Squeals of children and classic Halloween anthems resounded through the streets of the Arcata Plaza last Sunday. The streets were blocked off from traffic and packed with art vendors celebrating the weird and the wonderful of Arcata’s art scene.
The local cover band, The Dead Drops, played classic spooky bangers from the center of the plaza while adults and children alike danced and sang along in costume. The band played from 11am to 4pm, serenading the audience as they enjoyed the local food vendors surrounding them.
Art vendors brought a particularly interesting and strange array of creativity this year. From tarot card readers to exotic jewelry, the art vendors matched the Halloween spirit to a T.
One vendor brought a healthy dose of strange, with jewelry made from “ethically sourced” animal bones. Desert Lilies Bazaar is run by artist and belly dancer Ania Vogel. Vogel asked her mother Lia Sullivan to run the booth for her while she was busy performing.
Sullivan was dressed in a full witch costume and was sporting some of her daughter’s unique jewelry.
“This is half of a raccoon pelvis, so you look at her jewelry and they’re all from real bones, ethically sourced,” Sullivan said.
Art vendors weren’t all that was in store for Arcata residents on Sunday. A line stretching down the street waited in anticipation for the inflatable haunted house set up in the general store parking lot right outside of the plaza.
Families enjoyed a host of different activities including face painting, a dunk tank, and several other classic parade activities. The Humboldt State Marching Lumberjacks band gave a rousing performance that filled the crowd with lively energy and reverberated across the city.
It was a refreshing feeling to watch the streets of Arcata come alive with joyous celebrations given the last year and a half of turmoil and isolation. From the children trick-or-treating to the college students showing off their elaborate costumes, this year’s Halloween celebration was a rousing success.
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