Enjoy last gasps of Halloween fun

Oct. 26—Don't be afraid. You've still got one more weekend of fun before the Halloween season ends. We scared up some ideas for fun-lovers of all ages.

Family fun

GSA second annual Haunted House: Gameday Sports Academy, which manages the Dignity Health Sports Complex, is back with an event this Halloween weekend.

This one is safe for kids 7 and up featuring a haunted maze filled with pop-out scares, eerie music and frightening scenery.

It runs from 7 to 10 p.m. Friday and Sunday and 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday at the complex, 3101 Gilmore Ave., Suite 100. There will also be a free trunk-or-treat event for all ages from 4 to 6 p.m. Saturday.

Admission is $10, $5 for children ages 7 to 10. Visit facebook.com/dignitygsa for tickets.

Creepy Crawlers Halloween Party: Bring the family to 2nd Phase Brewing on Thursday for kid-friendly fun including pumpkin painting ($10), goodie bags, a costume contest, music by Izzy and the Fins. There will also be alcohol-free drink specials and Filipino food sold by Sarap.

The fun starts at 5 p.m. at the brewery, 1004 19th St.

Lavender Garden: The attraction off Highway 46 near Lost Hills will celebrate Halloween, its new Dinosaur Park and "all things lavender" this weekend, promising barbecue and fun for the whole family.

Hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday through Sunday at the Lavender Garden, 14014 Highway 46, Lost Hills. (Note: The garden is about 18 miles west of the city.)

Visit thelavendergarden.com for more information.

October Fun Fest: Murray Family Farms is wrapping up its gathering featuring pumpkins, sweet treats, an improved sunflower maze, tractor tours, and other family-friendly fall fun.

There's a new and improved Sunflower Maze as well as two enormous blasters to shoot targets, hayrides, the 66-foot-long covered bounce pillow, the barnyard-themed animal train and much more.

Admission for Friday through Sunday is $27.99 with 100 paintball shots and three potato cannon shots, $18.99 for admission only and $10.99 for "lil' sprouts" (ages 1 to 3).

Admission for today and Monday is $25.99, $16.99 and $9.99.

Tickets are available at murrayfamilyfarms.org.

AutumnNights: CALM continues its family-friendly, Halloween-themed, light show created in partnership with Lightasmic!

Ride the Candy Corn Express Train, explore numerous illuminated fall-themed lands, or get lost in the Craze Maze.

Teen Challenge sells concessions with dinner options as well as fall-themed desserts like kettle corn, churros and dumplings.

The event runs from 6 to 9 p.m. Thursday through Sunday at the zoo. (Parking will open at 5:30 p.m.)

Cost is $15, $12 for children ages 4 to 15 and free for children 3 and younger. CALM members and veterans will receive a 10 percent discount. Tickets are on sale at calmzoo.org.

Safe Halloween: The Kern County Museum is ready to welcome the community to its beloved trick-or-treat event.

Along with trick-or-treat stations throughout Pioneer Village, the event will include a kids carnival and dance under the stars.

The event will be held from 5 to 9 p.m. Sunday and Monday at the museum, 3801 Chester Ave.

Admission is $5 for adults, $10 for children ages 3 to 12, free for children 2 and younger with a paid adult.

Tickets are available at eventbrite.com and at the museum from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. through Sunday.

Time to gather

Monster Mash: Do the Mash and all the other fun dances you can think of at Ovation Theatre on Saturday for its Halloween concert.

Joey and the Jays, the musicians behind the theater's "Million Dollar Quarter," "Rockin Holiday" and "Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story," will perform along with special guests Christina Lauren ("Rent") and Brandon Todd ("Buddy") on vocals and Ryan Fergon on lap steel and guitar.

Expect a set list of your favorite spooky country, Southern rock, and oldies.

Dress to impress in your Halloween best for a chance to win prizes during the costume contest at intermission.

The concert runs from 7 to 9 p.m. Saturday at the theater, 1622 19th St.

Tickets are $20, available at theovationtheatre.com/monster-mash.

Grand opening: Radio Sandwich, downtown's newest sandwich spot, has been in a soft opening for the past two weeks but will really celebrate on Saturday.

Its grand opening will include music from Humble Weight Artists, food, treats from Busy Bee Candy Booth and more surprises.

The fun runs from 6 to 10 p.m. Saturday at the shop, 1229 19th St.

Horror trivia: Tiki-Ko has reanimated its horror trivia contest for Sunday afternoon, hosting it in its sister bar The Sinking Ship. The questions are curated by Corinna Juarez, horror aficionado and co-host of the podcast "Gag Me With a Chainsaw."

Teams of one to four players can sign up while space is available. Entry fee is $5. Reserve your team's spot at linktr.ee/tikiko.

The contest runs from 4 to 6 p.m. Sunday at The Sinking Ship, 1927 K St.

Halloween trivia: Tlo Wines is hosting its annual Halloween trivia night on Saturday.

The downtown tasting room promises costume contests, cash prizes, wine giveaways and Halloween prizes sponsored by Stage Fright Clothing.

The contest runs from 5 to 7 p.m. Saturday at Tlo Wines, 1212 18th St.

Sign up your team (up to four players) at tlowines.com while there is still room.

Trunk or Treat and Skate Jam: Nano's Barbershop is hosting an afternoon of fun on Sunday with vendors selling toys and collectibles, a finger board park by Tiny Hawk, costume contest and temporary tattoos by Downtown Fineline. There will also be a best trick skate contest and roller skaters are welcome. Head out from noon to 5 p.m. Sunday to the shop at 1901 20th St.

Tricks and treats

George the Giant's Strange Museum of Oddities & Wonders: Over the years, performer George McArthur has amassed quite a collection of unique artifacts. Bakersfield is lucky to again have him share some of those items in a limited-engagement pop-up museum.

This museum features an assortment of treasures he has collected from around the world, including carvings done on a matchstick, a portrait made solely of dryer lint and jewelry made out of hair.

Along with the pieces are stories of their odd, unusual, haunted or bizarre past.

Are some of the items haunted? Find out for yourself during its closing weekend.

The museum is open for self-guided tours from 5 to 10 p.m. Friday and 2 to 10 p.m. Saturday at 7104 Golden State Highway (behind Bakersfield eSports Center).

Private guided tours are available by appointment.

Admission is $7. Purchase tickets at georgethegiant.ticketleap.com.

Tehachapi Terror Haunted House: The weather won't be the only thing chilling your blood at Tehachapi's first Halloween attraction. Directed and organized by Steph Saladino, who started the nonprofit event last year, it is not for those suffering from coulrophobia since a motley crew of clowns are determined to strike fear in your heart.

With dark, confined spaces, loud noises, frightening actors, and simulated gore and violence, parental discretion is advised and children under 13 must be accompanied by someone 18 years or older in the haunt.

Visit the haunt from 5 to 9 p.m. Friday through Sunday at 410 W. J St. in Tehachapi. Lines open at 4:30 p.m. if guests want to beat the crowds and catch the opening ceremony.

The event is free to the public, but donations are gladly accepted for Rising Star Riders, a Tehachapi group that provides mounted and unmounted horse activities to children and adults with physical and emotional challenges. Front-of-the-line passes are also available for $10 each.

Noble Manor Haunt: It may not get spookier than being located across from an actual graveyard, but this family-run attraction has plenty of scares of its own. Curtis Noble and his family again brings the thrill to this neighborhood attraction.

Check it out yourself from 7 to 10 p.m. Friday and Monday at 811 Acacia Ave.

Other neighborhood haunts: Like Noble Manor Haunt, other residents passionate about the Halloween season have built their own attractions in their neighborhoods. Created by Andrew Binning, Binning Manor Spook Alley (6904 Olive Drive) will be open from 7 to 10 p.m. Saturday and Monday.

Haunting on Meadow Rise (528 Meadow Rise Court) brings its "Asylum" and other scenes to terrify guests from 5:30 to 11:30 p.m. Saturday and Monday.

Lozano's Haunt (1805 Duke Drive) will be open Monday only.

The Haunted Museum: Community art class Artists Seeking Knowledge continues its art installation and interactive art exhibit, a 3,000-square-foot museum and gift shop of "multi-sensory artistic imagination," where everything is also for sale, including paintings, murals, statues and more.

Artists and ASK instructors Brandon Thompson and Deidre Hathor worked with fellow artists to develop an R-rated path (for adults or those with someone 18 or older) and PG-13 for teens.

Hathor, who said they got a lot of families and younger children at last year's event, said they wanted to really play up the PG-13 path.

Performers range in age from 6 to 16 years old with cool makeup designed by the teens in the group.

There is a glow-in-the-dark room as well as areas themed to "Stranger Things" (including an oversized tree in the Upside Down)"Ghost Busters" (complete with Slimer), "Hansel and Gretel" and child-themed scary films.

"They have jump scares but with kids," Hathor said. "The kids are intense and like little goblins. It's family fun."

There's also a zombie town where attendees get to try to hit the zombies.

The no-touch haunt was made possible in part through a grant from the California Arts Council and the Arts Council of Kern.

The Haunted Museum runs from 6 to 10 p.m. today and Thursday and 6 p.m. to midnight Friday through Monday at 906 19th St.

Admission is $20, $10 for children 12 and under. Tickets are available at eventbrite.com.

Scare Valley/Halloweenville: Thrill seekers have one more weekend to visit Happy Meadows Asylum and avoid the wrath of Dr. Holmes in Scare Valley, recommended only for those age 12 and older.

Families can enjoy the less-scary Halloweenville, complete with a pumpkin patch, Haunted Hayride, Ghosts vs. Ghouls laser tag and Casper's Zone bounce area.

Hours are 6 p.m. to midnight Friday and Saturday, 6 to 10 p.m. Sunday (Scare Valley opens at dusk) at Sam Lynn Ball Park, 4009 Chester Ave.

Admission is free to the pumpkin patch. Halloweenville is $10 (free for children 2 and under), includes 10 paintballs per paid entry (does not include the haunt). Scare Valley is $40 on Oct. 28, 29 or 30. A one-time fast pass for the haunt is available for $10 per person. Tickets available at scarevalley.com.

Stefani Dias can be reached at 661-395-7488. Follow her on Twitter at @realstefanidias.