I can’t think of a better way to spend Halloween than with the good people at the Police Activities League’s PAL-oween. PAL is holding its annual Halloween bash tonight in the Barker Hanger at 3021 Airport Ave. on the south side of the Santa Monica Airport.
Admission is free. Candy and toys will be given away. There’ll be live entertainment, refreshments, game booths, a frightening house of horrors, tattoos and face painting, a picture booth, costume judging contests, a play area for the wee ones and all manner of fun and frolic.
Kids are especially invited, and mom and dad are welcome to come along. It all starts at 5 p.m. and goes until 9 p.m.
PAL-oween is one of the good things about Santa Monica and loads of fun for ghosts and goblins of all ages. Halloween is the only time of the year where one can cut loose, dress up as his or her favorite character and have lots of fun.
I’ve been trying to think of something really terrifying to dress as. Jack The Ripper? Freddy Krueger? The Grim Reaper? The scariest Halloween character I could think of is a Santa Monica City Councilperson.
Then, I could walk into Barker Hanger with my own agenda — a scroll of indeterminable length loaded with treats for me and my cronies and dirty tricks for everyone else.
I could dress in a suit of armor, so criticism will bounce off. Or, I could put on a bulbous, brown nose as a reminder to “kiss up” to the real behind the scenes powers in town such as Denny Zane, Judy Abdo, Oscar de la Torre, the labor unions and those mighty, mighty business interest campaign contributors.
I could wear feet of clay and just “go along” with dumb city staff recommendations as opposed to stand up for what really should be done.
And, let’s not forget the black leather satchel for all those campaign contributions. Knowing that I’ll run and run again, I’d continue to sell out to the highest bidder and keep those sweet contributions rolling in.
I could gather up some friends and go out as the City Manager and the City Council disguised as Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Hump.
If I went trick or treating as Kevin McKeown, I’d carry a street map around so I could show everyone what I plan to traffic jam next. By the way, last Halloween, Kevin lost the pedestrian activated crosswalk signal for Montana Avenue at 15th Street that he’s been promising all of us for years. If anyone finds it, please send it to Gridlock, c/o City Hall.
Maybe I could go as Ken Genser or Sherlock Holmes. Either way, I’d would have a big magnifying glass so I could micromanage all of City Hall. That would be a treat, huh?
I could haunt PAL-oween as Richard “Speed Bumps” Bloom playing “Wrong Way” Corrigan. Like Douglas Corrigan, who flew to Ireland instead of California, Bloom has gone the wrong direction with everything from traffic and parking to dealing with vagrants and street drunks.
If I went PAL-oweening as Mayor Pam O’Connor, I wouldn’t even put on a costume. Why hide my disdain for those who don’t agree with me?
I could “trick or treat” as Bob Holbrook disguised as the Invisible Man. Because Holbrook usually leaves council meetings early, he often “vanishes” before important votes especially when he’s needed the most.
My Herb Katz costume would be a mirror to reflect whatever you want me to be — or do. Or, I could go out as “Slick Herb” the used car salesman with a boutonniere and a fantastic deal for everyone except the neighbors.
How about going out as Superman or Bobby Shriver? I’d look sharp, dress smart, smell good and be able to leap tall hedges at a single bound.
It’s all such a tough decision to make especially with so many disguise possibilities and such little time.
Join me and all the other ghosts, goblins, witches, politicians, spirits and monsters that go bump in the night. We only come out at PAL-oween. (Bill Bauer is a longtime Santa Monica resident and a freelance writer.)
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on October 31, 2005. Read the original PDF.