By Nick Stern
Staff Reporter
Halloween is right at Albuquerque’s doorstep and that means kids and families in costumes, hoping for “something good to eat,” will be as well.
Instead of spending the fall holidays at home it could be nice to get out and experience some of the many events this city and the surrounding areas have to offer.
Dragons House of Horror is a very spooky haunted house in Rio Rancho and is occupied by horror legends such as Michael, and Jason who make scaring their guests a personal affair, according to the dragonshouseofhorror.com website.
“If you’re looking for high quality and personal service in scaring you, you’ve come to the right place. At Dragons House of Horror we’ll give you the attention and personal service you’ll come to expect and enjoy and fear,” the site said.
The Haunted Scarecrow is another place for a good scare and is in downtown Albuquerque at Warehouse 508, according to the hauntedscarecrow.wix.com website.
The Tours of Old Town has exciting ghost tours to offer anyone looking for a scary outdoor experience and even offers moonlight ghost tours that are held at 10 p.m. The nightly tours involve a 90 minute walk with ghost stories, history, and investigations of the paranormal within the haunted locations of Old Town, according to toursofoldtown.com.
“Legends, folklore, ghost stories, and history come to life as you depart on an intriguing excursion through 306 years of haunted history…founded in 1706, and for over three centuries people have lived and died around the Old Town Plaza,” the site said.
The tour is led by a professional tour guide and is lit by lanterns while guests search for lost souls who have made Old Town their eternal home, according to the website.
The site said that tourists, residents, and employees have all experienced unexpected phenomena from sightings of vanishing apparitions to voices without bodies within one of the most actively haunted locations in North America.
Many people who have taken the tour have had good experiences and have taken a lot from it, according to customer feedback on the website.
“I’ve lived in Albuquerque for 20 years and learned more about Old Town during this tour than all my years in the city,” said Mark and Taylor M. of Albuquerque.
If students are looking to enjoy a show in the spirit of the season, the Albuquerque Little Theatre is performing Mel Brooks’ classic, Young Frankenstein, according to albuquerquelittletheatre.org.
Tickets can be purchased online or at the theatre’s box office and is being performed until the third of November, according to the events schedule.
The production features classics like “the Transylvania Mania” and “Puttin’ on the Ritz” and is guaranteed to be a great time, the site said.
“Young Frankenstein is scientifically-proven, monstrously good entertainment…and the only place you’ll witness a singing and dancing laboratory experiment in the largest tuxedo ever made!” the site said.
Dia de los Muertos will also be celebrated in many ways this season, and Old Town will be hosting Dia Del Dulce on Halloween this year, according to the Albuquerque Old Town website.
The page encourages guests to dress in costumes and to bring family members for trick or treating, a pet parade and animal costume contest, Halloween performance, as well as a people’s costume contest.
The National Hispanic Cultural Center (NHCC) also has an annual community gathering called the Dia de los Muertos Despedida that celebrates with music, traditional food, poetry, and chocolate, according to the nationalhispaniccenter.org webpage.
“Music, poetry, Mexican chocolate, and pan de muerto. This is a great event for all ages,” the site said.
The 2013 Marigold Parade is also happening this year on November 3, from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m., according to the muertosymarigolds.org website. The site said the parade begins at the Bernalillo Sheriff’s substation at Centro Familiar and Isleta, and ends at the Westside Community Center at 1250 Isleta Blvd. SW, where there will be music, altars, food, and art vendors.
There are many events in Albuquerque to choose from and the Chronicle hopes everyone will be safe and find something awesome to do for this year’s Halloween holiday.
