By Halloween roundup
Town Crier Staff Report
The annual downtown Los Altos Halloween Spooktacular, sponsored by the Los Altos Village Association, will begin at noon, today, at the Community Plaza, Main and State streets. The event features free entertainment, trick-or-treating, contests and a performance by Egan Intermediate School’s music department.
Trick-or-treating at the stores in downtown Los Altos and entertainment for costumed children will take place noon to 3:30 p.m. The Egan School musicians will begin their performance at 3 p.m. The Costume Contest will begin at 4 p.m., with prizes awarded for the most creative costumes in three age categories - 3 years and younger, 4 to 6 years, and 7 to 10 years. Local merchants will provide the prizes, with the grand prize winner receiving a $50 savings bond from United California Bank. There will also be a candy corn guessing contest and a raffle featuring a haunted gingerbread mansion.
“Farmer Mike,” the world’s most widely recognized pumpkin carver, will be there to delight the crowd. He has carved several of the largest pumpkins ever grown, three of which have been world record holders.
Cindy Wemyss of Edward Jones Investments and Brian Orlov of Orlov Photography will sponsor 5-by-7-inch pictures of children in their Halloween costumes, 2:30-4 p.m.
Trick-or-treat bags will be provided by the American Legion, and students from local schools will assist children with stickers and removable tattoos.
The Egan School Music Department benefits from participation by 38 percent of the school’s student population. Throughout the school year concerts are given for students, parents and the community. Each spring the music students travel to Disneyland to perform and participate in Magic Music Days.
OTHER HALLOWEEN NEWS: Resident Jeanne Perry is transforming her home at 1450 Highland View Court into a “haunted courtyard,” beginning at 9 tonight. The courtyard will be decked out in Halloween fare, complete with fog machine, and festivities will include a magic show.
To trick-or-treat - or not - on Orange Avenue: that is the question. Some resident complaints about past “safe-street” Halloween affairs that included blocking off the street, resulted in cancellation of the official event this year.
But resident Gary Brown, among other Halloween-minded Orange Avenue residents, enjoys having the trick-or-treaters.
“Many residents enjoy and look forward to the hordes of costumed children and adults wandering through our neighborhood on Halloween,” he said. “We’re still expecting a large crowd to show up.”
As with other streets, the same Halloween rule of thumb applies: Go where the lighted porches and Halloween decorations are.
