It’s getting spooky in Newport-Mesa

Young Chang

Whether you’re trick-or-treating at Fashion Island, dressing your dog

for a doggy costume party in Corona del Mar or parading around at the

Masquerade Ball for the Arts, there’s no excuse for not sporting the

spookiest Halloween garb.

“Monkeys are in now because of ‘Planet of the Apes,”’ said Sherron

Newberg, owner of the House of Humor in Costa Mesa. “And I have the

hardest time keeping gorillas in my store.”

An all-time favorite is Frankenstein’s creature. Newberg rents out the

rare costume every year. The boots weigh at least five pounds. The mask

has blood-rimmed eye sockets, the neck is caked with fake blood and yet

more blood trickles down the right side of the creature’s face.

Other more recent hits include costumes for aliens, Austin Powers,

pimps and prostitutes.

“He will always be popular,” Newberg said of Austin Powers. “Because

of the teeth and [men] can be pimp and wild for a night.”

Since Sept. 11, firefighters and police officers have become more the

rage, Newberg added. Women have been opting for nurse gowns because

they’re seen, especially lately, as heroes.

Rachel Partin, from The Costume Connection also in Costa Mesa, added

that patriotic costumes have been selling the fastest.

For children, Newberg confirmed that Harry Potter is a chart-topper,

not only on New York Times bestseller lists but for Halloween. Mummies

are popular too.

But whether you feign a corpse in gauze, a firefighter, Frankenstein’s

monster or a Harry Potter critter, stop in at any one of these local

Hallowfests:

For those who still need pumpkins, Corona del Mar Plaza will present

its third annual Great Pumpkin Giveaway from 3 to 5 p.m. Friday with more

than 5,000 pounds of the great orange squashes. Children are welcome to

get artsy at pumpkin-decorating booths and Radio Disney will hold a

costume contest with games, prizes, music and party favors. For

information, call (949) 790-9731.

The Newport North Center and Westcliff Plaza will promote a different

sort of creativity on Oct. 27 -- Halloween window painting. Registration

will begin at 10:30 a.m., and painting sessions will be held from 11 a.m.

to 1:30 p.m. Judging will take place from 2 to 3 p.m. Newport North

Center is at the corner of Bison Avenue and MacArthur Boulevard in

Newport Beach. Westcliff Plaza is at the corner of Westcliff Drive and

Irvine Avenue in Newport Beach. (949) 644-3151.

And for dogs (Halloween doesn’t exclude any living creature), the

Three Dog Bakery in the Corona del Mar Plaza will hold its third annual

Doggy Costume Party from noon to 3 p.m. Oct. 27, with the contest

beginning at 2 p.m. The plaza is at the intersection of MacArthur

Boulevard and Coast Highway in Newport Beach. (949) 760-3647.

On the evening of the 27th, the Masquerade Ball for the Arts will draw

more than 500 costumed revelers who seem to outdo themselves every year.

Held at the Orange County Museum of Art, tickets for the

costume/black-tie ball are $60 in advance and $75 at the door. Proceeds

will benefit arts activities in Orange County. The museum is at 850 San

Clemente Drive, Newport Beach. (949) 759-1122.

Pumpkins and pancakes is the theme of the Halloween Extravaganza to be

held at South Coast Plaza’s Crate & Barrel Wing from 8 to 11 a.m. Oct.

28. Breakfast, arts and crafts, a fashion show, trick or treating and

more will help raise money for the Friends of CASA-CAST. CASA is Court

Appointed Special Advocates and CAST is the Child Abuse Services Team.

Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 at the door. (714) 780-8733.

For children who like to read about spooky things, the Newport Beach

Central Library will present author Darren Shan at 7 p.m. Oct. 30 in a

scary-story program titled “A Spooky Special.” The library is at 1000

Avocado Ave., Newport Beach. (949) 717-3816.

Retailers at Fashion Island will welcome trick-or-treaters into their

stores from 3:30 to 5 p.m. Oct. 31. Children will receive treasure maps

directing them to various activities, including a costume parade from 4

to 4:30 p.m. at Bloomingdale’s Courtyard and photo opportunities at

Fashion Island’s pumpkin patch. Fashion Island is at 900 Newport Center

Drive, Newport Beach. (949) 721-2000.

And if, by the 31st, you still don’t have a pumpkin, head over to

Centennial Farm in Costa Mesa. Through Halloween day, pumpkins in three

different sizes will be available for $8, $4 and $2. The farm is at 88

Fair Drive, Costa Mesa. (714) 708-1543.