Contact: Christina Glynn, Communications Director/Film Commissioner
Phone: 831-429-7281, ext. 112, email: cglynn@santacruz.org

September 22, 2009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SCARE UP SOME FUN THIS HALLOWEEN IN SANTA CRUZ COUNTY

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY, CA – Haunting tales, mysterious places and Halloween-themed events and attractions abound in Santa Cruz County. So if you’re looking to get spooked or just have some family fun this Halloween, pack your ghost busting gear and trick-or-treat bag and head for Santa Cruz County. Below are some of the signature events celebrating the ghouly goodness of Halloween:

Task Mask or Demise Disguise?
The yearly Santa Cruz Mask Festival is a fun-filled day for the whole family to enjoy masks, theater, dance and stories from around the world at Laurel Park and Louden Nelson Center on Saturday, October 24, 2009, from Noon to 5:00 p.m.

Fun Banter or Arm and Hammer?
Big Basin Redwoods State Park, California’s oldest state park, will host the saga of an early Santa Cruz County pioneer during “The Missing Arm of William Waddell” event on Saturday, October 24, 2009 at 7:00 p.m. History takes a twist as this silly, slightly haunting tall-tale tour around the redwood loop trail recounts the encounter between Big Basin’s last lumber mill owner and a cranky grizzly. The tour is enhanced with reenactments and other surprises. Enjoy the redwoods with music, storytelling and “Ranger Apples” around the campfire.

Cutie Patootie or Psychotic Aquatic?
Tales of local shipwrecks, whale ghost stories, nighttime tours, costumes and scavenger hunts make up an evening of family fun at the Seymour Center at Long Marine Lab’s Marine Masquerade and Scary Aquary. From 6:00 – 8:30 p.m. on Friday, October 30th, hear the tale of 1924 wreck of the La Feliz and the fate of her crew. Take a nighttime tour to discover what the ghost of the whale says. Watch the creatures that come out at night to feed in the aquarium tanks.

Parade of Ghouls or Fright Walk?
Join ghosts, goblins and fairy princesses at Capitola Village’s annual Halloween Parade on Sunday, October 25th at 2:00 p.m. Following the parade, families can enjoy face painting, pumpkin painting and Trick-or-Treat bags. On October 31st, head to Capitola Mall for trick-or-treating, carnival-style games, a costume parade, prizes and more from 4:00 – 7:00 p.m. Halloween on the Wharf is another option for a Trick-or-Treat outing at the Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf on Friday, October 31, 2009. From 4:00 – 6:00 p.m., little witches, goblins, and ghosts and their parents can gather treats for kids provided at wharf businesses. And in Downtown Santa Cruz from 2:30 – 5:00 p.m., merchant trick-or-treating and Halloween activities are all part of the fun on Halloween day.

For more information on these and other activities, visit www.santacruzevents.travel.

The Museum of Art & History and thirteen other Santa Cruz County venues will host congruent exhibitions on display January – April 2009 related to assemblage, collage and/or construction. Each venue will offer free viewing for all residents and visitors during the entire exhibition. As the leading institution of this county-wide collaboration, The Museum of Art & History at the McPherson Center provides a forum which supports and encourages the development, exchange, and presentation of creative ideas that are manifested in assemblage, collage and construction. For a full listing of venues and exhibitions throughout the county, visit www.accsantacruz.org

The Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk is now providing free Wi-Fi for visitors. The free Wi-Fi (no password needed!) is accessible along the Boardwalk and Cocoanut Grove, and on a portion of the Main Beach in front of the Boardwalk. The century-old beach boardwalk recognizes that an increasing number of visitors are using the Internet to identify hotel, restaurant and entertainment options when they travel. The boardwalk joins the Capitola Mall, Santa Cruz County’s Natural Bridges State Beach and Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park offering this amenity so that visitors can stay in touch with family, friends, or the workplace, if needed while on vacation. According to the Travel Industry Association of America (TIA), 18 percent of travelers use the Internet to stay connected with family and friends while traveling.

Newly restored, the historic Meder farmhouse at Wilder Ranch State Park a mile north of Santa Cruz is a hands-on living history museum where visitors can experience the details of daily life on a turn-of-the-century dairy farm. The original farmhouse was built by dairy farmer Moses Meder in the late 1870s. Previously boarded-up and padlocked, the deteriorating Meder farmhouse was restored to its early 1900s grandeur. Complete with replica furnishings and supplies, the house is now open to visitors and hosts school groups during the year. Along with its Victorian homes, barns, living history demonstrations and tours, the park offers hiking, biking and equestrian trails that skirt the cliffs, as well as more challenging trails that climb steep hills and meadows overlooking Monterey Bay.

Seascape Resort Monterey Bay has a new name! With 17 miles of beachfront, the newly christened Seascape Beach Resort is an ideal vacation spot. Sun-drenched, spacious, and tastefully designed, the accommodations at Seascape Beach Resort offer a beach-house feeling but with deluxe amenities not found in most beach homes: gourmet room service, plush cotton bathrobes, High-Speed Internet Access and High definition LCD TV with premium movies, select television programs, music and games on-demand. All suites and villas have fully-equipped kitchens, fireplaces, and private balconies facing Monterey Bay. At Sanderlings, the on-site restaurant, the tidal movements of a state-of-the-art aquatic reef tank mirror what is taking place right outside, in the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Seascape’s in-room Bamboo massage treatment and beachfires-to-go are other extras which make the Seascape Beach Resort truly destination-worthy.