Trick and treating your way through October

By Megan Zehnder

October brings many unique seasonal activities, like Oktoberfest, pumpkin patches, haunted houses, pumpkin pie, apple cider and Halloween.

Here is a guide to help you get into the spirit of October:

Oktoberfest

For anyone looking to celebrate October by ingesting large quantities of beer, there is still an opportunity to make it to an Oktoberfest celebration on Friday, Oct. 24 at Teske's Germania, San Jose's most famous German restaurant and beer garden.

Teske's hosts a slightly more authentic version of the traditional German Oktoberfest -- albeit much smaller and less crowded -- with great food, live music and, of course, liter-sized steins of beer.

Less than ten minutes away from campus, the restaurant is located at 255 North First St. in downtown San Jose. By public transportation (eastbound Bus 22), the commute is less than half an hour. Friday is Teske's last Oktoberfest of the season.

Hay ride

For those who still need to buy pumpkins or just want to make a nostalgic autumn trip, check out the Uesugi Farms Pumpkin Park in Morgan Hill.

Uesugi Farms is open daily from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., until Oct. 31. And starting at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Friday and Saturday of next week, take advantage of the Mutant Creek Hayride -- a zombie-themed ride through the corn fields, complete with stage shows, videos, live actors and animatronics. Be sure to check out the huge pyramid of more than 4,000 pumpkins.

The park is located on 14485 Monterey Highway in Morgan Hill -- about a 30-minute drive from school. If taking public transportation, take Caltrain to Gilroy and from there catch bus 68 northbound to Monterey and Crowner. Tickets at the farm range between $15 and $20 depending on the day and activities.

Pumpkin patch

If your mission is to simply find a great pumpkin, Spina Farms in San Jose has a great selection, advises senior Clare Block.

Block visited the patch with her sister, Audrey, during the first week of October. "They have about every kind of pumpkin you could ever want: blue, white, green pumpkins and gourds," said Audrey, a freshman.

The Blocks also mentioned that the farm offered very tasty pumpkin bread and a variety of locally-grown produce including nectarines, apricots, corn and apples.

Spina Farms is located about 25 minutes from campus (just take the Bailey exit on Highway 101) and open daily throughout October.

Haunted house

For a haunted house experience that is both close and cheap, check out Devious Concoctions (DC) Cemetery in Mountain View starting this Wednesday.

Clayton and Brent Ross, the founders of DC, create customized props and specialize in haunted animatronics. This will be their 18th year using their high-tech props to create an all-out haunted experience for the Halloween season.

The haunted house is free, but the creators ask for donations to keep up with production costs.

DC's haunted house experience has been featured on Home & Garden Television, The Today Show and FEARnet, who named it "America's Scariest Home Haunt."

The house is located at 840 Bush St. in Mountain View, about 15 minutes from campus.

Halloween costumes

For Halloween costumes, Berkeley is the best area for original and crazy ideas. Visit the Spirit Halloween Superstore located on Durant Avenue and Telegraph Avenue. If that doesn't have what you are looking for, you are bound to find something in one of the many vintage stores that have converted much of their resale clothing into costumes.

If you want to go somewhere closer and cheaper for a do-it-yourself costume, Savers is a great stop. This second-hand store is less than ten minutes away from campus, off Bascom Road.

Make sure to take full advantage of all this October season has to offer before the spirit dies.

Contact Megan Zehnder at mzehnder@scu.edu.