It’s barely the first week of September — and I already Halloween on my mind.
Yes, Halloween is Oct. 31 and this year, it lands on a Saturday.
I’m thinking about costumes, with so many timely opportunities. I’ve already seen tributes to Dolly Parton and Tim Curry, the latter mainly in the form of “Rocky Horror Picture Show” costumes.
I’m also thinking about fall shopping: While the fun sizes of my favorite candy bars are already on shelves, the the roll out of everything pumpkin spice might have been delayed because of the heatwave.
Columnist Jo Murray went on the “Long Beach Horror Tour” on Friday. (Photo by Jo Murray, Grunion Gazette/SCNG)
The Bembridge House is one of the stops on the “Long Beach Horror Tour.” (File photo by Thomas R. Cordova, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
The Queen Mary is one of the stops on and subjects of the “Long Beach Horror Tour.” (File photo by Howard Freshman, Contributing Photographer)
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Columnist Jo Murray went on the “Long Beach Horror Tour” on Friday. (Photo by Jo Murray, Grunion Gazette/SCNG)
Scary stories, of course, are also a big part of Halloween — and on Friday, Aug. 28, I got a dose of horror. That’s because I joined the “Long Beach Horror Tour” in downtown. The tour is about 75 minutes, and it offers a tasting of local history, with a nibble of horror included, for $37.50 per person. There are also premium seats available for $64. Each premium booking includes one reserved seat, a commemorative T-shirt and an extended version of the tour. Premium tours will be offered on Oct. 24, 25, 30 and 31.
As for the Friday horror tour I went on, we met up at El Viejon on Broadway at the Promenade, which offers a happy hour menu all evening for those going on the tour. Our transportation for tour was a cute as a button, neon-electric shuttle. It was just enough room for a group of 12. In addition to the driver and company owner Christopher Diaz, and guide Christina Ramirez (an off-duty kindergarten teacher in Lynwood), the electric tram has video screens that help tell the story at each stop.
The tour started with some Long Beach history and included an image from the 2021 Grunion Gazette video created by Jesse Lopez on the history of the film industry in Long Beach.
After leaving El Viejon, we made a quick stop at The Bembridge House in Drake Park. This beautiful Victorian house was used in the filming of the 2012 horror movie “The Haunting of Whaley House.” Long Beach Heritage will host its Whisper in the Walls Haunted Tours at The Bembridge House from 7 to 10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays from Oct. 2 to 17. General admission is $25. For more information, go to thebembridgehouse.org.
Our next stop was Casa Bonita, which was built in 1923 and is currently an apartment building. The tour includes use of an electromagnetic field detector – a handheld tool that believers in the supernatural think can detect paranormal activity. Many of the tour attendees saw elevated levels near the building’s former laundry room, where unexplained sounds have been reported.
We also passed by Villa Riviera, which is a stunning piece of architecture. The building is 16 stories tall and was built in a French Gothic style. On occasion, the Long Beach conservancy offers tours. For more information, go to lbconservancy.org/events.
Our tour then took us to the area where the Pike amusement park was located.
When I was growing up, “Laugh in the Dark” was one of my favorite rides. I recall the time back in 1976 when the film crew of the “Six-Million-Dollar Man” discovered that one of the mummies in the ride was an actual human skeleton — of Elmer McCurdy.
On Friday, our guide shared the story of McCurdy, his bizarre life and afterlife. McCurdy was an outlaw whose mummified body became a sideshow attraction from 1911 to 1977.
For those wanting to know more, the Elmer McCurdy Museum is at the Linda Scott Residence in Harvard Heights, Los Angeles. The museum is housed in a historic Mediterranean and Moorish revival-style home built in 1906 by architect Frank M. Tyler. The museum opened in September and is by reservation only.
Along Shoreline Marina, the guide talked about the Queen Mary. Our driver-guide shared stories of passengers who had died during the ship’s sailing days and included some not widely known research.
The Queen Mary offers four different “ghost” experiences. Three are a tour format: Haunted Encounters Tour, Paranormal Ship Walk and Graveyard Tours For more information, go to queenmary.com/guided-tours.htm.
The Queen Mary also hosts the popular Dark Harbor Halloween event each year. That event runs from September to November, with the ship transforming into a massive haunted festival. For more information, go to darkharborhalloween.com.
As for the Long Beach Horror Tour, after going on it myself, I can almost guarantee that if you do so, you will want to learn more. For more information, go to lbhorrortour.com.
Halloween Pop up
This Halloween, “The Haunting” comes to The Ordinarie — a delightfully dark cocktail pop-up from the same folks who developed the “Christmas Miracle” experience. This year, there will be a new lineup of spooky cocktails, collectible mugs, vintage Halloween oddities and plenty of eerie surprises throughout the bar, 210 The Promenade North.
The experience starts Oct. 1. — and reservations are already filling up fast. For more information, go to theordinarie.com/halloween-pop-up.
Cemetery Tour
The Long Beach Historical Society’s annual Historical Cemetery Tour will take place on Halloween day this year. (File photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)
The crown jewel of all the city’s Halloween events, of course, is the Long Beach Historical Society’s annual Historical Cemetery Tour: Since 1996, the tour has been the Historical Society’s signature event. Costumed actors tell the stories of those buried in the city’s two oldest cemeteries — history comes to life.
This year, the tour will be on Halloween. Details will soon be posted on the society’s website, hslb.org/?v=0b3b97fa6688.
Soft opening
In non-spooky news, the Born Wild Sporting Club Bar and Grille, 4133 E. Anaheim St., quietly opened this week after several delays. Its hours currently are from 4 to 9 p.m., while the owners and workers get settled in. The plan is to extend hours soon, as football season approaches. The space was previously Roundin’ 3rd Sports Bar.