Much of the spooky and the creepy ended Friday night with the city of Santa Clarita’s inaugural drive-thru Haunted Highway experience, but the fun continued on Halloween day with its Scarecrow Alley.
Dozens of cars visited the George A. Caravalho Santa Clarita Sports Complex parking lot Saturday on Centre Pointe Parkway to see a row of scarecrows created by Santa Clarita Valley residents for a local competition.
The Haunted Highway and Scarecrow Alley brought immersive elements akin to those seen at typical mazes and haunted houses with props, live actors, lighting and sounds. This event, however, was designed for residents to enjoy without having to exit their vehicles or needing to lower car windows to deliver a COVID-safe experience.
The crafty creations ranged from animated characters like Coraline to scary, toothy monsters. Some of the most memorable ones that visitors highlighted included a COVID-19 scarecrow, a Jack Skellington from Disney’s “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” a Donald Trump and Joe Biden pair, and a creepy clown with a picket sign that read “Vote Nov. 3rd” in honor of the 100th anniversary of the women’s right to vote.
Among the visitors were Angel Frausto and his family, who said the Scarecrow Alley was a safer alternative to trick-or-treating this year for his children amid the pandemic and recommendations from Los Angeles County and California health officials to avoid traditional Halloween practices.
“COVID kind of derailed a lot of them (the celebrations),” he said. “Ultimately, this was a nice idea to get them out of the house and do something other than trick-or-treating.”
Similarly, for members of the L.A. Residential Community Ranch in Saugus, which is home to more than 100 developmentally disabled adults, it served as an opportunity to get out of the facility for a while and celebrate Halloween, according to Steve Bratzel, the community’s activities director.
“They’ve been on lockdown since March,” said Bratzel, who was making his third of eight trips bringing residents to the Sports Complex Saturday. “So this was a fun, holiday-type thing so that our residents can at least get off the campus and get out.”
The city announced the winners of its Scarecrow Alley competition:
Family category:
- Zumsteg Family
- Mallock Family
- Douillard Family
Nonprofit Category:
- Sierra Vista Junior High
- SCV Salvation Army
- LARC — SCV Aktion Club
Business Category:
- Gregory Family Childcare
- Edwards Carpet Cleaning
- Movement of Pilates
City Department Category
- Canyon Country Community Center
