2014 October PASO Magazine

ROUND TOWN
By Heather Young
It’s October, fall is here and
Halloween is fast approaching it.
Not only are pumpkins and butternut
squash plentiful, but so are
the haunted houses. While there
are several choices for haunted
houses around the county, there
are two places in the Paso Robles
area: Templeton REC Foundation’s
and San Marcos Ranch’s in
San Miguel.
For the fourth year, the
Templeton REC Foundation will
put on its haunted house, Nightmare
on Main Street, at 99 Main
St. in a historic home The haunted
house is hosted by the foundation
and a local community group.
“The great thing about this
Haunted House is there are indoor
and an outdoor sections,”
Templeton Community Services
Assistant to General Manager/
Board Secretary Laurie Ion said.
“Lots of surprises, sound effects,
visual effects, etc. You’re never
quite prepared for what’s about to
happen.”
Each year the haunted house’s
features are changed – few exceptions
-- which, Ion said makes it
fun for returning people.
“It’s pretty scary,” Ion said.
“We actually had an adult pee her
pants. We don’t advise children to
[go through the haunted house].”
While the 12 and under crowd
aren’t encouraged to go through
the house, they are not prohibited.
The haunted house is open Friday,
Oct. 17, Saturday, Oct. 18,
Thursday, Oct. 23 through Saturday,
Oct. 25, and Wednesday, Oct.
29 through Thursday, Oct. 30 from
7 to 10 p.m., and Friday, Oct. 31
and Saturday, Nov. 1 from 7 p.m.
to midnight. Tickets are $10 each
or $30 for a family four-pack –
sold only through October 16 –
at Templeton Market & Deli or
Templeton Community Services
District office. For more information,
235-7593.
San Marcos Ranch has once
again opened its haunted house
– and corn maze, as well as other
activities for children and adults.
Owner Carolyn Davis said the
farm’s haunted house is one of
the best.
“Every loves it from little kids
up to grown up kids – grandpas,”
Davis said.
The haunted house is 70 linear
feet, but as people progress through
the darkened place, different elements
light up or pop out as they
are motion - or sound-activated.
Davis cautions that the haunted
house is scary and recommends
that children 5 and under not go
through it, but it is left up to the
parent’s discretion. Children must
be accompanied by an adult.
Instead she recommends the littlest
visitors go through the corn
maze, which isn’t scary, though
there are some decorations of
witches and monsters. Most of the
decorations, however, are of princesses
and Disney characters. Each
person who enters the maze is given
185 Niblick Rd., Paso Robles
(In Albertson’s Shopping Center)
a map showing the way, as well as
all of the dead ends. At each dead
-end there’s a picture of a character
and a number. The numbers are then
recorded by the maze wanderer, who
then gets a prize at the end.
Additionally, visitors to the farm
can also sling large and small pumpkins
into a field, ride through a maze
in an electric car – only for children
6 and younger and 60 pounds and
lighter.
The farm, located at 775 San
Marcos Road, Paso Robles, is open
daily from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. with
the last maze ticket sold at 5 p.m.
The farm is open until October 31.
For more information, go to www.
mygrannysgardens.com or call
467-3315.
For the younger costumed-ghouls,
Paso Robles Main Street’s Trick or
Treat Downtown event is the place to
go for early haunting from 3 to 6 p.m.
From 4 to 7 p.m., the Paso Robles
Historical Society will provide a
barbecue dinner benefitting the society
and attendees can get their photos
taken with the witches. A pumpkin
carving contest will be held at
6 p.m. in Downtown City Park at the
fountain, followed by a live performance
of Michael Jackson’s
“Thriller” by the Paso Robles Youth
Arts Foundation, and Class Act
Dance.
For more information, go to www.
pasoroblesdowntown.org or call
238-4103.
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46 Paso Robles Magazine, October 2014