POINT LOMA \u2013 It\u2019s frightening just how much variety there is out there this Halloween to amuse \u2013 and terrify \u2013 residents and visitors alike.<\/p>\n
Throughout the Peninsula, from scary decorations to a family-oriented pumpkin patch in Liberty Station, a haunted hallway in a school, Viva Los Muertos, and a kid\u2019s party, there\u2019s something to thrill and scare everyone of every age.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s the fifth year for Liberty Station\u2019s Pumpkin Patch<\/a>, created and run by the fourth-generation Point Loma Goff family. <\/p>\n The annual seasonal attraction, featuring more than 10,000 pumpkins, is located next to The Loma Club<\/a> putting green and across from Spark Cycle<\/a>. The patch, open now through Oct. 31, includes photo opportunities, lawn games, and beer and wine for adults on Fridays and Saturdays.\u00a0<\/p>\n Hours are\u00a0Sundays-Thursdays from 9 a.m.-8 p.m., Fridays-Saturdays from 9 a.m.-9 p.m.<\/p>\n Owner-operator Adam Goff said their pumpkin patch is a family tradition. He said that he and wife, Kaitlyn, began their display in 2021, the year they were married.<\/p>\n \u201cWe always celebrate our anniversary during this pumpkin patch now, and we\u2019ve been doing it every year since,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n Goff credited Kaitlyn, an interior designer, with being \u201cthe real brains of the operation,\u201d which he noted \u201cfeels like a creative exercise every year.\u201d<\/p>\n Goff promised their patch this year has \u201cnew stuff that\u2019s really fun, like doing pizza.\u201d He added that he and Kaitlyn \u201care always trying to dream up some new and cool things\u201d every year to improve their pumpkin patch.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve also hired a local artist to come up with a bunch of fun ideas, like creating new games,\u201d Goff said. \u201cHe also made our sign out front.\u201d<\/p>\n On a recent afternoon, pumpkins of every imaginable shape, color (including white), size, and variety are strewn everywhere within the huge fenced-in area of the patch. A red tractor sits near the center of the enclosure. Families, dogs, and kids are beside themselves with joy as they play. Two guests were present dressed as ghosts while a mom, her newborn, and a companion were taking selfies of themselves enjoying their time in the patch.<\/p>\n Of the ambience they\u2019re trying to create with their pumpkin patch, Goff said: \u201cIt\u2019s all about the kids and giving people a farm experience, which is few and far between when you\u2019re living in the city. It\u2019s an immersive thing. That\u2019s why we use thousands of zip ties to create our corn-stalk fence in a setting where you\u2019re surrounded by hay bales.\u201d<\/p>\n The seasonal Liberty Station Pumpkin Patch is also available to be rented out by large groups, including families and corporations. \u201cIt\u2019s been a real special thing and we\u2019re so glad to do it,\u201d said Goff.<\/p>\n Loma Portal Haunted Hallway<\/p>\n Loma Portal Elementary School<\/a> is holding its annual Halloween Monster Bash that started in the school\u2019s gymnasium, but has since morphed into a hallway haunting, thanks to the efforts of the volunteer Loma Portal Dads Club<\/a>. <\/p>\n The spooky event is set for 5 p.m. Friday, Oct. 24,\u00a0and tickets and wristbands are available for sale. Wristbands ensure that your little ghouls and goblins get unlimited access to bounce houses, pony rides, the petting zoo, and carnival games.<\/p>\n Tickets ($1 each) are needed for select food items, including popcorn, cotton candy, and glow drinks (wristbands cannot be used for these items). Tickets and wristbands will also be available for sale in front of the school on select days and times this week and next, but online purchase is recommended.<\/p>\n New this year:\u00a0Reserve a table in the \u201cPumpkin Patch\u201d for you and your boo-crew for $150 and have your \u201chome base\u201d for the night. Your decorated, reserved table includes 10 chairs, a bucket of bottled water, and themed cookies.<\/p>\n Loma Portal Elementary parent spokesperson Laureene Buck, who\u2019s \u201cterming out\u201d of her role in helping organize the event after this year because her daughter is graduating, said they\u2019re looking to take the Monster Bash \u201cto the next level.\u201d<\/p>\n That, she added, includes the introduction of a new attraction \u2013 a human hamster ball race. \u201cThey\u2019re inflatable balls and kids can race in them on three separate tracks, and there will be a winner,\u201d she said. \u201cWe think that\u2019s going to be really fun.\u201d<\/p>\n The highlight of the spooky show every year at Loma Portal is the school\u2019s haunted hallway, which Buck noted the Dad\u2019s Club \u201cis solely responsible for.\u201d She added that dads go all-out to execute the event every year with fog, animatronics, and the latest high-tech.<\/p>\n \u201cEach year, it\u2019s a little bit different,\u201d Buck said, adding that the list of attractions at this year\u2019s event will also include pony rides, face painting, henna tattoos, balloon twisting, portrait caricatures, and food trucks. \u201cI had a mom once tell me our Monster Bash was like a little fair,\u201d said Buck, adding that the compliment came as high praise.<\/p>\n Children, of course, are the real beneficiaries of the Monster Bash every year. \u201cThe kids love it and they look forward to it every year, and that\u2019s why we do it,\u201d Buck said. \u201cFor the kids, being able to go to school at night with a special event \u2013 it\u2019s the best.\u201d<\/p>\n Kid\u2019s Halloween Party<\/p>\n Ocean Beach People\u2019s Food Co-op<\/a> at 4765 Voltaire Street is holding its annual Halloween party for kids on Saturday, Oct. 25, from noon to 3 p.m.\u00a0The event will include a pumpkin-decorating station and other activities, with the co-op promising \u201cguaranteed gourd times.\u201d<\/p>\n Nightmare Movie Night<\/p>\n The Ocean Beach Recreation Center<\/a>, located at 4726 Santa Monica Avenue, is holding a free movie night with snacks and activities for kids on Friday, Oct. 17, starting at sunset at Ocean Beach Elementary Joint Use field, 4702 Newport Ave. <\/p>\n The creature feature will be \u201cThe Nightmare Before Christmas.\u201d<\/p>\n Halloween at the Station<\/p>\n Liberty Station\u2019s \u201cHalloween at the Station<\/a>\u201d will take place on\u00a0Sunday, Oct. 26, from noon to 4 p.m. at Ingram Plaza, 2751 Dewey Road.\u00a0The free, family-friendly event features a live DJ, a Hollywood car show, inflatable obstacle courses, arts and crafts, trick-or-treating, and a costume contest.<\/p>\n \u00a0Showcase your spooky style in a contest with categories for all ages, groups, and pets. Attendees can also bring nonperishable food items for\u00a0Feeding San Diego\u2019s<\/a> food drive,\u00a0which benefits military families and veterans.\u00a0<\/p>\n Viva Los Muertos<\/p>\n And last but not least, OB\u2019s La Do\u00f1a<\/a> will hold a \u201cViva Los Muertos\u201d celebration on\u00a0Oct. 25-26 from 1 to 10 p.m. featuring live music, food, drinks, and a marketplace.\u00a0<\/p>\n The two-day festival in the restaurant\u2019s parking lot includes a vendor row with local crafts, a music stage with Tres Leches<\/a> and other Latin and cumbia artists, DJs, a live mural painting, a face-painting station and art area, themed food and drinks, and a picnic\/lounge area.\u00a0Tickets are on sale and can be purchased at ladonaob.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n READ NEXT<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"POINT LOMA \u2013 It\u2019s frightening just how much variety there is out there this Halloween to amuse \u2013…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":304770,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5134],"tags":[5229,1582,276,124900,154544,17810,42025,154545,87847,104720,3549,7264,67,586,132,5230,68,2969,154546],"class_list":{"0":"post-304769","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-san-diego","8":"tag-america","9":"tag-ca","10":"tag-california","11":"tag-dia-de-muertos","12":"tag-die-de-los-muertos","13":"tag-halloween","14":"tag-liberty-station","15":"tag-loma-portal-elementary-school","16":"tag-point-loma","17":"tag-pumpkin-patch","18":"tag-san-diego","19":"tag-sandiego","20":"tag-united-states","21":"tag-united-states-of-america","22":"tag-unitedstates","23":"tag-unitedstatesofamerica","24":"tag-us","25":"tag-usa","26":"tag-viva-los-muertos"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115376994698005916","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/304769","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=304769"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/304769\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/304770"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=304769"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=304769"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=304769"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}