Ghosts, goblins and beer. Oh my! From carnivals to haunted houses, the Halloween spirit swirls in October with events for both tiny terrors and grown-up ghouls. Mark your calendar and get your scare on.
Pleasanton:
n Halloween Scavenger Hunt: 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, Main Street, Pleasanton. Witches, super heroes and every little fiend in between can take part in this annual event for children ages 10 and under. Children should come in costume and pick up instruction, a goody bag and their first clue from Towne Center Books, 555 Main St.
Halloween Brew Crawl: 5-8 p.m. Saturday. beginning at the Firehouse Arts Center, 4444 Railroad Ave. Grown-ups can enjoy trick-or-treating of a more adult nature at this evening that pairs great craft brews with tasty bites. Hosted by the Pleasanton Downtown Association. Costumes encouraged. Tickets, which include commemorative glasses and a tasting map, are available at http://www.pleasantondowntown.net/about/about-us; at Redcoats Pub, 336 St. n Mary St. and at Studio Seven Arts, 400 Main Street. $40. If the event is not sold out, tickets will be available on the day of the event for $45 cash only. A limited number of designated driver tickets will be available at $10 the night of the event.
Ghost Walk 2014: 6-8 p.m. Friday, Saturday. The Museum on Main hosts this popular Ghost Walk, which gives participants a 90-minute guided tour focusing on Pleasanton’s sometimes eerie past and its most haunted sites. Tours leave every 30 minutes. Advance tickets at $18 for adults and $13 for children under 12 are required and may be purchased at the Museum on Main, 603 Main St.; by calling 925-462-2766 or online at www.museumonmain.org.
Pirates of Emerson: Fright junkies can get a big enough fix to last the year at 23rd Annual “Pirates of Emerson” scarefest at the Alameda County Fairgrounds. The event runs Thursdays through Sundays through October, with an additional night added on Oct. 29. Listed among the most frightening Halloween attractions in the country, Pirates of Emerson takes visitors through six blood-curdling attractions including four haunted houses. Tickets and more information are available at http://piratesofemerson.com/attractions.htm. Proceeds from the event benefit several area non-profit organizations.
Livermore
Downtown Halloween Carnival: 1-5 p.m. Saturday in downtown Livermore. This harvest festival includes scores of arts and crafts booths, a costume contest for kids and carnival games for families with children in fifth grade and younger. Arts and craft vendors will fill McLeod Street between First and Second streets.
Corn Maze: Get lost at G&M Farms’ Cornfield Maze and Pumpkin Patch. Along with the huge 6-acre maze, families will find farm animals, a straw-bale maze, and, on weekends, pony rides, pedal carts and other attractions. The maze is located off Interstate 580 at Isabel Avenue. Maze hours are 4-8 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 4-10 p.m. Friday; 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday. Admission is $7 children and $8 adults Monday through Thursday and $9 children and $10 adults Friday through Sunday. Children under 5 are free. Pumpkin patch hours are 2-6 p.m. weekdays and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekends.
Dublin
Hands on History: 1-4 p.m. Saturdayat Dublin Heritage Parks and Museums, 6600 Donlon Way. The event includes live Bluegrass music, puppets and magic. The event is free, but a $5 passport allows children to experience a range of historic skills including the making of pumpkin ice cream, butter, apple pie, fresh cider and cornhusk dolls. There will also be panning for gold, a scarecrow display and tractor-pulled wagon rides.
San Ramon
1-2-3-Boo, Not-So-Scary Halloween Songs and Tales: 6:30 p.m. Fridayat the Front Row Theater, 17011 Bollinger Canyon Road. Singer and songwriter Mary Lee Sunseri will perform songs and stories designed for children ages 2-7. Children are encouraged to wear costumes or pajamas, and milk and cookies will be served. Tickets $6 for children and adults available at the door. For more details, log onto www.sanramonperformingarts.com.
Danville
23rd Annual Danville Fall Crafts Festival: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday along Hartz Avenue downtown. There will be arts and crafts, a glass pumpkin patch, trick-or-treating, classic cars, music and food. A children’s costume parade takes place at 10 a.m. Saturday only, beginning at Faz Restaurant, 600 Hartz Ave. For more information log on to http://www.danvillefallcraftsfestival.com/. Free shuttles will be provided from Danville Park and Ride located just off the 680 exit at Sycamore Valley Road.
Danville Pumpkin Jubilee: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at Danville Livery, Sycamore Valley West and San Ramon Valley Boulevard from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. . The free event includes pumpkin giveaways, face painting, train rides, music, pumpkin carving, jump house and trick-or-treating.
12th Annual Children’s Fall Fest: This is Halloween! : Friday, 3:30-5 p.m. or 5:30-7 p.m. at the Danville Community Center and Town Green. Children ages 1-9 can enjoy arts and crafts, face painting, not-so-scary games and trick-or-treating based on the Tim Burton film “The Nightmare Before Christmas.” Pre-registration is required; no walk-ins allowed. $5 for Danville residents and $6 for non-residents. Register online at www.danvillerecguide.com or call 925-314-3400 for more information.
Blackhawk Plaza
Sugar Rush: Noon-3 p.m. Saturday. Trick-or-treating for children.
Night of the Living Deadlifts: 6-8 p.m. Oct. 29 in the Rotunda. Dress in costume and learn the Zumba Thriller dance.
