Residents across Santa Clarita are preparing for Halloween by visiting pumpkin patches and picking out Halloween costumes. Local churches are also prepping for the holiday with special family focused Halloween alternative festivals geared to make the holiday less threatening to many.
Christ Lutheran Church will host their annual Harvest Festival tomorrow, offering a safe environment for families, many of the usual treats, as well as a new trick–a mechanical bull.
Organizers of the event are expecting nearly 200 attendees who will be treated to candy stations, pony rides, a petting zoo, samples of chili from the church’s annual chili cook-off, and rides on the bucking mechanical bull.
“We thought a mechanical bull would be fun and bring the harvest festival connection full circle,” explained Esther Siegen, Director of Children’s Ministries. “That way we can truly offer something for all ages from preschool to moms and dads.”
This year in lieu of trunk-or-treat decorated vehicles, the church will turn their campus into a harvest festival fun land. Candy stations will dot the campus, done in the style of Disneyland. While much of the excitement will happen outdoors, the church will also host a special dance party room. The dance party will feature fun music and an instructor to teach dancers of all ages special dance moves.
“We are sharing God’s love in a fun and exciting way,” said Siegen. “It’s important to outreach in many different ways; those could be fun ways, church ways and sharing with each other in fellowship.”
Christ Lutheran Church’s Harvest Festival is Sat. Oct. 22 from 6 to 8 p.m. at 25816 Tournament Rd., Valencia. Visit clcdcv.org for more information.
Fall Festivals
Newhall Church of the Nazarene hosts their Harvest Festival Wednesday, October 26 from 5:30 to 8 p.m. The event will feature food from The Taco Guy, a bounce house, dozens of decorated cars at the annual trunk-or-treat, a photo booth, dunk tank, games and raffles.
Admission for their event is $5 per person or $20 for a family of 4 or more people. Newhall Church of the Nazarene is located at 23857 The Old Road. Newhall. For more information visit newnaz.org.
Grace Baptist Church will host their Fall Festival Friday Oct. 28 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. The event will feature prizes, face painting, special entertainment shows, a chili cook-off, a candy crop feature in lieu of a trunk-or-treat. The church is asking for no scary costumes, as this is a free family friendly event.
Grace Baptist is located at 22833 Copper Hill Dr., Santa Clarita. For more information visit gracebaptist.org.
Halloween alternatives
Santa Clarita United Methodist Church will host their 6th annual trunk-or-treat event Sunday Oct. 30 from 5 to 6:30 p.m. The event features dozens of brightly decorated cars decked out with fun decorations.
The event also features free hot dogs, candy and games, offering for a wholesome alternative to scary Halloween events.
Santa Clarita United Methodist is located at 26640 Bouquet Cyn. Rd., Saugus. For more information visit scum.org.
The Church on the Way will host their Halloween alternative event for families on Monday, October 31 from 5 to 8 p.m. The event will be a carnival style family friendly time, including carnival games, face painting, balloon animals, bounce houses, games, a live DJ, crafts for children, a rock wall, and food trucks.
The family event, titled Candy Land, is a way for the church to offer a fun and safe Halloween alternative event for families in the area. They also want to provide an outreach to the community while serving others and focusing on God.
The Church on the Way is located at 23415 Cinema Dr., Valencia. For more information visit tcotwsc.org.
North Park Community Church will host their 3rd annual trunk-or-treat event today Friday Oct. 21 from 6 to 8 p.m. The fun event is free to the community and includes delicious treats for purchase, like Chano’s Tacos and Golden Spoon.
The church will also offer limbo games, preschool themed crafts, more than 30 cars decorated for their trunk-or-treat feature, including some with special games. Each trunk-or-treat vehicle will pass out tons of candy and many feature allergy free treats. Nearly 200 people attended last year for a fun event for the entire community.
“We wanted to have a fun and safe event for kids,” said Cari Byers, Assistant Director of the NorthPark Preschool. “Our whole goal is to celebrate with our community.”
North Park is located at 28310 Kelly Johnson Pkwy., Valencia. For more information visit northpark.com.
