With all the decorated pumpkins, haunted houses, face painting and of course candy, the Halloween festivities have definitely begun at Pierce College.
The annual Halloween Harvest Festival, held at the Pierce College Farm Center was full of exciting activities Saturday, Oct. 1. There were musical, comedy and dance performances to watch, rides for the kids to enjoy, assortments of carnival food, pumpkin carving, arts and crafts centers and haunted houses.
The Halloween Festival’s founders and owners, Robert and Cathy McBroom, made sure to bring something different to the festival this year.
“We wanted to switch things up with the activities people could enjoy as well as keeping our favorites such as the corn maze and hay rides.” said Cathy.
It’s not only kids who get to have fun at the festival, but teenagers and adults who come to the festival get a thrill out of the haunted houses.
“The ‘Creatures of the Corn’ is scary for me; it’s intense,” said former Pierce student and festival tickets cashier Brittany Dragicevich. “Sometimes people hit the emergency exit because of how real it seems. They really did a good job in getting great actors and good props to frighten people.”
During the day, the festival is geared towards children and families with its performances and pumpkin carving, but around evening time there’s the Fright Fair which features the Scream Park that’s open till 10 p.m. on weekdays and 12 a.m. weekends.
“Not only is the annual Halloween Harvest Festival a great way for families to enjoy spending time with one another, but the festival is also a huge fundraiser for providing a foundation for Pierce College and thats something I’m most proud of,” said McBroom.
What pleases the McBrooms the most is how the festival is able to start a lot of family traditions within the Woodland Hills community.
“Its a close by location thats inexpensive and you know when you’re coming here you’ll feel at home,” he said.
The peak periods for the festival are during the last two weeks of October.
“Late October is always the busiest for us. The lines go all the way to the entrance; everyone wants to experience the festival before its over,” said Dragicevich.
The Halloween Harvest Festival is open everyday until Oct. 31.
“All I need to see are the electric colorful carved pumpkins at the festival and thats when I know Halloween is here and its going to be an exciting month,” said Rides Supervisor Allison McMenamy.
For a list of hours, ticket prices and locations visit www.halloweenharvestfestival.com.