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HALLOWEEN LOWDOWN! Plus! A Chat With Lucas Thornton, One of the Creative Forces Behind the Haunted Kinetic Lab of Horrors

The annual desecration of the McKinley Statue, Arcata Plaza, Halloween 2010 | Photo: Andrew Goff

Your days of heading to the Arcata Plaza on Halloween night to mount McKinley's face are over, friends.. It's time to make new terrifying traditions. So if you're in the Hallow-mood to head out and be amazing, consider scrolling your LoCO Lowdown below and remember: Bad decisions often make great stories (but not always).

As it's Halloween, tonight marks the final night of the Haunted Kinetic Lab of Horrors in Arcata. Now in its 18th year, the event has long-served as the main fundraiser for the Kinetic Lab, a creative hub for some of the most prolific and audacious racers in the annual Kinetic Grand Championship. One of the lab's main artists, Lucas Thornton, recently stopped into LoCO's sister radio station KWPT to discuss what goes into putting on a more-artsy haunted house, the history of the space, and the precarious position the Kinetic Lab finds itself in these days.

Tune in below, and then scroll the Lowdown farther down for all of Halloween night's frights. 

(AUDIO) Kinetic Lab's Lucas Thornton on The Point

EVENTS (SUBMIT YOURS!)

Live Life Program: On The Move

HLOC's The Space / 10 a.m. / $50

Five-week class. The program challenges the brain to match the timing and sequences of your movements with posture to improve and maintain smooth and efficient walking

630-5013 / info@hloc.org / Web site

The Great Pumpkin Hunt in Downtown & Old Town Eureka

Downtown and Old Town Eureka / 10 a.m.-5 p.m. / Free

Hunt for beautifully decorated pumpkins with unique names displayed in the windows of participating storefronts. Once you've found them all, vote for your favorite pumpkin!

441-4187 / eurekamainstreet@eurekaca.gov / Web site

Live Life Program: Come Meet Your Body

HLOC's The Space / 11:15 a.m. / $50

Five-week class. Do you have pain, discomfort, or limited mobility? Discover how your body’s habits are affecting your daily movements.

630-5013 / info@hloc.org / Web site

Live Life Program: Beginner Line Dancing

HLOC's The Space / 1:30 p.m. / $50

Five-week class. Did you know that “motion is the lotion?” Exercise your body and brain at the same time. Let’s have fun learning the basic steps of line dancing.

630-5013 / info@hloc.org / Web site

Halloween on the Plaza

Arcata Plaza / 4-7 p.m. / Free

The Plaza will be closed to traffic, and all the stores will be giving out treats! We will have dancing witches, fire dancers, and a costume contest in the center of the Plaza.

822-3619 / arcata@arcatachamber.com / Web site

Kids' Carnival

Faith Center Foursquare Church / 4-7 p.m. / Free

For those who a part of our Faith Center family there are two ways you can be involved: you can sign up to run a booth or you can donate bags of individually wrapped candy.

442-1784 / info@eurekafaithcenter.org / Web site

Out 4 Business

Phatsy Kline's Parlor Lounge / 5-7 p.m. / 21+

An LGBTQ+ Professionals Networking Mixer held the last Thursday of every month providing an open and welcoming environment for all people of the LGBTQ+ community as well as friends, allies, and business professionals who value diversity and inclusivity.

407-0634 / Web site

Ticket to Ride

Old Growth Cellars / 6 p.m. / Free

With Ticket to Ride playing, it's bound to be a night of delightful Beatles music, wine, food & spooky fun!

EHS Haunted Theater

Eureka High School Auditorium / 6-11 p.m. / $10 / $5 Students & ECS Staff

Are you looking for something fun to do with your kids on Halloween night? The EHS Drama Club presents The Haunted Theater, a spooky haunted house fundraiser in the EHS Auditorium.

441-2508 / needhamc@eurekacityschools.org /

Scream-A-Torium SCAREGROUNDS

Humboldt County Fairgrounds / 6-10:30 p.m. / $30 / $20 13+ / $10 Grounds Only (No haunt addmision) / 18+

Griffin Loch’s Scream-A-Torium presents not one, not two, but three indoor Horror-Phobia haunted houses! Step into a nightmare of Phobias at the 2024 Scaregrounds.

466-7414 / screamatoriumhaunt@gmail.com / Web site

Halloween Party

Crisp Lounge / 6-10 p.m. / Free / 18+

Celebrate a 420 Halloween with us.

Dead Acres

Blue Lake Casino Hotel / 6-10 p.m. / $20 / $10 kids 12 and under

The haunted maze at Dead Acres is coming to Blue Lake Casino for three weekends in October, plus Halloween night! This thrilling experience is scary fun for all ages, though it might be a bit too intense for the little ones.

668-9770 / Web site

Frogbite

Humboldt County Fairgrounds / 6:30-7:50 p.m. / $20

During Griffin Loch's Scream-a-torium at The Scaregrounds FROGBITE will be playing their original eclectic music creating a diverse landscape of styles from rock, country, jazz, blues, and all in between.

786-9511 / Web site

Adult Skate Night

Blue Lake Roller Rink / 7-10 p.m. / $15 / 18+

668-5932 / parks-rec@bluelake.ca.gov / Web site

Haunted Kinetic Lab of Horrors

Arcata Kinetic Lab / 7 p.m.-midnight / $15

Get ready for a spine-tingling journey through a haunted lab where terrifying surprises and creepy creations await.

HamtasticGlory@gmail.com / Web site

Halloween Adult Skate w/ DJ Goldylocks

Blue Lake Roller Rink / 7-10 p.m. / $15 / 18+

Costume contest with prizes.

668-5932 / parksdirector@bluelake.ca.gov / Web site

DJ Immolate

Kaptain's Quarters / 7-10 p.m. / Free

Halloween dance party!

798-1273 / Web site

Adult Skate Night

Blue Lake Roller Rink / 7-10 p.m. / $15 / 18+

668-5932 / parks-rec@bluelake.ca.gov / Web site

Particle Kid, Stevenson Ranch Davidians

The Old Steeple / 7:30-10 p.m. / $26.50 / $30 at the door

Particle Kid (youngest son of Willie Nelson and guitarist for Neil Young) has been described as Folk-a-delic Forest-Funk Space-Punk Avant-Pop Psych-Rock Dope-Scapes music, but at the end of the day it is Rock n Roll at it's finest.

786-7030 / ferndalemusic@yahoo.com / Web site

Yacht Blooded, DJ Bury Manilow

Logger Bar / 8 p.m.

Be feral for free. This Humboldt Halloween, bear witness to the talent, swagger and star power of yacht rock supergroup Yacht Blooded as they transform Blue Lake's Logger Bar into their personal poop deck.

668-5000 / Web site

The Siren's Open Mic

The Siren's Song Tavern / 8 p.m. / Free

"Our stage is open and our mic is on. Add your performance to our open mic."

798-1030 / sirensongbar@gmail.com / Web site

The Goat's Annual Scary-oke Party

The Miniplex at Richards' Goat Tavern / 8:30 p.m. / Free / 21+

Bring your best Halloween costume and get bonus points for singing in character!

630-5000 / info@miniplexevents.com / Web site

G.O.A.T. Karaoke at The Goat

The Miniplex at Richards' Goat Tavern / 8:30 p.m. / Free / 21+

Supportive atmosphere, over 45,000 songs to choose from, all skill levels welcome.

630-5000 / info@miniplexevents.com / Web site

Halloween Dance Party

The Basement / 8:30 p.m.-12:30 a.m. / $10 / 21+

Join us on Halloween night as DJs Anya Slayer and Zero One spin spooky dance hits that will keep even the dead moving all night long.

230-6451 / info@basementarcata.com / Web site

Halloween for the Punks

Savage Henry Comedy Club / 9-11 p.m. / $10 / $15 Without a Costume

With bands Something Wicked, Council of Vermin, Kult of Indifference, Brain Dead Rejects and Berk and the Jerx

Web site

Latin Night With DJ Pachanguero: Halloween Edition!

Blue Lake Casino Hotel / 9 p.m. / Free / 21+

Latin Night at the Wave Lounge! Come dance to the rhythms of salsa, cumbia, and much more. DJ Pachanguero will bring the fuego to Blue Lake.

668-9770 / Web site

Femme Fatale Eagle House Halloween

The Historic Eagle House / 9 p.m.-3 a.m. / $40 / $65 VIP / 21+

Fraktal and Burningleaf Productions invite you to a night of all-Female DJs spinning seductive sounds all night long.

444-3344 / jmetz@historiceaglehouse.com / Web site

Hocus Pocus it's Manic Focus!!

Arcata Theatre Lounge / 9:30 p.m.-2 a.m. / $30 / 21+

Denver-based producer Manic Focus is an artist of many talents. As a magician, he uses sleight of hand to pull objects out of thin air. As an electronic artist, he executes similarly impossible sonic acts with his vibrant, genre-defying music.

367-5949 / bootyshakinmusicproductions@yahoo.com / Web site

Perfect Giddimani, Checkered Past

Humboldt Brews / 9:30 p.m. / $28 / $25 Advance / 21+

Halloween night of reggae, ska and dub.

826-2739 / Web site

MOVIES