As Halloween approaches, many activities will be held that will allow you to get your costumes out and your scream on. Here are just a few of the events taking place this weekend that will enable people of all ages to have some fun. So, finish those final touches on your costume and stay tuned to the Mustang Daily next week for more Halloween enjoyment.
Friday
*The “Halloween Family Fun Night” in San Luis Obispo includes a costume contest, Halloween crafts, games, a scavenger hunt and a bounce house. The free event is being held from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the San Luis Obispo County YMCA at 1020 Southwood Dr. For more information, contact Jenifer Rhynes at 543-8235.
*The Halloween “YMCA Spaghetti Dinner & Family Fun” night in Paso Robles offers the community a chance to get a salad and spaghetti dinner for a donation of $5. Ages six and under eat for half-price. Everyone is encouraged to wear a costume to the fundraiser. There will be plenty of free games, activities and gift bags at the event, which will be held from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at 600 Nickerson Rd. in the Acorn Room at Centennial Park.
Saturday
*Cal Poly’s Sigma Nu fraternity has put together a haunted house to raise funds for San Luis Obispo Special Olympics. The haunted house, located at 1304 Foothill Blvd., will be open from 6 to 10 p.m. every night until Halloween. Admission is $5 for adults, and free for those 12 and under. For more information, contact Sigma Nu President Alex Wyatt at 234-6128.
Saturday
*The 30th annual “Jubilee by the Sea” in Pismo Beach is set to kick off Saturday at noon. Fifteen jazz and swing bands will perform at the three-day festival, which welcomes dancers and music aficionados alike. Admission is $20 and space is limited. For details, call 481-7840 or 1-800-443-7778.
*Cal Poly’s cornfield is bound to be as scary as any haunted house when the Crops Club hosts its annual Haunted Corn Maze. Everyone is being encouraged to wear costumes to the event. Admission is $3, and free for children 5 and under. The event runs from 7 to 9 p.m. in the corn maze on campus. To get there, take U.S. Highway 1 to the Highland Drive entrance to campus, turn left on Mt. Bishop Road, and follow the signs to the maze and free parking. For more information, contact Crops Club President Jennifer Weststeyn at 1-209-968-6384 or by e-mail at jwestste@calpoly.edu.
*The fifth Annual Halloween X-Ball will be held at San Luis Obispo’s Odd Fellows Hall with the theme “Who Do You Voodoo?” The fundraising party starts at 7 p.m. and features a costume contest, food, dancing and a no-host bar. This over-21 party sold out last year, so organizers are urging would-be partygoers to buy tickets early. Tickets are $30 per person and $50 for two. They’re available at Costume Capers, Boo Boo Records in San Luis Obispo and Grover Beach, the Coalesce Bookstore in Morro Bay and Central Coast Framing in Atascadero. All proceeds will benefit the San Luis Obispo Children’s Museum, the San Luis Obispo County Bicycle Coalition, and Odd Fellows Charities.
*Atascadero will host its annual “Zoo Boo HallZOOween Carnival”. Geared towards the younger crowd, Zoo Boo will have carnival-style games and a haunted house. The Charles Paddock Zoo is located in the Atascadero Lake Park at 9100 Morro Rd. Admission is $5, and free for those 3 and under. Tickets need to be purchased in advance. For more information, contact the zoo at 461-5083.
*Also in Atascadero: The Weiner Dog Race. That’s right, the sixth annual Weiner Dog Race is set for Saturday, rain or shine. Pet demonstrations will open the event at 10 a.m., and activities will last until 2:30 p.m. when the event will close with an awards ceremony. There is a cash reward for the pet costume contest, which is open to all pets- not just dachshunds. There will also be pet makeovers, a doggie parade, agility courses and a raffle. For more information or directions to Heilmann Park, call 460-0555 or visit the Web site at www.tcsn.net/parks4pups.
*Trick-or-treaters can knock on the doors of downtown merchants at the annual “Pumpkins on the Pier” in Pismo Beach. There will also be a children’s parade, costume contest, pumpkin decorating contest, crafts and games. The festival will be from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. For more information, call 1-800-443-7778.
*San Luis Obispo’s “Candy Corn Classic” gives participants the opportunity to help a charity while doing something good for themselves. Riders can register for one of four bicycle courses, and all proceeds benefit the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. The races start at 7 a.m., and a health fair will be held at 11 a.m. This all takes place at 805 Aerovista Place. For more information is call 788-0805.
*Arroyo Grande is putting on a “Halloween Trick-or-Treat in the Village.” Thousands of children will trick-or-treat at downtown businesses from 3 to 5 pm. A haunted house and other games will be on West Branch Street from 5 to 7 p.m. For more information, call 473-2250.
*If getting spooked is your thing, try taking a candlelight tour of an old adobe mission in San Miguel. There will be ghost stories, refreshments and, of course, a guided tour of the mission. The free event will be held from 7 to 9 p.m. at 700 South Mission St. Call 467-3357 for more information.
Sunday
*Los Osos is celebrating Oktoberfest this Sunday with a pancake breakfast, live music, arts and crafts, train rides, a canoe and kayak race, a four-mile run, and a Halloween costume parade. A beer wagon will also be there for adult enjoyment. KZOZ-FM 93.3 will be broadcasting live from the 28th Annual Car Show by the Bay, which will also be in Los Osos this weekend. Oktoberfest will be held on Second Street in Baywood Park from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is free. For more details or to register for the run or the kayak or canoe race, call 528-4884.