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Season’s Screamings includes the “Hall of Yuletide Spirits,” “A Christmas Scarol,” “The Holiday Haunt with No Name…Yet,” “Gingerbread House of Horrors” and more.
The winter holidays can sometimes seem a bit too bright and cheery.
Season’s Screamings — set for Friday, Dec. 17, to Sunday, Dec. 19, at the Pasadena Convention Center — tempers that with its event.
Co-founded by David Markland of Black Cat Orange, Season’s Screamings highlights the talents of local scarers, who create haunts and yard displays for it.
“There is this great community of Halloween fans and haunters,” Markland said.
Markland, who also co-founded Midsummer Scream, has loved Halloween since he was a kid. He was inspired to host his own spooky events after writing about LA ghost stories and haunted attractions for the site CreepyLA.
During the holiday event, haunts and yard displays will help to create an eerie feeling inside the “Hall of Yuletide Spirits.” “A Christmas Scarol” follows a hostly Dickens theme, naturally.
“The Holiday Haunt with No Name…Yet” presents a haunted Celtic graveyard theme.
Inside Fear Farm’s “Gingerbread House of Horrors,” the Christmas season takes a sinister turn with rotting candy and monsters.
As part of “Reichland Asylum Presents: A Very Matthias Christmas,” longtime asylum resident Matthias looks to bring Christmas to the children of Ward D and replace Santa.
The Casa Calaveras haunt “Holiday Fiesta” gives a glimpse into a holiday celebration of undead couple Jose and Gloria.
Autograph sessions are scheduled as well. Zach Galligan, who played Billy in “Gremlins,” and Butch Patrick, Eddie Munster in the TV show “The Munsters,” will meet with fans.
The Friday night sees the “Poltergeists and Paramours Christmas Spooktacular,” which combines a fashion show, dance performances and live singing.
Saturday, guests can hear from animatronics expert Garner Holt, who helped create Disneyland’s “The Nightmare Before Christmas”-themed Haunted Mansion Holiday overlay.
That night, Peepshow Menagerie, an LA-based burlesque troupe, will put on an adultthemed show called “Island of Misfit Tease.”
The convention also has horror trivia, a talk on Krampus, and a presentation on the Yule tradition of telling ghost stories.
Inside the convention hall, around 200 vendors will sell holiday and horror-themed items, including props and décor, apparel and artwork.
As part of a special Sunday talk, director Kirk Thatcher will give a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the TV special “Muppets Haunted Mansion.”
At the center of the event are the haunts and yard displays by the likes of the haunter collective CalHauntS.
Markland said the haunters have years of experience creating displays and professional-level props and sets.
“The detail can vary from haunt to haunt, but even the home haunts are theme-park level typically, with their skills and how they build stuff and decorate stuff,” Markland said.
Markland said from the beginning, Season’s Screamings has supported local creatives.
Haunters like Sean Burke of The Dreich Society and Cameron McGuinness of Insane Haunt Productions started creating haunts as teenagers.
The Dreich Society hosts home haunts each year in Burke’s parents’ backyard in Ontario.
In the eighth grade, Burke assembled a small-scale haunt on his parents’ patio using duct and caution tape, cardboard, trash bags and newspaper. He and his team moved on to those themed around a greaser car wreck, pirates, the TV show “Supernatural,” Bloody Mary, 1980s horror movies, a séance and the film “Krampus.”
“One thing we always agreed to as a group was we wanted to break the mold and not do what we would call the ‘stereotypical themes,’” Burke said.
Burke says they are meant to be scary and humorous.
“One thing we try to do is we try to have people laugh as they get scared,” Burke says.
The group’s “Holiday Fear” haunt combines popular holiday tropes with themes from the film “Die Hard.” In it, Jack Frost and a group of disgruntled blue-collar elves have taken over Santa’s workshop.
Annually, they brainstorm shortly after Halloween.
“That’s one of my favorite parts of being a haunter, just sitting back and letting the creativity flow and just going off of different ideas,” Burke said.
While some haunters work as a team, others such as McGuinness work mostly on their own with help from family members and scare actors.
Each Halloween, McGuinness hosts themed haunts in his dad’s driveway in Santa Clarita.
Along with presenting a haunt and selling his sliding and sparking gear, McGuinness plans to launch his new open market horror website, Howl-o-World, during this year’s convention.
The 20-year-old McGuinness is the mastermind behind “The Cabin,” a four-room, two-hallway haunt. It is themed around a maniac killing teens at a cabin party.
The haunter uses props such as a staticky TV, a table with cards, luggage, his mom’s Christmas trees, sleeping bags and half-empty cups to create a cabin party/Christmas vibe. He was inspired by a Lake Tahoe cabin he visited with his parents growing up.
“Nothing inside it is updated. So, it has this whole vintage feel that I like,” McGuinness said.
His journey with haunts started at age 13, when he and his dad decorated their yard with ears of corn from a local pumpkin patch. At 15, he created walkways from plastic tarps in his parents’ garage.
A year later, he assembled a more elaborate haunt — a laboratory-themed maze, complete with walls and black and strobe light effects.
This year, McGuinness will use effects like ankle tickler air blasters that create the sensation of being touched, as well as synchronized blinking lights and music. He recreates smells such as an outdoor campfire.
As a young haunter, McGuinness saves money where he can, often modifying pieces purchased at thrift stores.
“You either just throw it in or you detail it and put paint on it to make it look older. Or you put cobwebs on it or blood on it,” McGuinness said.
“You just get a bunch of crap, a bunch of vintage, old stuff. I say ‘crap’ because I was just moving all of my stuff that I’m not using from my maze to a shed, and I felt like I’m a hoarder. You are trying to set the mood, and you need these props, no matter how miniscule they are, to create that illusion.”
Season’s Screamings
WHEN: Various times Friday, Dec. 17, to Sunday, Dec. 19 WHERE: Pasadena Convention Center, 300 E. Green Street, Pasadena COST: Tickets start at $30 INFO: midsummerscream.org/seasons-screamings COVID-19: Attendees must show proof of COVID-19 vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test from the last 72 hours. Masks are required inside the convention hall.
College Women’s Club of Pasadena members, from left, Beverly Meissner, Ann Kimball, Fran Olson, Phyllis Schissell, Rozanne Child, Marilyn Siemon-Burgeson, Clemencia De Leon and Sandi Rhoten enjoy the centennial celebration.
The centennial celebration of College Women’s Club of Pasadena included a table displaying archival documents and photos from the past 100 years.
By Annika Tomlin Pasadena Weekly Staff Writer
The College Women’s Club of Pasadena persevered through the Great Depression, World War II and several other country- and world-defining moments to reach its centennial celebration.
The club recently celebrated its 100th anniversary.
“This organization was created by a group of Cal Tech wives of the professors not even one year after women got the right to vote,” said Kathy LaRussa, the club’s publicity and social media chair.
A three-year club member, LaRussa said the scholarships are the “heart and soul” of the organization.
“We, in partnership with Pasadena Community Foundation, have gone from a $100 fund to an over $2 million endowment, and we are still dedicated to awarding scholarships to young women,” LaRussa said.
The club initially partnered with Pasadena Community Foundation in 2016.
“That was really a significant event for us because their investment support really kick-started our financial growth to give us this base,” LaRussa said.
During the past century, the organization has seen a slew of political and social changes all while staying true to its cause: encouraging and supporting women’s educational endeavors.
“The organization is still here because the mission has not changed in 100 years,” said Rozanne Child, current club president in a video celebrating the club’s 100 years.
College Women’s Club of Pasadena celebrated its centennial on Nov. 7 at the Altadena Town and Country Club with more than 90 guests and dignitaries from the surrounding colleges and universities. The celebration included a tea service along with archival photos and documents woven into a 12-minute video.
“We had been working for 18 months on the creation of a video that talks about the club,” LaRussa said.
The club acquired handwritten minutes, documents and photos from the Pasadena Historical Society to create the video.
“We screened that for our members, and they were very thrilled by it and very touched by it,” LaRussa said.
During the video, past club president Ann Kimball said, “When (the club) was started, it was a really noble mission because education was not considered that important. These women decided that women deserve the same advantages that the men have had.
College Women’s Club of Pasadena over the years
“In 1923, our president was Greta Millikan,” LaRussa said. “Her husband was the president of Cal Tech and he won a Nobel Prize the same year that she was president.
In celebration of the 100 years, LaRussa said members perused boxes of archival documents.
“Dec. 8, 1941, we held a meeting the morning after Pearl Harbor, and we have the minutes from that meeting, which opened by singing ‘The Star-Spangled Banner,’” LaRussa said.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the club halted in-person meetings in 2020 and only resumed outdoor or online meetings this year. They struggled to find a location for their meetings because their former location, the Blinn House, was being renovated.
“Another challenge is that we are trying hard to increase our membership because it has dwindled,” LaRussa admitted. “Now we also offer to our scholarship winners a year’s free membership into the club.
Membership information is available at the club’s website. The dues are $5 to join and a $60 yearly due that goes directly to the scholarship foundation.
“We have no other requirements, just that they have a good time with us and hopefully come to our meetings and being on the board or volunteering whatever part of the organization they might be interested in,” LaRussa said.
LaRussa said during her first meeting, the group awarded scholarships. She found the winners’ stories “mind-boggling.”
“We had one winner who has four children — one is a special needs child — is working full time, cares for her own elderly parents and is still going back to school to get her Ph.D.,” LaRussa said. “It just amazes me how important education is that I agree with that philosophy.
“Women just need support from other women at times who’ve been through it. Who knows what it is to take care of a house, take care of kids, work a job and still push forward to grow and to educate yourself and to better yourself. Every one of our scholarship winners has a story just like that at some level.”
LaRussa said she enjoys hearing the other members’ stories, which include working a doughnut dolly in the Vietnam War, being in the Peace Corps and rallying for political and social change in the 1960s.
“Sometimes as women age as we all age, we stop looking at them as people and we don’t look at who they were and what they contributed to the world,” LaRussa said. “This organization allows us to encourage young women but also appreciate the women in our club for who they are and the differences that they’ve made.”
Kim Schoenstadt: “Enter Slowly, The Legacy of an Idea” To Feb. 27
The music of the Go-Go’s fuels this nonstop, dance-filled joyride though magic, merriment and mischief. From the first notes of “We Got the Beat” to the final rapturous curtain call, guests will be whisked away through a world of whimsy and wit. This jubilant celebration follows a royal family in search of a purpose, lovers in search of each other, and a whole kingdom in search of a beat.
Peter and Merle Mullin Gallery, South Campus, 1111 S. Arroyo Parkway, Pasadena, various times, free, 213-678-0932, artcenter.edu
Kidspace Children’s Museum Winter Frolic To Sunday, Jan. 9
Get ready for a winter wonderland. Kidspace Children’s Museum is transformed into a land of wonder and delight at its first Winter Frolic. Experience noice sock skating, “ice fishing,” snowflake decorating and other activities.
Kidspace Children’s Museum, 480 N. Arroyo Boulevard, Pasadena, various times, free with admission, 626-4499144, kidspacemuseum.org
Enchanted. Forest Light To Sunday, Jan. 9
New this year are magical “stained glass” creations built in the Rose Garden by contemporary sculptor Tom Fruin. Popular returning favorites returning include sparkling, swirling installations from HYBYCOZO on the Main Lawn; Flower Power on the Promenade; and exquisite lighting effects in the Ancient Forest.
Descanso Gardens, 1418 Descanso Drive, La Cañada Flintridge, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., $5-$15, descansogardens.org
Upcoming Events
Have an event for the calendar? Send it to christina@timespublications.com.
Christmas tree decoration contest (through to Jan. 1) encourages family participation. Santa photos are available through Dec. 24 with a toy donation. Gingerbread house kits can be picked up through Dec. 24 while supplies last.
One Colorado, 41 Hugus Alley, Pasadena, various times, free admission, onecolorado.com
The New Hollywood String Quartet Friday, Dec. 17, to Sunday, Dec. 19
The group presents The Vienna Holiday Concerts.
Rothenberg Hall at the Huntington Library, 1151 Oxford Road, San Marino, tickets start at $50 with a discount available to students, 8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 17, and Saturday, Dec. 18, and 4 p.m. Dec. 19, 626-405-3403, newhollywoodstringquartet.com
From the producers of Midsummer Scream. The holiday horror convention features spooky stocking stuffers, wandering evil elves and other monsters taking a break from winter hibernation.
Pasadena Convention Center, 300 E. Green Street, Pasadena, tickets start at $30, 6 to 11 p.m. Friday, Dec. 17, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 18, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 19, midsummerscream.org
A Devotional (Christmas) Depeche Mode Experience Friday, Dec. 17
Touted by the real thing, Devotional: The Depeche Mode Experience celebrates the holidays that’s purely personal.
The Mixx, 443 E. Colorado Boulevard, Pasadena, price and time TBA, 626500-0017, themixxclub.com
Pasadena Symphony and Pops Present: “Holiday Candlelight” Saturday, Dec. 18
Top off the holiday season and enjoy fully reserved seating arrangements in the architecturally exquisite and acoustically sonorous All Saints Church, Pasadena’s equivalent of a classic European cathedral. Music will be performed by candlelight.
All Saints Church, 132 N. Euclid Avenue, Pasadena, tickets start at $25, 4 to 6 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m., 626-793-7172, pasadenasymphony-pops.org
Live Radiohead and Oasis Brit Pop Tribute Night Thursday, Dec. 30
Featuring Supersonic LA (Oasis) and Body Snatchers (Radiohead), the Brit pop tribute night also hosts indie rock DJ Ané Uno of Coquétte and Automatico monthly indie events. Video show on 15 by 20 LED wall.
New Year’s Eve Bash with Live Selena Tribute Friday, Dec. 31
It’s a Los Malditos Rockin’ Cumbia night to round out 2021. Surprise DJ will perform dance music and play videos on the 15-by-20 LED wall. Complimentary champagne for midnight countdown and toast. Digital balloon drop and party favors. Food and drink specials.
Rose Parade Saturday, Jan. 1
For millions of people around the world, the Rose Parade is an iconic New Year’s Day tradition. The Rose Parade travels 5.5 miles down Colorado Boulevard and features four types of entries: floral-decorated floats entered by a participating corporation, nonprofit or municipality; equestrian units; bands and tournament entries. Rose Parade participants have long histories with the Tournament of Roses and keep the traditions alive.
Colorado Boulevard, Pasadena, tickets start at $80 for reserved seating, 8 a.m., tournamentofroses.com
Rose Bowl Game Saturday, Jan. 1
The 108th Rose Bowl Game presented by Capital One Venture X will feature the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Utah Utes.
The Rose Bowl Stadium, 1001 Rose Bowl Drive, Pasadena, 4 a.m. (parking lots open); 8 a.m. (Rose Bowl Game Public Fanfest); 11:30 a.m. (Rose Bowl Stadium gates open); 1 p.m. (pre-game activities); 2 p.m. (game time), various packages, rosebowlstadium.com
Inspired by the world’s many spiritual traditions, Dances of Universal Peace Pasadena allows guests to start the new year with intention. Open to vaccinated folks only. Schedule: 3 to 5 p.m. Sufi dancing; 5 to 5:30 p.m. break; 6 p.m. vegetarian potluck; 7:15 p.m. Zikr; 8 p.m. dessert and conversation.
Location revealed upon registration, 3 p.m., registration required, call for pricing, 352-978-1859, taliawright22@ gmail.com
Rose Bowl Flea Market Sunday, Jan. 9
For over 50 years the Rose Bowl Flea Market has been the most well-attended and vendor profitable flea market in the country. The market is known all over the world because of its quality of vendors and great shoppers of all ages.
