Update: End Of October Halloween Events

The end of October offers a variety of Halloween events.

To start off, Friday night only is a Fall Festival at Curtis Creek Elementary. The event benefits the school with family-friendly carnival games, raffle prizes, and food available for purchase or with wrist bands from 5pm to 8pm. Saturday is Columbia Elementary School’s Annual Halloween Carnival starting at 11 a.m. as detailed here, and starting at noon on Saturday is Jamestown Elementary School’s Harvest Festival as detailed here.

On Friday the HOWLaween Rummage Sale benefit for Rose Wild Life Rescue, Second Chance Cocker Rescue and Toulumne County Feral Cat Trap, spay and return will be at the Second Chance Sanctuary off Rawhide in Jamestown. The event continues all weekend, details are here. Also in downtown Jamestown, the last of the “Harvest Haunt” train rides at Railtown 1897 State Historic Park will run this weekend.

On a sad and somber note, Saturday at Sonora High School’s Dunlavy Field, a Celebration Of Life for 15-year-old John Cooper Gookin will be held starting at 10am.

At Noon on both Saturday and Sunday, the Mother Lode Fairgrounds will transform for the 11th Annual All Hallows Fantasy Faire. The Celtic New Year’s Celebration features several live bands, vendors, the Burning of the Harvestman Saturday night, magicians, fire dances, Halloween creatures, and costume contests on both days. Kids 0-12 years old are free, event details and tickets are available here. The event is confirmed to go on even without power, they have generators.

Young children can trick or treat in historic downtown Sonora on Saturday from 4 to 5:30. Participating merchants will have an orange poster in their windows. The children and parents are also invited to enjoy free hot dogs and nachos at the Sonora United Methodist Church as detailed here.

Boo Boulevard and the Illumination of the Jack-O-Lanterns in Columbia State Park is this Saturday. Columbia welcomes children in costume for Trick or Treating, crafts, spin art, a selfie photo booth, costume contest, and new this year, a guided spooky trail! The free event is sponsored by Columbia State Historic Park and Friends of Columbia. Carve your pumpkins and bring them to the Columbia Museum on Main Street for judging. Prizes will be awarded, details are in our event calendar here.

Harvest Days conclude at Indigeny this Saturday with hayrides, outdoor games, a corn maze, face painting, local food and vendors, more details are here.  If you have your reservations to the Sonora Elks Lodge Halloween Party enjoy your night of fun with them.

Postponed: In Angels Camp the “Franks ‘n Steins” (sometimes called “Brats and Beer”), has been postponed. The event will be held on Saturday, November 2nd. Details are in our events calendar here. 

An important non-holiday event on Saturday at the Junction Shopping Center is the Tuolumne Drug Take-Back event detailed here. Other Saturday events are in our calendar here.

Sunday from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the Sierra Bible Church is their Fall Family Fun Night and Trunk or Treat. They will have a bounce house, slides, music, tri-tip, cotton candy, snow cones and more.

Parade and costume contest will be held at the Junction Shopping Center on Tuesday, October 29th.

On Wednesday, October 30, from 6:00pm to 8:00pm at Christian Heights Church will host their Harvest Fest, a free family alternative to Halloween. The event will feature laser tag, a glow stick cave, kid’s booths, food, candy and more. 

On Thursday, Halloween, the Tuolumne County Sheriff’s Office will host trick-or-treating at their haunted house at 28 N Lower Sunset from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.  Sierra Waldorf School will host its annual family-friendly Halloween Festival starting at 6 p.m. on Halloween. The event features fairy tales brought to life, puppet shows, Roman games, a fire show and it wraps up with a bonfire and singing until about 8:30 p.m. as detailed here.

Also on Halloween, the town of Tuolumne will host a Trick or Treat Parade as detailed here at 4:30 PM in West Side Memorial Park.