Halloween arrived early last weekend with several trunk-or-treat events throughout the area … but more Halloween fun is to be had.

By Mary O’KEEFE and Michelle SEVANA

Ghosts and goblins were seen at the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Dept.-Crescenta Valley Station on Friday night when it hosted a trunk-or-treat event. Classic cars were decorated in the station’s lower parking lot with plenty of candy for the ready kids.

Trunk-or-treaters were dressed in their favorite Halloween costumes as they paraded by the vehicles, taking pieces of candy from the car’s trunks. California Highway Patrol was also on hand to share candy, coloring books and stickers. Ralphs Market was on-site sharing bags of goodies for kids – not just of candy but stickers, notebooks, pencils and stamps.

Kids were kept busy with games and face-painting and were thrilled to climb into the cab of an LA County Fire Dept. engine; however, by far the most popular thing to do was coloring on an LASD patrol car.

Kids grabbed markers and drew pictures or signed their names on the patrol unit.

The event also featured a family-friendly movie later that night.

On Saturday, kids had a chance to enjoy another Halloween event at La Crescenta Presbyterian Church.

Its trunk-or-treat event was a success as kids and parents took part in a fun-filled afternoon collecting candy from decorated trunks, painting or carving pumpkins, and more. Church elder Jillian Matson was one of the organizers of the event. She said it was the second year the church hosted the family-friendly event with many of the same people, and trunks, returning this year to participate. She said the number of people attending this year nearly doubled. 

Jesiah Bozich, director of Children’s Ministry, was another organizer of the event. He said for him the most important part was seeing the free-spirited smiles of the kids. He also said that, in his opinion, the kids enjoyed the creativity they feel while attending trunk-or-treat.

Tonight, Halloween night, will have events kids and adults won’t want to miss.

In Montrose, family fun can be found at Spooktacular on Honolulu Avenue in the Montrose Shopping Park. The annual Montrose Halloween Spooktacular will take place in the 2200, 2300 and 2400 blocks from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. The avenue is closed to vehicular traffic as trick-or-treaters walk from store-to-store as merchants fill their bags with candy and treats.

For more information, email shopmontrose@aol.com or call Event Coordinator Dale Dawson at (818) 541-0699.

Also in Montrose is a free, kid-friendly fun and slightly spooky haunted house maze from 5 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Church of Scientology Mission of the Foothills. A free professional photo booth photo opportunity is offered to every family along with lots of candy as visitors explore a graveyard, spidery room, witch’s room and more – all free of charge.

The haunted house entrance is at the back of the building at 2254 Honolulu Ave. in Montrose. For more information, call (818) 957-1500 or email events@scientology-montrose.org.

For those brave souls, spooky Halloween offerings can be found at 413 Whiting Woods with the annual Haunting of Whiting Woods. This haunted work of love is spearheaded by creator and Whiting Woods resident David Krohn … and an army of volunteers. Krohn estimates about 30 people help with 413 Whiting Woods – 20 actors for the show and another 10 people who help build, haul, carry, paint, etc. who can’t (or don’t want to) act on Halloween. 

He extended special consideration to Gary, Geoff, Alisa and Alan who have been working on this year’s event almost every day for a month.

This year’s theme? Zombies!

“We did this theme 15 or so years ago at Vista Court [his previous residence in La Crescenta] and that was probably my favorite year,” said Krohn. “This year’s visitors get to experience ground zero of the zombie outbreak that started in La Crescenta.”

Krohn’s creations are Crescenta Valley staples and highly anticipated by Halloween celebrants. While his haunted houses started off as small events catering mainly to friends, they have evolved into a beloved part of the community. Even during the restrictions imposed during the 2020 COVID pandemic, Krohn saw how his efforts brought locals together when nearly 1,000 people attended the evolution from a walk-through haunted house into a haunted drive-through. What the years have taught Krohn is that he must “control what [he] can and accept what [he] can’t control … there’s a lot of people and moving parts.”

Due to the scarability of his haunted experience, not all members of all families are urged to attend.

“It really depends on the family,” said Krohn. “The scenes are fairly elaborate, which creates enough reality to make the scares work well. Additionally, most of us have been doing this for a long time so we know how to push buttons. What I can say is that it’s scary … especially so this year.”

The Nightmare in Whiting Woods Haunted House is located at 413 Whiting Woods Drive from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. on Halloween night only. The event is free to attend and is sponsored by Property Masters Realty.

For those who are busy Halloween night but want to see the many decorations around town, the Crescenta Valley Weekly, with additional sponsors, presents Fun & Frights in the Foothills, a self-guided tour of houses that are decorated for Halloween. Addresses can be found on page 18 of this paper.

After the haunts on Halloween night a celebration centuries in the making will be held on Nov. 1 at St. Luke’s of the Mountains Episcopal Church.

All are invited to the Día de Muertos festival from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at St. Luke’s, 2563 Foothill Blvd.

Day of the Dead (Día de Muertos) has been an important celebration in Mexico since pre-Hispanic times. The Mexica [meˈxika] (Aztecs) memorialized their dead for two months in the summer: Miccailhuitontli (for children) and Hueymicailhuitl (for adults). Spaniards introduced the Catholic calendar and moved the practice of honoring the dead to All Souls Day, celebrated on Nov. 2. The tradition is rooted in the native Mexican belief that life on earth is a preparation for the next world and that it is important to maintain a strong relationship with the dead. Families gather in the cemetery during this celebration to welcome the souls on their annual visit. In houses, people prepare altars, known as ofrendas, with traditional ephemeral elements for the season, such as cempasúchil (marigold) flowers, copal incense, fresh pan de muerto bread, candles and calaveras (sugar skulls). Photographs, mementos and favorite items used by the departed are included, according to Mexican Culture Without Borders.

The St. Luke’s event will feature food and music, and everyone is invited to bring a photo or favorite items of a loved one who has crossed over.