By Charlie Warner, Special to the Independent
With Halloween days away, scary creatures cast a somber aspect in yards and storefronts even as local residents set up haunted houses in anticipation of Oct. 31.
While trick-or-treaters anticipate another nightmare on Oak Street, other hot spots also promise the ghoulish spirit of All Hallow’s Eve.
The annual Boo Blast at El Morro Elementary from 2:30-7:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 28, starts off the weekend of events for those with disguises. This carnival fundraiser, a 40-year tradition organized by the PTA, features its own haunted house, rock climbing wall and bake sale, as well as games and a Ferris wheel.
A different sort fundraiser in the Halloween spirit invites families to experience a bounce house, face painting, costume parade, and other family-friendly fun Sunday, Oct. 30, from 11 to 4 p.m. at Tivoli Too!, 777 Laguna Canyon Road.
The event honors the late Laguna Beach police officer Jon Coutchie, whose favorite holiday was Halloween. The event will also feature live music and a police dog demonstration, as well as a silent auction featuring Anaheim Angels memorabilia. The money raised will go to the Community Service Programs Youth Shelter in Laguna Beach. Admission is $5 for adults; for children 12 and under, the admission is free.
Halloween enthusiast Ken Saunders has also set up a haunted house that may well send those who dare to enter running for the hills. It opens at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 28, for three consecutive nights through Sunday, Oct. 30.
Located on 337 Bluebird Canyon Drive, the Bluebird Haunted House, now in its fifth year, isn’t afraid to go to extra lengths to elicit a good scare.
“We start planning months in advance in order to have custom figures, masks and such made in time for Halloween,” said Saunders. “This year’s theme is a Cabin in the Woods, focusing on a scary place rather than a specific topical theme. We’ve basically replicated a house with five rooms and an outdoor area,” said Saunders.
With so much preparation, Saunders enlists some evil henchmen at his side. “Patrick, my son, is responsible for the creative side of the house. Peyton, my daughter, typically does make up,” said Saunders. “All my kids have always enjoyed Halloween and visiting other haunted houses. We do all the local ones like Universal Horror Nights, Knott’s Scary Farm, Haunted Hayride. We typically try to visit a nationally ranked house somewhere in the U.S. too, along with as many of the other local houses.”
As evil and twisted as it seems from the outside, the Bluebird Haunted House is good at heart. “We do not charge, but ask for a donation to our favorite local charity, Mauli Ola Foundation,” Saunders said. The Laguna Beach-based foundation aids victims of cystic fibrosis.
With so many different haunts to choose, Halloween could prove to be wicked fun this year.
