While visiting a Pumpkin Patch is usually available throughout Autumn, it makes a particularly fun event during the month of October to help get you into the spirit. Patches vary from region to region, but many of them offer events like costume contests, hay rides, face painting, small haunted houses, corn mazes, and more Fall fun. It’s also a nice opportunity to support local farmers and see a variety of pumpkins that you might not see at your local grocery store. Best of all, visiting pumpkin patches is free! At PumpkinPatchesandMore.org you can find listings for pumpkin patches (and related events) for all of the USA, as well as the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa. Local Harvest also offers a search that locates small farms, farmers markets, and other local food sources where pumpkins can be purchased. And you thought you’d be chilling at home this weekend.
Sean and I were lucky enough to find a local patch that had a great atmosphere and lots of activities, which we have been patronizing for 7 years now (Johnson Brothers at Goldenwest College in Huntington Beach, CA- check them out!). We don’t even have kids, but we find ourselves here every year among the families, fighting the leaf-filled punching bags, petting the farm animals, and perusing the pumpkins. I think it’s a good indicator that anyone can have fun at a pumpkin patch. Not to sound too sappy, but it’s also nice sometimes to find activities with a slower pace that just allow you to smell the crisp October air and hang out. And as any Halloweenie will tell you, it’s a lot funner than just picking up your Jack-o-Lantern to-be at the grocery store.
Haunted house season is officially upon us. September 29th marks the opening of many haunted attractions nationwide, which is kind of like marking off the first day of an advent calendar. Last week some of the major retailers were still scrambling to finish their Halloween displays, but now haunted houses are everywhere and there’s only one day left in September. It’s getting so very close…
If you’re planning on visiting a local haunted attraction or event, we want to hear about your trip! Bring your digital camera and write about your experience. Were the monsters top-notch? How long was the wait in line? Did you see any innovative props or especially creepy scenes? Was it worth the drive, the time, and the money? Let others know by submitting your story to 365 Halloween. If you would like to suggest a specific haunt to be reviewed, leave your suggestions in the comment form below and we’ll try to get someone in that area to check it out.
Our tour of local haunts will begin the first week of October, and the reviews will be up the day after each trip. If you have a professional or home haunt in the southern California area that you want featured on 365 Halloween, contact us with details.
PS- Another bonus for attending Halloween events? Great photo opportunities. The above photo was taken by Sean at a local pumpkin patch in 2005.
“She is cold, she is beautiful, she is evil… she is Miss Horrorfest. Do you have what it takes to be the Queen of Horror?” taunts the lush lips in the YouTube video. Horrorfest is a weekend of 8 films taking place November 17-19, 2006. It’s put on by After Dark Films, and they’re looking for a new Queen of Scream. The Grand Prize winner will receive $50,000 and reign as Miss Horror Fest for 1 year. If you ever wished you could be Elvira or Vampira, this is the perfect contest for you. It’s judged on physical presentation, best costume, scariest appearance, and personality, with each criteria being worth 1/4 of the score. You can either upload a video to their YouTube page (where voting also occurs), or participate in one of the 5 live auditions.
We agree with the majority of the comments regarding the current entry videos: no thanks. But this is great news for the women who are genuinely interested in being involved in the horror film industry, and have the skillz and personality to pull it off. Ladies, you still have an excellent chance at winning! I think everyone would like to see some more quality entries, so polish up that macabre character you’ve been working on and get those camera rolling.
