By: Megan Saul

Culture Editor

Every year, the Los Gatos community comes together on Oct. 31 to celebrate Halloween. Even though the holiday fell on a Thursday night, families and students still dressed up and went trick-or-treating.

Starting the celebrations early, on Oct. 27, the Street Dog Coalition held the 2024 Halloween Kid and Pet PAWlooza in the Los Gatos Town Plaza Park. The Los Gatos Chamber of Commerce co-sponsored this event. Many stores and vendors in town participated by passing out treats for both people and their furry friends. The Pet PAWlooza parade was a success as the streets were filled with kids dressed as a variety of characters and different types of animals including dogs and bunnies.

On Oct. 31, many LGHS students dressed up for school to show their spirit. Popular costumes included onesies, inflatable cow suits, and scary masks. Notably, French teacher Timothy Gaylord dressed as a Roman gladiator. He remarked, “My favorite part about Halloween at school is when the kids dress up. I think it brings a fun energy to the class. Not many students dressed up for school this year though.”

On Halloween night, many LGHS students went trick-or-treating on Johnson Avenue. Hundreds of people flooded the street from early afternoon until past sunset. Sophomore Stella Musser shared, “I went treat or treating. The streets were filled with energy.” Starting after school, people in this neighborhood could see many families and younger children. Other popular trick-or-treating spots included Tait Avenue and the Blossom Hill Manor neighborhood. Junior Ryan Sacco said, “My friends and I wore inflatable cow costumes and went trick-or-treating. I think almost everyone in town was really spirited with their decorations. It was really cool.” 

Although Johnson Avenue did not host their traditional and famed Haunted House which senior Ashton Ross normally plans along with a dedicated committee, many other houses showed up, becoming popular new attractions. Ross shared that he was unable to put together or run a haunted house this year due to his abundance of college applications. He said, “Even though we didn’t have it, it was pretty funny because people just confidently walked into my backyard. Many were so confident that I thought they were people I knew, until I realized they were just people in my backyard.” As Ross is graduating this year, the tradition of the haunted house is over, unless another student chooses to take it over. He shared, “If anyone’s interested in continuing the tradition of the Haunt, let me know.” This year’s Halloween night was spirited and spooky, filled with lots of candy and unique costumes. Stay tuned for next year’s celebrations!