Shrieks rang out last Thursday at Saratoga Elementary School as dozens of children explored a haunted house, their parents in tow. Crowds of community members filled the campus for the Halloween event, enjoying treats and seeing all the diverse costumes worn by the children.
Saratoga Elementary’s annual Pumpkin Walk was organized by the Parent Teacher Association (PTA) and featured not only a haunted house, but also a costume contest, a cake walk and various food trucks and music.
The event ran from 5-8 p.m., with the haunted house priced at $5 per entry and other carnival games available with a $15 wristband. The haunted house, dubbed “The Terror Trail,” was put together and run by the fifth grade class with help from their parents.
According to one of the event leads, the planning for the event started immediately after summer break. Decisions about vendors, food and activities were all made early into the school year to avoid any cancellations or mishaps.
Parent volunteer Daniela Gota said a challenge was figuring out the perfect time to set up everything.
“We needed to set up early and have enough time to work out any issues, but if we started setting up too early then the kids would have still been on campus, lessening the surprise,” Gota said.
The planning and preparation that went into the event made it fun for parents and students alike. In the cake walk — an activity similar to a musical chairs raffle — participants walked around a circle of numbered spots until the music stopped and a winning number was called out. The winner was then given a prize from a selection of donated cakes. The costume contest for the children featured four different titles — funniest, scariest, most original and best group.
Parent attendee Matt Larson praised the event, believing activities and competitions like both the costume contest and cake walk engaged the community and fostered a spirited Halloween environment.
A high school group from Scotts Valley High (SVHS) attended the event through a connection with the Saratoga Elementary principal Kristin Murphy. The group performed a dance to “Thriller” by Michael Jackson to raise money for Blood Cancer United, a non-profit dedicated to supporting blood cancer patients. They performed multiple times throughout the evening, wearing unique costumes and realistic face makeup that matched the haunted theme of the event.
Previously, they have performed on the Santa Cruz Wharf and at various middle schools.
“A lot of my friends [perform] and I love dancing,” said Oliver Juracz, a SVHS performer. “[Performing] at events with lots of people around makes it fun for us and the community.”
