Catalina Island Conservancy's Second Annual Halloween in the Garden Attracts Larger Crowds and Offers More Spooky Fun

2017-11-28
Catalina Island Conservancy

The Catalina Island Conservancy's Families in Nature program hosted its Second Annual Halloween in the Garden on Oct. 29, drawing larger crowds than last year and offering more spooky fun for trick-or-treaters of all ages.

More than 800 Island residents participated in the fun at the Wrigley Memorial & Botanic Garden. Youngsters raced around the grounds to find the treasure hunt stations where they could win a candy bar and learn about plants in the garden. The children also decorated goodie bags to fill with prizes and then visited the Witch House nestled behind the Spooky Trail in a twisted Island scrub oak.

New additions to the festivities included the Boneyard, an interpretive walk through the natural history of Catalina Island, as well as the Wicked Walkway of Games.

Many community partners brought excitement to the event. The Catalina Falconry Experience and On the Wing had six birds of prey on display, while the International Center of Education and Sports (ICES) had a tie-dying station set up in an area, called Craft Alley.

The Master of Mayhem, Mr. Sean, put together another chilling rendition of the Haunted Trail that had the crowds screaming in terror. Lloyd's of Avalon generously donated gift baskets of candy that a lucky few costume contest winners were able to take home.

The Conservancy extends its thanks to its community partners and sponsors, who made this year's event possible: The Lobster Trap, The Santa Catalina Island Company, The Works Consulting, The Catalina Art Association, Vons, the City of Avalon, Catalina Broadband Solutions, Rotary Club of Avalon and Lloyd's of Avalon.

Halloween in the Garden is the October installment of the Families in Nature program. Families in Nature is dedicated to providing access to the wildlands of Catalina for Avalon residents.

The next trip hosted by Families in Nature will be Nov. 11 to Haypress for a barbecue and an opportunity to hike the new Patrick's Reservoir Trail to overlook Silver Canyon with Conservancy Education staff. The trail is an easy to moderate hike.

Please call 310-510-0954 ext. 226 to RSVP for this trip and learn about other upcoming trips, include trips to the Airport in the Sky, the Native Plant Nursery in Middle Ranch, Little Harbor, Two Harbors and Parson's Landing.