Once upon a Hallowe’en brings spooky family fun to Poway

Did you notice the extra traffic lined up and down Midland Road last Saturday? It was for Poway’s beloved tradition of spooky, family-friendly fun that was unfolding at Old Poway Park.

Thousands of visitors, many decked out in costume, strolled the park’s grounds and participated in dozens of Halloween-themed games and activities at the 17th annual Once Upon a Hallowe’en.

The park was full of Halloween fun, including a kid-friendly hay maze, trunk-or-treat area, haunted house, carnival games, a spooky storyteller, haunted train rides, face painting, entertainment in the gazebo, several festive Halloween-themed photo areas and food trucks.

The gathering has a rich history in Poway. Longtime Old Poway Park Action Committee member Lynn Wolsey and other volunteers came up with the idea for a Halloween festival nearly three decades ago. The city was receptive to the idea in 2008, and Once Upon a Hallowe’en was born.

“Halloween is my favorite holiday,” said Wolsey, “so when the city was on board with us moving forward, I told them, ‘ok, I’ll do it!’”

“It started very small,” Wolsey recalled, “with a few carnival games, Thriller dancers, and the Poway librarian reading scary stories to the kids. There was no haunted house that first year, and we only had about 100 attendees.”

Each year, word of the festivities spread, and each year, more people came. “We just kept adding new things to see if it worked, and attendance started exploding,” Wolsey said.

Wolsey single-handedly ran this event with volunteers until 2019, when it became too large for one person to coordinate. City staff took over the organization and planning, but Wolsey continued to run her most cherished event — the haunted house, which she calls a family affair.

“My son still helps set it up,” she said. “My daughter has participated in the past, and so has my granddaughter.”

Wolsey tried something new at this year’s event. For the first two hours, the haunted house was fully lit and the spookiness toned down, making it a little less scary so younger kids could enjoy walking through with their parents. 

At Saturday’s Once Upon a Hallowe’en, James and Marahu George walked around the festivities with their young son, A.J. They were appreciative of the new, less-scary haunted house. 

“We are looking forward to the train ride and the not-too-spooky haunted house for A.J,” Marahu George said. 

The carnival games were a big hit. Dressed as characters from Super Mario Bros, Sandy and Mario Im came with their 4-year-old son Ivan.

“I really like the carnival games,” Ivan said.

Sandy and Mario Im said all the activities available for Ivan keep them coming back each year.  

Lori Spucces was at a booth decorating sugar skulls with 6-year-old Cora Spucces.

Cora said her favorite activity was the ring toss.

“I like the ring toss — and I’m really good at it,” she said.

Anupriya J.S. watched her 7-year-old son, Aadyanth, decorate a mini-pumpkin with colorful markers. 

“This is our third year coming here, we love the carnival-style games and especially making memories,” she said. 

Dressed as Pokémon characters, third-year attendees Bryan and Sheri Allbaugh were taking pictures by the festive hay bales with their daughter, Lith.

“We enjoy walking around and seeing all of the new booths that are up,” Bryan Albaugh said. 

The Mango family — mom Katie and dad Jason — walked around with their kids, William and Lizzie, ages 7 and 3, respectively.

“We come every year for this fun family event and exciting atmosphere,” Katie Mango said.  

Leah Page meandered through the trunk-or-treat area with her daughter, Sophia. Having celebrated her birthday with cake earlier in the day, Sophia shared that she was most excited to “Eat more cake!” 

College friends Danny Kung and Yuki Yoshida roamed the hay maze with their families, who wore elaborate Disney character costumes ranging from Sleeping Beauty and Peter Pan.

Danny Kung, his wife, Michelle, and daughter Kayla, 13 months; and Yuki Yoshida, his wife, Jill, and son, Kenji, 18 months were happy to begin this new tradition together. 

“This is our second year coming here together. It’s a great family event — and a lot of fun,” Danny Kung said. 

The Haunted House is open nightly at Old Poway Park Templars Hall from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. until Oct. 30.