapertickets.com.

SeaWorld Spooktacular: Noon to 6 p.m. weekends through Nov. 1, “Clyde and Seamore’s Trick or Treat” show, costume contests, treat or treating. Seasonal fun included with park admission, from $55. Exit SeaWorld Drive, off Interstate 5. (800) 25-SHAMU. Seaworldsandiego.com.

Pumpkins at the Park: Weekends through Nov. 1 at San Diego Zoo’s Wild Animal Park, Escondido. Extinct animal graveyard, scavenger hunt for treats, costume contest. Details at https://www.sandiegozoo.org/park/.

Balboa Park-wide Family Day: Museum discounts and special events throughout Balboa Park on Oct. 31. Science fun from 9:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center, where ages 17 and younger will be admitted free with a paid adult admission. Science-themed pumpkin contest with prizes in three age categories. (619) 238-1233. Costumes encouraged, but not required. Discounted IMAX films $8.50.

The Haunted Trail of Balboa Park: 7 p.m. to midnight through Oct. 31. Located in the woods of Balboa Park, east of Sixth and Juniper; cash-only tickets $14.99, $4.99 extra for clown maze. No kids younger than 10. (619) 696-SCARE. www.hauntedhotel.com

Puppet show: “The Polka Dot Ghost” has a big problem and needs help getting ready for the big night, 10 and 11:30 a.m. Wednesday-Friday; 11 a.m. and 1 and 2:30 p.m. Saturday-Sunday; Oct. 28-31; Marie Hitchcock Puppet Theater, 2130 Pan American Place, Balboa Park; $3-$5; (619) 544-9203 or www.balboaparkpuppets.com.

Halloween Swing Dance Party: 7 to 10 p.m. Oct. 30, 12621-A Poway Road, Poway. Northside Jitterbug Swing Dance Club presents mini classes, prizes, Jack ‘n’ Jill contest, music from the Swinging Sounds of Band Diego. Cover: $15, or $20 for couples. Details at (858) 679-8277 or www.worldancenarts.com

The Haunted Hotel: Terrifying tour of one of Gaslamp’s deepest and darkest basements, from 7 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday through October, 424 Market St., San Diego. Tickets: $14.99 online at www.gaslamp.org or (619) 231-0131.

Stay safe:

Remember these

American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons offers these tips to help assure an injury-free Halloween:

Pumpkin-carving

Use specifically designed carving knives, not kitchen knives. Carving knives are less likely to get stuck in the thick pumpkin tissue where injuries can occur when a carver tries to yank out the stuck knife.
Never let kids carve pumpkins. Adults carving pumpkins should remember to cut in small, controlled strokes, away from themselves.
If you cut a fingertip or hand while carving, elevate the hand above the heart and apply direct pressure to the wound with a clean cloth to stop the bleeding. If continuous pressure does not stop the bleeding after 15 minutes, an emergency room visit may be necessary.

Costumes

Trim costumes and bags with reflective tape for visibility.
Make sure costumes fit properly; those that are too long may cause trips and falls.
Shoes for “begging” should be sturdy, comfortable and slip-resistant.
Masks and hats can impair vision, so secure hats well and consider using face makeup instead of masks.

Trick or treating

Keep to familiar neighborhoods, and only approach homes that are well lit.
Be accompanied by an adult at all times.
Walk on sidewalks and never cut across yards or driveways.
Obey traffic signals and use designated crosswalks when crossing the street.
Carry flashlights to see and be seen.
Examine all treats for tampering before eating them.

No-Carve, Mess-Free Pumpkin Art Projects Kids Will Love

Allison Wheeler, director of KidzArt, an international children’s art education franchise in Solana Beach,

offers some pumpkin art projects that will excite the kids, minus a big mess:

n Stenciled Pumpkin Designs — Go online and peruse the hundreds of pumpkin template designs available. But instead of carving, kids can use a stencil to trace a pattern on the pumpkin. Use colored permanent markers to color, draw patterns, etc.

Glitter Pumpkins — For kids who love shimmer and sparkle, cover your gourds and pumpkins with a coating of glitter. Using craft glue that dries clear, “paint” the entire pumpkin with glue. While the glue is wet, sprinkle your favorite colored glitter over the pumpkin. Let it dry for an hour and shake off the excess sprinkles.

Pumpkin People — Kids can create “pumpkin people” by using a variety of household items. Draw eyes, nose, mouth and cheeks on the dry, clean pumpkin. Or get creative and use fruits or vegetables for ears, eyes or a mouth, glue on raffia for hair, add a hat, a bandanna, glasses, ribbons or felt to give each pumpkin its own personality.
Black on White — For a dramatic effect, kids will get a kick out of drawing with black Sharpies on a stark-white pumpkin. Try tracing and coloring in simple black silhouettes such as bats, cats and spiders!

For more creative art projects or for information on fall and winter art classes, call KidzArt at (858) 272-9529 or visit www.sdkidzart.com.

Ghostly Pleasures

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