Residents Get Haunts and Meet Ghouls at Youth Fall Festival

The City of Moreno Valley’s Parks and Recreation Department celebrated last weekend its haunted house and festival event. “We are so happy to be back,” said Senior Program Leader Markita Smith. This October marked the second haunted house event and the first year the department hosted its festival. “We had the same program a long time ago but due to budget cuts and economic changes we had to cancel. I am really happy to bring it back to the neighborhood and give the kids something to do while remaining safe at the same time,” Smith said. The coordinator of the evening was Janet Palacio. She said, “It is a privilege to be a part of such an amazing event and opportunity. Our goal is to make the kids happy, but most importantly keep them safe.” Families from throughout the city participated and showed their support—a long, winding line for the haunted house was a testament to the city’s participation and the popularity of the attraction. Still others enjoyed food vendors, face painting, and games. Juan Cardenas, Eddie Gibbs and Alex Rodriquez, vendors at the event, stated they were happy with the outcome; they were enjoying the family atmosphere and couldn’t wait to come back next year. Reginald Jackson, a recreational aide for the department, was Dracula for the evening. With his booming voice and tall stature he was quite convincing as the leader of the Haunted House. Jackson credited the children as the reason he loved his job so much. “The haunted house is important; the kids can have fun. There are no amusement parks in the area, so it’s up to us to provide a safe haven of fun for them.” Miriam Antolin of Alessandro Self Storage worked as a festival volunteer for the second year in a row Friday evening. She set up camp and promoted the family business. Kay Gibson brought her family that year, including her two daughters and one niece. She shared she looks forward to coming to the event next year. Volunteers hailing from Vista del Lago High School were also in attendance. Heidy Calvillo and Andres Toro were in charge of the “disk drop,” and both stated they were volunteering because they wanted to help their community and provide a safe zone for the community’s children, like many of the other volunteers and event coordinators. With the haunted house proving to be the event’s most popular attraction, many went through its dark mazes more than once. The Parks and Recreation Department personnel shared their hopes that the event will continue to grow both in size and scope in the coming years.