Halloween scares abound in town Halloween scares abound in town (October 28, 2005)

Mad scientists cause a fright at the city's Haunted House

It's that time of year again, when pumpkins grow faces and Spiderman, Richard Nixon and Frankenstein can be seen hanging out together, begging for candy. Yes, that's right, it's Halloween, and it doesn't matter if you're young or old, you're sure to enjoy the spirit of the season. This year, Halloween falls on a Monday, which can be good and bad. Good because some candy and costumes can really help chase away a "case of the Monday blues." Bad because it means some people might not be able to really go out and get the full Halloween experience. That's why many people had their Halloween fun early by taking part in the Department of Parks and Recreation Haunted House Friday, Oct. 21.

This year's theme for the Haunted House was "Creature Features" and featured scenes inspired by B horror movies, such as "Them" and "Creatures from the Black Lagoon."

"Doing something with B horror movies was something we'd had on the list for a while and it was something I really wanted to do," said Mark Duncanson, youth recreation coordinator for the city.

Twenty-three youths and four adults from the Parks and Community Services' Performance Class put on the Haunted House, which is part Haunted House, part interactive theater. When children and parents walked through the doors, they found themselves in "Amador Laboratories" where scientists were busy analyzing a meteor that just hit Pleasanton. The visitors were brought to the lab so they could see for themselves that everything is all right, but of course, it's not, and fun frights ensue.

Hundreds of children and parents came through the Haunted House, or laboratory in this case, since it is appropriate for all ages, but is still filled with Halloween fun. To prepare for the Haunted House, the actors from the performance class began working on the story line in mid-September and did many practice improvisations to come up with a variety of fun scares, Duncanson said.

With this year's Haunted House another success, Duncanson and the rest of the city's parks and recreation crew can put Halloween behind them, but for those who didn't get their fill of frights there's still plenty of fun to be had Monday night. Whether trick-or-treating or searching for ghosts, have a Happy Halloween!

E-mail a friend a link to this story.