In the week leading up to a very different kind of Halloween than we’re all used to, there are plenty of virtual and IRL opportunities to get in the spirit – including virtual ghost tours of Little Tokyo and some of the creepy tunnels underneath Los Angeles, online looks at some of Hollywood’s most iconic historic horror artifacts, and a chance to walk through an enclosure featuring several hundred orb weaver spiders. Plus, pancakes.
Arts & Culture
The calendar of Chevalier’s Books events this week kicks off with Seth Greenland, on Monday, October 26th at 7:00 p.m., discussing his memoir, A Kingdom of Tender Colors, about his lymphatic cancer diagnosis at the age of 37 and the unexpectedly funny side of his story. On Thursday, October 29th at 7:00 p.m., hear Dr. Brennan Spiegel, local author and Director of Research at Cedars-Sinai, and a UCLA professor, on his timely book: VRX How Virtual Therapeutics Will Revolutionize Medicine. And if you’ve watched the new Aaron Sorkin film on Netflix, The Trial of the Chicago 7, learn the real history behind the 1969 events on Friday, October 30th at 7:00 p.m. with Jon Wiener whose Conspiracy In The Streets: The Extraordinary Trial of The Chicago Seven was reprinted to coincide with the release of the film.
In other literary news, Lit Crawl L.A. is back this year online in cooperation with Los Angeles Public Library on October 24th, and kicks off with a panel discussion on Black Joy and Resistance in 2020 at 12:30pm. Other events on the schedule include Unlocking L.A.: Creativity in the Time of Coronavirus, Women Who Submit: Sassing the System: Stories of Protest and Resistance, and more.
The Los Angeles Public Library also has a whole slate of fun “Halloweek” activities for kids this week, starting on Monday, October 26th-Saturday, October 31st and including treats, crafts, author readings like of A Babysitter’s Guide to Monster Hunting by Joe Ballarini and A Tale of Witchcraft by Chris Colfer, and more!
Community & History
The Natural History Museums of Los Angeles County are also getting in on the Halloween fun this week with their Haunted Museum At Home events. On Saturday, October 24th at 3:00 p.m. take part in the Slime Lab where you can, “discover – if you dare – the science of slime while participating in goopy games, sticky scientific demonstrations, and creepy chats” that will feature “a pumpkin carving demonstration with a paleontologist; a live Spider Q&A with Forest Urban, Manager of Invertebrate Live Animals; a dive into the deep, dark and bizarre world of fish with NHMLAC’s Ichthyology Curator.” Additionally, the seasonal Spider Pavilion at the Natural History Museum opens on Sunday, October 25th, where you can take a safe and socially distanced stroll through the outdoor enclosure featuring several hundred orbweaver spiders. Tickets are $6 for the general public, and free for members.
For arachnophobes who still want to get in the Halloween spirit, you can join the Windsor Square-Hancock Park Historical Society’s Icons Of Darkness Exhibit with Rich Correll on Wednesday, October 28th at 7:00 p.m. Correll owns the largest collection of Sci-Fi, Fantasy and Horror film memorabilia in the world and has built an exhibit called “Icons of Darkness” at Hollywood’s Montalban Theatre, where he will be giving a virtual tour. Tickets are $15 and you can purchase them here.
For even more Hollywood horror history, on Wednesday, October 28th at 7:00 p.m., join Hollywood Heritage for a Halloween-themed installment of the museum’s “Saving Hollywood’s Treasures” series, which will include everything you need to know about the Gill-man from Creature from the Black Lagoon, details on the conservation process with two conservators, Lily Doan and Megan Salas, and why it’s important for institutions to acquire props and archives for preservation. RSVP for the free event here.
If you’re in the mood for less fictional spooky history and more of the real thing, Esotouric’s webinar this week on the “murky history and rich lore surrounding the tunnel systems beneath Los Angeles” is for you. Catch “Los Angeles Underground: Sleuthing Tunnels Lost & Found” on Saturday, October 24th at 12:00 p.m., tickets are just $10. And while you’re at it, reserve your tickets for Esotouric’s next webinar to truly get you in the spirit on Saturday, October 31st: “13 Uncanny Los Angeles Crimes & Mysteries.”
Another opportunity to explore more of spooky Los Angeles is the 4th Annual Haunted Little Tokyo from Friday, October 23rd to Saturday, October 31st, during which you can take part in a whole host of events like a Virtual Ghost Tour of Little Tokyo, an IRL scavenger hunt, and a “BOO-SEUM” in which “MOCA will present a thematic selection of work from its collection that have inspired us to reflect on the history of Halloween and how the trajectory of the holiday—from a Celtic pagan festival to an American cultural hallmark—laid the groundwork for the various ways Halloween is celebrated today.” View the full calendar of events and purchase tickets here.
This piece of Los Angeles history is not haunted, but it is delicious: in honor of its 71st birthday, on Wednesday, October 28th from 7:00 a.m.-9:00 a.m., NORMS will be offering breakfast for 71 cents.
Local Government
The GWNC will hold a Special General Board Meeting on Saturday, October 24th at 2:00 p.m. to discuss 2021 Neighborhood Council elections, and on Tuesday, October 27th at 6:30 p.m., the regularly scheduled monthly meeting of the GWNC’s Land Use Committee will take place.
