On the west side of Cedros across from the Carpenter homes were large storage tanks for the Standard Oil Company and the Union Oil Company. The Union Oil storage tanks were south of Standard Oil and were managed by caretaker Harry Brown, who had a house right next to the tanks.
[sources: Early Solana Beach, Recollections by George C. Wilkens & Robert “Chuckles” Hernandez as told to Jim Nelson, 2002 and Solana Beach, Forty Years of Progress, 1922-1962, April.]
Boo-Boo had been looking forward to the Historical Society’s Halloween party all month. He had never been to one before, and was excited to dress up in his best white sheet.
The night of the party finally arrived, and Boo-Boo was so excited that he could hardly sleep. He got up early, just after sunset, then headed down to the community center by the sea.
As he walked through the door, Boo-Boo saw that the party was already in full swing. There were pumpkins everywhere, and people were dressed up in all sorts of costumes. He saw a group of kids playing tag, and went over to join them.
Suddenly, Boo-Boo felt a hand pull on his sheet. He turned around to see a monster grinning at him with its ugly mouth wide open! Boo-Boo quickly lifted up his sheet and revealed his own scary and nasty mouth. The monster screamed and ran away, scattering the other kids in every direction.
He didn’t stop running until he got all the way home. Once he was there, he even hid under the bed. He was so scared that he didn’t want to go back to the community center ever again!
Jackie o’Lantern was feeling excited as she made her way to the community center by the sea. It was the earliest Halloween party of the season, and Jackie loved nothing more than dressing up and celebrating with her friends.
As she arrived, she saw that the center was decorated to the nines with all sorts of spooky objects. There were cobwebs everywhere, and a giant black spider perched in one corner. In another corner, there was a life-sized model of a skeleton.
Jackie also noticed that the moon had started to rise. It was getting fuller and fuller every minute, and she knew that it would be at its peak in just two days. Jackie had always been interested in werewolves and other creatures of the night, so she couldn’t wait to see what would happen at the party when the moon was at its fullest.
Sure enough, as the night went on, she started seeing more and more people transform into their alter egos. There were werewolves howling in the distance, and vampires flitting around in the shadows. Jackie loved it! She felt like she was a part of something special, something that not many people got to experience.
The Jinx attended the earliest Halloween party of the season, at a community center by the sea. It was two days before the full moon and the days might finally start to get chilly. The Jinx was excited to attend his first Halloween party, but he was also nervous. What would he wear? He had no idea what costumes humans wore. He decided to go as himself and flew to the party in a cloud of dark smoke.
When he arrived, the party was already in full swing. There were people in costumes of all shapes and sizes. Most people were excited to see him and asked him about his predictions for the future. The Jinx told them all that there would be much happiness and good fortune in store, especially for those who celebrated Halloween. He also predicted that there would be some unexpected surprises in store as well.
As the night went on, the Jinx got more and more excited. He loved nothing more than seeing people happy and celebrating together. As he flew around, he noticed a group of children gather near the pumpkin patch. They were looking at something with amazement.
The Jinx flew over to take a look and saw that a small pumpkin had started to glow with a bright light. The children were amazed and started to whisper to each other about what was happening. The Jinx knew that this was a sign of things to come and was so excited to see what would happen next.
Obscuro was getting excited for the upcoming Halloween party. It would be his first one of the season, and he was looking forward to dressing up in his favorite costume. He had white latex skin that made his face look like a mask, so he always stuck out in a crowd. But that was exactly why he loved going to Halloween parties- he loved the opportunity to show off his unique look.
He arrived at the community center by the sea early, and it was already buzzing with activity. There were people dressed in all sorts of costumes, and Obscuro couldn’t wait to get started. He mingled with the other guests, admiring their costumes and sharing jokes with them.
As the night went on, the party got more and more festive. There was music playing and people were dancing, and Obscuro had a great time. He even managed to win a few prizes in the costume contest. The night flew by and before he knew it, it was time to go home.
Lucius Morte had never been to a Halloween party before. He had always been too busy tormenting the damned in the 4th level of hell to bother with earthly celebrations. But this year, he was feeling particularly restless and decided to venture out into the world of mortals. He found a community center by the sea that was hosting a Halloween party and decided to attend.
The party was in full swing when Lucius arrived. He saw people in all sorts of costumes: witches, ghosts, vampires, and even a few zombies. Lucius felt out of place in his demon form, but he didn’t let that stop him from having fun. He mingled with the other guests and danced the night away. His three horns poked out from his dark hair, and they were a source of fascination for many of the other attendees.
Suddenly, Lucius felt something strange happening inside him. He could feel his fire burning brighter than ever before. And then he let out a little flame from his mouth, just for a moment. The other party-goers saw this and were amazed. They had never seen a demon like Lucius before.
He smiled at them all and took a deep breath of air, feeling incredibly happy. This was his favorite time of year, and he was glad to be able to share it with all these wonderful people.
Vespera was so excited to go to the Halloween party. It was at a community center by the sea, and it would be her first party in a long time! She had been practicing her mime and charade skills for weeks, and she was determined to show everyone how good she was.
When she got there, she saw that there were already a lot of ghosts there. She started to float around and play games with them, but she couldn’t help but feel a little bit out of place. After all, she was new to the ghost world and they all seemed so experienced.
Just then, the moon came out from behind the clouds and everyone cheered! Vespera felt herself starting to glow and she knew that it was time for her to show off her skills. She joined a game of charades, and everyone was amazed at how talented she was.
When it came time for the costume contest she was one of the first contestants to line up. She was sure she would win – after all, she had put a lot of effort into her costume (all made of wispy smoke and fog). But when the results were announced, she came in third place. It seems her ghostly outfit was too transparent for the judges to see. Disappointed, she drifted away from the party and sat by herself on the beach. Boo-hoo-hoo.
Gourdy Bane was very excited to attend the earliest Halloween party of the season. It was being held at a community center by the sea, and he loved the sound of waves crashing against the shore. When he arrived, he saw that the party was already in full swing. There were pumpkins everywhere, and people were dressed in costumes. Gourdy Bane saw a couple of gourds wearing pirate costumes, and he couldn’t help but laugh. He loved Halloween parties, and he was having a great time dancing to the music and eating candy.
Suddenly, Gourdy Bane heard a loud noise coming from outside. He went to the window to take a look, and saw that a pumpkin was eating a gourd! Gourdy Bane was horrified. He didn’t want pumpkins and gourds to eat each other – they should be eating Halloween candy instead! He flew outside to try to stop them, but it was too late.
Gourdy Bane was so angry that he flew into the sky and started to cry. He cried for hours, until finally the full moon appeared in the sky. When Gourdy Bane saw the moon, he felt something change inside him. He felt his body begin to grow, until he was as big as a house. He knew that this was his true form – Gourdy Bane, the giant gourd monster! Now he could eat any pumpkin he wanted.
Morrigana was very excited to attend the Halloween party at the community center by the sea. It was two days before the full moon, and the days were finally starting to get chilly. Morrigana had been working on her Halloween outfit all year long, and she was looking forward to showing it off.
Her clothes looked like a simple dark robe and black veil, but they had a lot of delicate embroidery work in floral patterns, all black-on-black (so you could barely see it). Morrigana loved wearing her costume because it made her feel like a powerful witch.
When she arrived at the party, she saw that there were already a lot of people there. She made her way over to the punch bowl and served herself a drink. As she sipped her drink, she scanned the room for someone interesting to talk to.
She soon spotted a group of witches discussing their latest spells, and she walked over to join them. They welcomed her with open arms, and she soon found herself caught up in their discussion.
The night flew by, and before she knew it, Morrigana was saying goodbye to her new friends and heading home. She was looking forward to attending more Halloween parties this season!
William Wisp had been looking forward to the community center’s Halloween party all month long. It was going to be two days before the full moon, and he loved the smell of fall in the air (cinnamon and pumpkin spice). His Halloween costume was all ready to go, and he was excited to show it off to all of his friends. This year, he was dressed as a pumpkin. His little orange boots matched his little pumpkin body perfectly.
When William arrived at the community center by the sea, he saw that it was already decorated for Halloween. There were pumpkins everywhere, and ghosts and goblins were roaming around. William was excited to get started on the festivities.
First, William went to the refreshment table. There were all sorts of treats there, and even some unique Halloween teas. William couldn’t wait to try them all!
Next, William went over to the games table. There were all sorts of games there, including bobbing for apples, pin the tail on the black cat, and witch’s cauldron toss. William had a lot of fun playing these games.
Finally, it was time for the costume contest. There were all sorts of costumes there, including pirates, princesses, and superheroes. But when William stepped onstage, everyone knew that he was going to win first prize. He looked just like a pumpkin!
Mr. Creepers was all dressed up and ready to go to the community center by the sea for the earliest Halloween party of the season. It had been a long time since he’d been out and about, but he was feeling young at heart and ready to have some fun. He loved the black 1940s coat that he had found at a thrift store and felt confident that he would be the most stylish person at the party.
As Mr. Creepers walked through the door, he was greeted by a sea of smiling faces. He scanned the room for the perfect spot to sit, and when his eyes landed on an empty chair by the window, he knew that was where he wanted to be. He took a seat and started to people watch.
The next two days flew by and before Mr. Creepers knew it, it was time for the full moon. He couldn’t help but feel a bit excited as he got ready to finally leave the party. It was just like old times!
The Frankster had always loved Halloween. He loved the costumes, the candy, and most of all, the parties. This year, he was especially excited for the party at the community center by the sea. It was two days before the full moon, and he could feel a tiny bit of a cool autumn breeze in the air.
He had finally finished making his costume. It had taken him a while to find the right materials, but he was very happy with the end result. He was going to be Elvis Presley at the community center’s Halloween party.
He was excited to go to the party and show off his costume. He was sure that he would be the hit of the party. He got dressed and headed out to the community center.
When he arrived, he saw that there were already a lot of people there. He walked around and checked out all of the costumes. He saw a lot of creative ideas, but none of them were as good as his Elvis costume.
Suddenly, he felt a chill in the air. He looked up at the moon and saw that it was almost full. “I’d better get going,” he told the other guests. “I don’t want to turn into a monster!”
Wooblydook was really excited to attend the Halloween party at the community center by the sea. He had never been to one before, and he was looking forward to kale pulling and making neep lanterns. The party was two days before the full moon, and Wooblydook was hoping it would start to get chilly soon. He loved being out in the cold and feeling his bat-like ears flap in the wind.
As he flew over the sea, Wooblydook spied the community center. It looked like a lot of fun was already happening! When he arrived, he saw that everything was decorated with spooky ghosts, spiders, and bats. There was a big buffet table set up with all sorts of delicious Halloween treats, all in cute paper tea cups that one could take home.
He wandered around for a bit, looking at all the different costumes. He saw a cat, a dog, a rabbit, and even a dragon. But the best costume of all was the witch. She was wearing a black cloak with a pointed hat, and she had an eerie smile on her face. Wooblydook couldn’t help but stare at her. He loved how spooky she looked, and he wished he could be like her. But then he remembered that he was already half-bat, so he probably couldn’t look any spookier than he already did!
Wooblydook especially loved the apple dookin’ contest. He had always been really good at dookin’ apples, and he was sure that he would win first prize. But unfortunately, he didn’t end up winning. Still, he had a great time at the party and can’t wait for next year’s festivities!
As the sun began to set, the community center by the sea came to life. Lights flickered on, announcing that the earliest Halloween party of the season was about to start. A golden sun slowly rose in the sky, growing brighter and brighter as it got closer to the horizon. As it reached its peak, people whispered: this sun only came out at night. It was the Midnight Sun.
The Midnight Sun had been attending Halloween parties at this community center for years. He loved the excitement and energy of the event, and he always looked forward to seeing all of his friends from the Historical Society. This year, however, was different. There was a new feeling in the air, a sense of anticipation and excitement that he hadn’t felt before.
As he circulated through the crowd, everyone greeted him with enthusiasm. They all knew how much he enjoyed attending these parties, and they were happy to have him there. The Midnight Sun smiled and nodded in response, enjoying the feeling of warmth and happiness that surrounded him.