Tag archives: Halloween

Back at the Haunted Pumpkin Patch
By Steven Libowitz   |   November 1, 2022

The Pumpkin Queen is in need of your assistance again. It seems that scoundrel Louie D’Ville is now scheming with the despicable Chuck Bunger to turn all of Isla Vista into parking lots, strip malls, and high rises.  Yes, with October coming to a close, IV Recreation & Park District and Lucidity Festival’s Halloween Haunted […]

Ghost Village Road
By Kelly Mahan Herrick   |   November 1, 2022

Despite mixed messages from multiple media sources, word on the street is that Ghost Village Road, Coast Village Road’s popular trick-or-treating event, is happening this year, from 3-6 pm on Monday, October 31. Historically the event draws roughly 2,000 costumed kids, parents, and pets each year. Many of the Lower Village’s business owners report they […]

Something New to Stream: Watcher Review
By Christopher Matteo Connor   |   October 25, 2022

This week we’re getting into the spirit of the season! Because there’s no doubt about it, 2022 has been huge for horror. From franchise favorites Michael Myers and Pinhead making a return to the big (and small) screen, to a major outpouring of original works that have got horror fans drooling. Ti West’s Xand Pearl, […]

The Growing Branches of Lucidity
By Zach Rosen   |   November 22, 2021

While the past two years have been unkind to so many, live event producers have faced unprecedented challenges. The core concept of their craft has been at stake, with countless live events being cancelled. This was very true for Lucidity Festival, which was only a month or so out when the shutdown occurred. The Lucidity […]

Quite the Treat! The 20th Annual Ghost Village Road, in Photos
By Joanne A Calitri   |   November 9, 2021

The annual Ghost Village Road was more than packed, with trick-or-treaters starting early at 2:30 pm and parents happily leading in full-on costumes themselves. It was the perfect pairing of gloomy overcast skies and lots of goodies from the generous shops and restaurants from the Montecito Country Mart down Coast Village Road. The kids wore […]

Dancing Through Manhattan With Nebula
By Steven Libowitz   |   November 2, 2021

Back in early 2020, Nebula Dance Lab had planned to produce a ballet version of Island of the Blue Dolphins to celebrate the local story’s 60th anniversary since the publication of the novel. But a decision to delve deeper in diversity issues revolving around Dolphin produced a pandemic pivot to adapt another tale of a […]

Ghost Village Road Resumes
By Kelly Mahan Herrick   |   October 28, 2021

After a one-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Ghost Village Road, the popular trick-or-treat event along Coast Village Road, is set for this Sunday, Halloween, from 3 pm to 6 pm. While the event typically draws roughly 2,500 costumed kids, parents, and pets each year, it is expected that this year’s event will be […]

Grant Aids Westmont Center to Establish Thriving Communities
By Scott Craig   |   November 12, 2020

Westmont College has received a grant of $1 million from Lilly Endowment Inc. to help establish the Westmont Center for Thriving Communities. Lilly Endowment’s Thriving Congregations Initiative funds the program. This national initiative seeks to strengthen Christian congregations to help people deepen their faith in God, build strong relationships with each other and contribute to […]

Ghost Stories of St Andrews’ Halls of Residence
By Stella Haffner   |   November 5, 2020

Dear Montecito, It is around this time every year that a very particular group of people begins to make themselves known to the world. A strange class of individuals who, in response to the first chills of mid-autumn, adopt an insultingly festive attitude, sprout twinkle lights from their ears, and pull out all their best […]

101 Widening – Fasten Your Seatbelts!
By Leslie Westbrook   |   November 5, 2020

Will freeway noise be louder or quieter, during construction and/or when it is finished? How long will the construction take (spoiler alert: asteroid Bennu)? Will commuters take a short cut on the “Banner Avenue freeway” instead of the 101 or Lillie Avenue?  All these questions and more were answered during an informative 1.5-hour presentation by […]

Annual Ghost Village Road Event a No-Go This Halloween
By Nick Schou   |   November 5, 2020

Every Halloween since 1996, the year after Montecito Journal’s first issue hit local newsstands, Coast Village Road has turned into “Ghost Village Road.” The annual event typically drew upwards of 1,000 parading trick-or-treaters along Coast Village Road, where local shop owners, restaurateurs, and hoteliers would hand out candy and in some cases create pop-up haunted […]

One Month, Two Full Moons
By Lynda Millner   |   September 24, 2020

Across from the Bird Refuge (30 Los Patos Way), we have a pop up during October just in time for Halloween. Did you know there will be two full moons that month? Arlene and Milt Larsen from the Magic Castle Cabaret will be having a Halloween gift shop for the month of October, open Tuesday […]

Ghost Village Road 2019
By Joanne A Calitri   |   November 7, 2019

Our town’s annual trick-or-treat event was full on with students from local schools wearing the top tiers of costumes. Parents assigned to groups of kids were also in great form. The highlight of the event was the all-boy band from Crane Country Day School, taking the stage on the porch of the Berkshire Hathaway Home […]

Ghost Village Road Costume Contest Winners
By Kelly Mahan Herrick   |   November 7, 2019

Ghost Village Road was as lively as ever last week, welcoming thousands of kids and their parents and pets to trick-or-treat on Halloween. Here’s the Scoop owners Ellie and Bob Patterson once again held their Costume Contest, as they have for the last 13 years.   “We have always based this contest on originality and creativity, […]

Healing Touch: Everything’s Coming up Rosen
By Steven Libowitz   |   October 24, 2019

It might seem counterintuitive to consider as a spiritual practice a healing modality that looks like it largely consists of massage-like touch with a little bit of talking. The Rosen Method, after all, was developed in the early 1980s by a former physical therapist named Marion Rosen. The bodywork is based on the concept that […]

Guys and Ghouls
By Richard Mineards   |   October 24, 2019

Gloria Clark, wife of Aussie musician Peter Clark, hosted a Halloween-birthday bash at Tydes at the Coral Casino. The sunset soirée feted three locals who were celebrating birthdays – Condor Express owner Hiroko Benko, TV host Joyce Shaar and realtor Diana MacFarlane – with other guests including Arlene Larsen and Ginni Dreier. Magic Castle emcee […]

Ghost Village Road
By Kelly Mahan Herrick   |   October 24, 2019

Save the date for Ghost Village Road! The popular trick-or-treat event along Coast Village Road is next Thursday, October 31, from 3 pm to 6 pm. The event draws roughly 2,000 costumed kids, parents, and pets each year. Most of the lower village’s business owners will take part in the festivities, passing out candy and […]

Ghost Village Road 2018
By Montecito Journal   |   November 8, 2018

Ghost Village Road, Montecito’s popular trick-or-treating event, went off without a hitch, with an estimated 2,000 kids, parents, and pets making their way to area businesses on Coast Village Road. Business owners passed out candy and other treats, while some had musical entertainment and photo ops. A flash mob performed “Thriller” at multiple places along […]

Ghost Village Road
By Kelly Mahan Herrick   |   October 25, 2018

Businesses along Coast Village Road are gearing up for next week’s popular trick-or-treat event, “Ghost Village Road.” The event draws roughly 2,000 costumed kids, parents, and pets each year, who make their way from Montecito Country Mart to Olive Mill Road. Most of the lower village’s business owners will take part in the festivities, passing […]

Tempest in a Spaceship: RTC Goes Back to the Future
By Steven Libowitz   |   October 25, 2018

Bringing Return to the Forbidden Planet back to the Rubicon Theatre just two years after the Ventura debut of the hit early-1990s jukebox musical based on Shakespeare’s The Tempest and the 1956 science fiction film Forbidden Planet was a case of a trite theater cliché actually turning out to be true. “It very definitely is […]