Mermaids are Haunting the Neighborhood on Oct. 7

BY Aprile McKinnon

Mermaids of Canyon Lake are hosting the first-ever Halloween House Adventure on Oct. 7. It features the inside of four wonderfully-decorated homes named The Witch’s House, Canyon Crystal Lake, The Haunted Forest and A Glamorously Haunted Dinner Party.

A Glamorously Haunted Dinner Party will be held at the home of Beth Park. Beth moved to Canyon Lake in 2020 to be closer to her parents. When she’s not in a play with the Canyon Lake Community Theater  or participating in a scavenger hunt with the Mermaids Club, she goes all out decorating for her niece Violet, who loves the holidays.

The theme at Beth’s house is, a Glamorously Haunted Dinner Party. The house will be decorated as a 1920’s glam decor party where guests are gruesomely interrupted by the creepy crawling infestation of All Hallow’s Eve. Beth’s house is perfectly set for the theme of the party.

The 2,700 square foot New Orleans style colonial home will captivate attendees with its grand columns and upper and lower wrap around balconies. The tour will consist of the lower floor of the house.

The upper balcony includes a grand view of the lake (on which VIP guests will enjoy a cocktail and appetizers), while the lower balcony hosts an ensemble jazz orchestra of the undead. Imaginations will run wild as everyone won’t know what will be waiting for them just around the corner.

The Haunt has many other features and a costume contest will also take place. Tickets also include admission to the costume competition. Costumes will be voted on by the home owners and hostesses. Numbers to be worn on the costumes are available at Eastport Park.

The event starts at 4:00 p.m. at Eastport Park. There will be a vendor market selling Halloween and Fall themed items and a gently used clothing boutique selling ladies clothes, purses and jewelry. Tickets are not required to shop at the market or boutique.

General admission tickets include visiting the houses and participating in the costume contest. General admission guests will use their own vehicle to visit the houses. The address list of the houses is available at Eastport Park. Participants can visit the houses in any order.

VIP tickets include being chauffeured by an old time funeral director in a hearse (golf cart.) The VI>Ps will be greeted with a glass of champagne or a soft drink to start off the adventure. Each of the four houses will have a special VIP section of the home where drinks and/or cocktails will be provided. VIP tours are at 5:00 p.m. or 7:30 p.m. and both start at Eastport Park.

The House Adventure starts at 5:00 p.m. This event is open to ages 12 and over. Tickets are required. Tickets are available for purchase from Kathy Ray, by texting her at 858-449-7297 (cash, check or Zelle) or on the club’s website www.mermaidsofcanyonlake.org for those using a credit card.

The club is offering Early Bird General Admission Tickets at $25 and VIP Tickets at $50. Early Bird is in effect until Sept. 22. Regular priced tickets are $30 and $55.

Only General Admission tickets will be available the day of the event. The cut-off date for VIP ticket sales is Oct. 1 or when all available tickets are sold, whichever comes first. VIP tickets are not available as single tickets.

The hearses available have space for two, three, four or five passengers. For groups of four or five please book early. There are an extremely-limited number of seats available for groups of that size. Check back next week for a description of another of the participating houses.