above: Superheroes and Fairies congregate before going into the park.
Halloween is the Dudes’ third favorite Holiday. Christmas and Birthdays come in first and second only because of the amount of presents they generally receive. But, candy can rival even presents especially for the Lil’ Dude. So, the Hippygeek and I would have spent the rest of our lives in the proverbial doghouse if we had neglected to celebrate the event. So, we headed from Yosemite to the nearest town we could find that might offer a Halloween celebration, Fresno.
With a metro population of over a million, I felt sure that we could find someplace for the Dudes to beg for candy, oh, I mean, trick or treat. Although, the idea of taking the Dudes trick or treating in a strange neighborhood was not appealing. So, we were happy when we found out that the city has a large complex that contains a zoo and two amusement parks(Storyland and Playland) that transform into Halloween land this time of year.
left: King Arthur’s castle.
right: The “King”
They decorate the grounds of the parks and set up trick or treat stations throughout with games and crafts and of course, candy. The bonus is that you actually get to enjoy the park itself, as well.
left: The Dudes confer with the “White Rabbit”.
right: The Dudes look in on the “big bad wolf”.
We went to Party City where the Big Dude picked out a Grim Reaper costume and the Lil’ Dude became Duke, the hero in the movie G.I. Joe. Then, we drove, along with every other family in Fresno, to the event. As we stood in line to get into the park, with the entire population of little people from Fresno, I was reminded of why I can’t live in a big city…..too many people!
right: Getting “tatoos”
Fortunately, the line moved quickly and seeing a zillion kids dressed in costumes was really fun. Once inside the grounds, we roamed from station to station collecting goodies as we went.
left and below: Making edible spiders.
left: Dry ice soap bubbles
below: Hmmm, do I “hoop” the pumpkin or the fairy?
left: Bands played throughout the evening
right: Beanbag toss
When we had exhausted that park, we went on to the zoo and collected more goodies. Unfortunately, it was dark when we arrived so many of the animals were sleeping. We should have gone to that park first while it was still light so we could have seen more of the animals.
left: Petting stingrays
By the end of the evening, the Dudes were thoroughly satisfied with their experience, their bags were loaded down and the parents won’t have to spend the rest of their lives in the doghouse.
“Nothing on Earth so beautiful as the final haul on Halloween night.” Steve Almond