Youth center offers up some spooky events

WATSONVILLE >> Those looking for fun activities to do for the month of October will find no shortage at the Gene Hoularis & Waldo Rodriguez Youth Center in Watsonville. The center has a slate of spooky events lined up this month, which are free to those who have a “Passport to Fun” membership.

On Saturday, the center will host an altar-making workshop for Dia de los Muertos. On Sunday, members can embark on a field trip to Fear Overload Scream Park in Newark. This spooky site at the NewPark Mall offers two haunted houses in one: House of Phobia and Happy Days Asylum. Both locations allow visitors to traverse through narrow dark hallways and maneuver past actors and animatronics dressed as witches, zombie nuns, giant spiders, undead asylum patients and more in a four-dimensional experience that will certainly get the heart pumping. This attraction is not for the faint of heart or claustrophobic. The trip is only available to members ages 11 to 17.

On Oct. 20, the center will host its first Pumpkin Race. Kids will be able to pick out pumpkins, decorate them, affix them with wheels and see which pumpkins are the fastest. The center's Science Workshop will be on hand to provide assistance. The event is 2-6 p.m.

The center will open its annual Haunted House Oct. 27-28, this time featuring its Maze of Horror where kids are encouraged to use their critical thinking skills to try to get out of a maze in record time.

Finally, the youth center will be a stop on the city's annual Downtown Candy Crawl. Once again, kids are encouraged to put on their costumes as they go to participating downtown locations to score candy bars and sweets and get a head start on their trick-or-treating. The event is 2-6 p.m. Oct. 30 and is open to ages 13 and younger.

The Youth center's address is 30 Maple Ave., Watsonville. For information on any events, call 831-768-3248.