HALLOWEEN HAPPENINGS

Today

Officer McGruff and his “take a bite out of crime” safety campaign are part of the Halloween Spooktacular for children from 9 to 11 a.m. at Kaiser Permanente health pavilion, 200 N. Lewis St., Orange. The event includes a costume contest, K-9 unit demonstration, treats from the Orange and Garden Grove police departments, children’s fingerprinting and a Disney film, “Halloween Surprises.” Free. (714) 748-7843.

Halloween parties for kids, featuring games, crafts, treats and a “creepy animal” show, take place from 10 a.m. to noon and from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Oak Canyon Nature Center, 6700 E. Walnut Canyon Road, Anaheim Hills. Reservations required. (714) 998-8380.

Moulton School is holding a children’s Halloween carnival, with face painting, a pumpkin walk, a goldfish toss, games and prizes from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Moulton Elementary, 29881 Highlands Ave., Laguna Niguel. Free.

Fountain Valley’s 11th annual Halloween Costume Contest and Monster Mash for children ages 9 and younger is from 10 to 11:30 a.m. at the Fountain Valley Recreation Center, 16400 Brookhurst Ave., Fountain Valley. Free. (714) 839-8611.

Merchants from the Brea Marketplace are offering special activities from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Events include mask decorating; face painting; free photo sessions; a screening of “The Land Before Time” beginning at 10:30 a.m. at the United Artists theater ($1, benefits Children’s Variety Club of California); a book signing by John Duel from noon to 4 p.m. at Bookstar; trick-or-treating from noon to 4 p.m.; a pizza-eating contest at Jojo’s Pizza Kitchen and a costume contest from 3 to 4 p.m. The mall is at Imperial Highway and State College Boulevard in Brea. (714) 671-2133.

The Irvine Youth Symphony gives a special Halloween concert for children at 11 a.m. at the Irvine Barclay Theatre, 4242 Campus Drive, Irvine. $5 to $10 (free for children in costume). (714) 854-4646.

A Harvest Carnival with a cake walk, panning for gold, a basketball free-throw contest and other games and contests, is from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Salem Lutheran School, 19921 Frank St., Orange. Free (25 cents for games). (714) 633-2366.

A children’s Harvest Festival with trick-or-treating and a costume parade is from 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Market on the Lake shopping village, Marguerite Parkway and Vista del Lago, Mission Viejo. Free. (714) 582-0204.

Two Halloween Skating Parties and costume contests are being held at the Holiday Skating Center, 175 N. Wayfield, Orange. Hours: 1 to 5 p.m. or 7 p.m. to 1 a.m. $3.75 to $8 ($1.50 for skate rental). (714) 997-5283.

A Victorian Halloween party for children age 5 to 12, featuring games, ghost stories, crafts, trick-or-treating and a magician, takes place from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. at the Discovery Museum, 3101 W. Harvard St., Santa Ana. $10. Reservations required. (714) 540-0404.

A Halloween Carnival & Haunted House including games, food and trick-or-treating, is from 3 to 9 p.m. at Circle View School, 6261 Hooker Drive, Huntington Beach. Free ($1 for the haunted house). Sponsored by Cub Scout Pack 278. (714) 892-2241.

The Boys & Girls Club of Fullerton is holding a haunted house and penny carnival from 3 to 8 p.m. at the club, 348 W. Commonwealth Ave., Fullerton. Carnival admission is free; haunted house admission is $2. (714) 525-8241.

Children’s entertainer Norman Foote performs at 3 and 4 p.m. followed by trick-or-treating until 6 p.m. at Fashion Island, 600 Newport Center Drive, Newport Beach. Free. (714) 644-7520 or (714) 721-2000.

The Mission Viejo Mall is sponsoring a Halloween party for kids featuring costume contests, games, a witches fun fair, a haunted house and trick-or-treating from 3 to 7 p.m. at Crown Valley Parkway and Interstate 5 in Mission Viejo. $1 for costume contests; 25 to 50 cents for games. (714) 768-0981.

A children’s Halloween party takes place from 4 to 5:30 p.m. at Piecemaker’s Country Store, 1720 Adams Ave., Costa Mesa. Children can come in costume and decorate a fall harvest fence and pumpkin surprise. Refreshments include pumpkin cookies and goblin punch. $15. (714) 641-3112.

“Rockin’ Halloween Sight and Sound Extravaganza,” a community carnival with games, prizes, a magic show, a costume contest, craft workshops and live music, is from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Cypress Community Center, 5700 Orange Ave., Cypress. $1. (714) 229-6780.

Santa Ana Recreation is hosting Halloween carnivals beginning at 5 p.m. at four city parks. The carnivals will feature bonfires, costume parades and contests, game booths, haunted houses and treats. Youngsters can play their first five games for free; 10 cents per game thereafter. Haunted house admission is 50 cents to $1. The carnivals are at El Salvador Park (1825 W. Civic Center Drive, (714) 647-6558); Jerome Park (726 S. Center St., (714) 647-6559); Santa Anita Park (300 S. Figueroa St., (714) 647-6552), and Memorial Park (2102 S. Flower St. ).

A Harvest Festival with pony rides, carnival games, trick-or-treating, crafts, live entertainment and food, is from 5 to 9 p.m. at the Newport Mesa Christian Center, 2599 Newport Blvd., Costa Mesa. (714) 966-0454.

Mall-wide trick-or-treating takes place from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at MainPlace/Santa Ana, 2800 N. Main St., Santa Ana. (714) 547-7800.

An abridged version of the Broadway musical “The Phantom of the Opera,” complete with spooky special effects and live music, is being presented at the home of the Parker Family, at 5803 Holmby Court, Cypress. Shows will be presented every 30 minutes from dusk to 10 p.m. The show is free, but donations of canned food items are requested to benefit H.O.P.E. (714) 826-6911.

A Haunted House to benefit the Anaheim Boys and Girls Club, the Orange County Burn Center and the Red Cross is open from 6 p.m. to midnight at Camelot Golfland, 3200 E. Carpenter Ave., Anaheim. (Children’s hour is from 5 to 6 p.m.) $3 to $5. Sponsored by the Anaheim Firefighters Assn. (714) 630-0925.

A family Halloween carnival takes place from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Garden Grove United Methodist Church, 12741 Main St. There will be costume parades, jack-o’-lantern contests, trick-or-treating and food booths. Admission is free, but families are asked to bring their own jack-o’-lanterns. (714) 530-6013.

Harness racing, costume prizes, an auction and activities for children are part of a fund-raiser at Los Alamitos Race Track, 4961 Katella Ave., Los Alamitos. Proceeds benefit the Rehabilitation Institute of Southern California. A champagne reception begins at 6:30 p.m.; races begin 8:25. (714) 633-7400, Ext. 215.

A Halloween murder-mystery dinner theater program is being presented at 6:30 p.m. at Five Crowns Restaurant, 3801 E. Coast Highway, Corona del Mar. $65, includes cocktail reception with hors d’oeuvres, four-course dinner and murder mystery entertainment. (714) 760-0331.

Knott’s Berry Farm’s annual Halloween Haunt continues through Sunday at the park, 8039 Beach Blvd., Buena Park. Hours today: 7 p.m. to 2 a.m. $25 to $27. (714) 220-5005.

Chapman University’s “Haunted Crypt” horror maze is on view from 7 to 11 p.m. on the sunken lawn, 333 N. Glassell St., Orange. $2 to $4, benefits the Community Service Volunteer Program. (714) 997-6761.

A Masquerade Ball featuring gourmet “spooky food” creations, a wine tasting and dancing to music from the ‘50s and ‘60s begins at 7 p.m. at the Robert Mondavi Wine and Food Center, 1570 Scenic Ave., Costa Mesa. $95, includes dinner. (714) 979-4510.

A Haunted House to benefit homeless children is open from 7 p.m. to midnight at 831 W. 16th St., Costa Mesa. Tickets for $5 are being sold in advance at the Blue Marble Coffeehouse in Costa Mesa. Includes buffet, punch and treats. (714) 646-5776.

“Macabre Theatre,” three short plays based on stories by Edgar Allan Poe and others--including “Maison de Sante,” “Reginald’s Experiment” and “Red Roses”--is being presented at 7 and 10 p.m. in the Drama Lab at Orange Coast College, 2701 Fairview Road, Costa Mesa. $5 to $6. (714) 432-5880.

“Murder for Halloween,” a murder-mystery dinner theater program by Play Mystery for Me, starts at 7:30 p.m. at South Coast Plaza Village, 1631 Sunflower Ave., Santa Ana. $55, includes dinner. (714) 675-9726.

“Masquerade Madness,” a Halloween party to benefit AIDS Services Foundation, starts at 8 p.m. at the Dana Point Resort, 25135 Park Lantern Drive, Dana Point. $60. (714) 661-5000, Ext. 4499.

Richard Moriarty’s 12th annual Gala Halloween Costume Ball, featuring the Busboys and Mobile Music & Lights, is from 8 p.m. to 2 a.m. at the Hyatt Regency Irvine, 17900 Jamboree Road, Irvine. $20 to $30. (714) 966-5152.

A Halloween Karaoke Party and Costume Contest to benefit the Orange County Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund is from 8:30 p.m. to 2 a.m. at the Saddleback Inn Bar & Grill, 1660 E. 1st St., Santa Ana. Free. (714) 835-3311.

Universal’s 1931 horror classics, “Dracula” and “Frankenstein,” are being shown at midnight at the AMC MainPlace theaters, 2800 N. Main St., Santa Ana. $3, benefits the American Red Cross disaster relief fund. (714) 972-8500.