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Watkins and Millar both get a lot of satisfaction out of being creative year after year with their frightening display, and their payoff is seeing people\u2019s positive reactions. \u201cOne neighbor refers to our place as the pirate house, and said it is their favorite,\u201d Watkins said adding, \u201cKids come by our house all the time. One of the greatest things about our Halloween display is the window with two creepy little girl twins. That seems to be the thing that scares people the most. That and the creepy dueling banjo skeletons.\u201d<\/p>\n
Alexandra said she and Glenn think of their Halloween display as \u201cour contribution to the community. We both have a good sense of humor and we like to have fun. It\u2019s just a way to give back. We love the smiles on kids faces and love seeing cars pull up year-round to see the pirates in the front yard.\u201d<\/p>\n
The pair also pass out a fair amount of candy for trick-or-treating. \u201cDuring COVID, Glenn built a long tube and rolled candy, pirate eyeballs, all the way down the tube into kids trick-or-treat bags, and that was popular,\u201d Watkins said.<\/p>\n
MONSTER BASH<\/p>\n
For the first time in three years, Loma Portal Elementary School will be holding its Monster Bash on campus at 3341 Browning St. on Friday, Oct. 28 from 5:30-8:30 p.m.<\/p>\n
Event co-chair Laureene Buck noted the creepy school tradition started in 2008 as a fundraiser and has just grown ever since. She said the elementary school\u2019s Dad\u2019s Club does the haunted house portion of the event, which began in the school\u2019s auditorium and has since shifted to a hallway.<\/p>\n
Buck noted the Monster Bash celebration has many facets. \u201cOur nonprofit Loma Portal Foundation, with moms co-chairing, puts on the rest of the carnival,\u201d she said, adding this year\u2019s bash will include food treats, a pony ride, a petting zoo, face painting, henna tattoos, and balloon twisting. \u201cWe\u2019ll have bounce slides, an inflatable obstacle course, a food truck, tons of games, a photo booth, a costume, and a pumpkin contest where we\u2019re asking kids to bring an already decorated pumpkin,\u201d added Buck.<\/p>\n
The school\u2019s Dad\u2019s Club, as usual, is going all out this year to curate the haunted hallway. \u201cThey\u2019ll be doing all sorts of things with animatronics, dry ice, smoke, and sound effects,\u201d Buck said. \u201cThere will be a mad scientist. There will be a lot of fun and spooky things.\u201d<\/p>\n
LPE still needs volunteers to stage the event. Email laureene@gmail.com<\/a>\u00a0o\u00a0lomaportal.school@gmail.com<\/a>\u00a0if you can help with games or decorations.<\/p>\n MUSIC MANIACS<\/p>\n The Holding Company, Ocean Beach\u2019s three-story music venue, bar, and restaurant at 5046 Newport Ave., is holding its free\u00a0EMO Halloween party<\/a>\u00a0with performances by Sang The Sorrow, Blazin Jane, and Lust for Life on\u00a0<\/strong>Friday, Oct. 28 starting at 5 p.m.\u00a0Attendees are encouraged to stop by before the show to enjoy The Holding Company\u2019s award-winning, over-the-top cocktails, Asian fusion menu, and rooftop, sunset views.<\/p>\n STATION SPOOKTACULAR<\/p>\n Estaci\u00f3n de la libertad<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0is holding its annual\u00a0Halloween at the Station\u00a0on Sunday, Oct. 30 from noon-4 p.m. This\u00a0all-ages, free event\u00a0<\/strong>includes live music, crafts, entertainers, and an all-ages costume contest, with a pets round too. Additionally, select Liberty Station businesses will open their doors for attendees to enjoy trick-or-treating. Liberty Station is also home to a pop-up pumpkin patch now through Oct. 31. Goff Family Pumpkin Patch at Liberty Station<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0holds movie nights, story times, and costume contests, and it has a Tap Truck on-site that dispenses beer and wine.<\/p>\n SUPERNATURAL CENTER<\/p>\n Ocean Beach Recreation Center at 4726 Santa Monica Ave. is holding a free, low-key Halloween-themed event outside featuring games, food, and arts and crafts on Saturday, Oct. 29 from noon-2 p.m. There will be no costume contest this year.<\/p>\n PUMPKIN CARVING<\/p>\n OB Women\u2019s Club is holding a pumpkin carving contest again this year starting at 6:15 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 25 at 2160 Bacon St. The event is BYOP, bring your own pumpkin and carving tools. Judged categories include the most creative pumpkin, scariest pumpkin, most creative pumpkin, and most OB pumpkin. Last year\u2019s most OB contest winner was a pumpkin regurgitating seeds. You don\u2019t have to be Michael Myers to try your hand at carving, Just come out and join the fun.<\/p>\n ORIGINS OF HALLOWEEN<\/p>\n Halloween or Hallowe\u2019en is celebrated in many countries on Oct. 31, the eve of the Western Christian feast of All Hallows\u2019 Day. It begins the time in the liturgical year dedicated to remembering the dead, including saints and martyrs. One theory holds that many Halloween traditions were influenced by Celtic harvest festivals, particularly the Gaelic festival Samhain, which is believed to have pagan roots.<\/p>\n It was not until after mass Irish and Scottish immigration in the 19th century that Halloween became a major holiday in America. Most American Halloween traditions were inherited from the Irish and Scots. In Cajun areas, a nocturnal mass is said in cemeteries on Halloween night. Blessed candles are placed on graves, and families sometimes spend the entire night at gravesides. Halloween celebration was gradually assimilated into mainstream society and celebrated, coast to coast, by people of all social, racial, and religious backgrounds by the early 20th century. Halloween traditions spread to many other countries, including mainland Europe, by the late 20th and 21st centuries.<\/p>\n D\u00cdA DE LOS MUERTOS<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/cdn.sdnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/20221019165939\/mermaid-witch-225x300.jpg\")