Weekly Hornet

Issue date: 10/24/07 Section: Local

Orange County Halloween festivities are already in full swing this year; the ghosts and ghouls have unearthed from their crypts and stirred up a whole new season of fright for 2007.

From ghostly tours to theme park screams, there is no shortage of things to do if you are looking to be scared this year.

Knott's Scary Farm Halloween Haunt

This year, the all time classic, Knott's Scary Farm Halloween Haunt, is off to a wild start.

The 160 acre park is stuffed with 13 mazes this year as well as seven shows and 1,000 gruesome monsters who roam about the park freely scaring every passerby.

Tickets are $51 this season and $46 on pre-sale. The price may be a bit steep for the normal Halloween fan, we all remember when mom and dad funded the costumes and the candy was free, but if you have the cash, Halloween Haunt is the place to be.

For those of you who want to make it but don't want to strain your budget, coupons for Haunt are available at Burger King, or can be printed from www.campuscircle.com.

With shows running every night until Halloween, there is still more than enough time to head down to Knott's and enjoy a good laugh at the expense of frightened junior high school children squealing their way through the park, or to do some screaming of your own.

Queen Mary Shipwreck

The Queen Mary has also transformed into the infamous Shipwreck for a foreboding 13th anniversary celebration.

To celebrate the particularly special occasion, event coordinators have added several new mazes to the attraction as well as many horrifying new monsters and an entirely new dance space.

The Shipwreck classics are still around as well, including the three-story boiler room dance party, and numerous performance stages that will feature several bands throughout the season. Tickets are $35 this year, and shows run from Friday until Halloween.

Queen Mary's Shipwreck offers an excellent atmosphere for the club-going college student and has all but eliminated the younger crowd from the picture.

The live shows are entertaining, and the dance rooms even more so. For its 13th season, Shipwreck promises to be more entertaining then ever.

Granted, the celebrations at Knott's and the Queen Mary are entertaining, but for those who would like to stay local or spend less money, Fullerton has plenty to offer on its own.

Haunted Fullerton Tour

The Fullerton Museum Center is running its annual haunted walking tour once again with spooky stops all around the city.

The first stop is Plummer Auditorium, where paranormal activities are said to be quite frequent, according to the buildings assistant manager, Tony Gonzalez.

Gonzalez has seen or heard strange things on more than one occasion in the twisting tunnels of the auditorium, which run underneath Fullerton Union High School.

Some of these sightings include muffled, bodiless voices and lights that mysteriously turn themselves off.

Another site included on the tour is the home of mechanic Lillian Yaeger, who tragically passed away at the top of her stairs at the age of 90.

The current owners of the home confirm that they have heard footsteps many times from the vacant second floor and that they have also stumbled across a mysterious label leaning against one of their lamps which eerily read "Lillian."

The event winds up with stops at the Schumacher Building on Harbor Boulevard, The Fox Theatre and finally the Villa Del Sol Courtyard.

The tour runs on Wednesday and Thursday nights from 6:30 to 8:30 pm. Tickets are $15 general admission or $10 for Fullerton Museum Center members.

Reservations are recommended and can be made at 714-738-6545.

The Haunted Garden

The Fullerton Arboretum is also hosting a tour of its own this year. The extensive gardens of the arboretum have been converted into a chilling maze of overrun trees, where ghosts and goblins lurk around every corner.

The event runs this weekend only, opening on Friday and running until Sunday. Tours start at 6:30 each night and run until 9:15.

The arboretum hosts the most family-friendly event this year and it is also quite gentle on the bank balance as well. General adult tickets are $13 and children are $10.

Pre-sale tickets are also offered where adults are $10 and children ages 5-12 are only $6. The 40-minute tour ends with The Haunter's Ball where guests are treated to various entertainments and refreshments.

For those who would prefer to do a little less walking and a little more sitting, the Maverick theatre in downtown Fullerton's SOCO district will be running an inspiring stage adaptation of the cult horror film classic "Night of the Living Dead."

The theatre had a very successful run of the same show last year and elected to bring it back due to popular demand.

Tickets are $18 for the evening, and remaining performances will be held from Friday through Tuesday.

Halloween Liquidation Outlet

Just past downtown Fullerton is a one-stop shop for any costume needs that you might have this year.

Costumes, wings, decorations, even pumpkin carving sets are available at very reasonable prices at the outlet that can be found just north of the 91 freeway.

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