By SARAH SHMERLING | Editor-in-Chief

From showing off costumes to participating in a game of glow-in-the-dark basketball, there is no shortage of Halloween and fall things to do around the community. Here are a few options in 2024.

Marquez Halloween Festival

The Marquez Charter Elementary School Halloween Festival returns in 2024 with “a day of spooks, haunts and fun activities” on Sunday, October 20, from 12 to 3 p.m.

The event serves as a fundraiser for Friends of Marquez, which is the parent-run nonprofit that funds supplemental educational programs at the school, designed to “enrich the curriculum offered to all students.”

The event will take place at the Marquez campus, located at 16821 Marquez Avenue. Event highlights include the fifth-grade haunted house, carnival games and booths (including Lollipop Pull, Graveyard Golf and more), and sports zone and inflatables, featuring a dunk tank and slide inflatables.

The event will include performances by area groups, including Fancy Feet Dance Studio, Palisades Dance Studio, Gerry Blanck’s Martial Arts Center, Tae Ryong Taekwondo School and Matty Gottesman.

Entry is free, costumes are encouraged, and tickets to play games, buy food, enter the haunted house and more are available for purchase in advance or at the event. More information can be found at friendsofmarquez.com.

Spooktacular

Palisades Recreation will host its annual Spooktacular Halloween event on Sunday, October 27, from 4 to 8 p.m.

Outdoors there will be crafts and games from 4 to 6 p.m. Inside the big gym, there will be a glow-in-the-dark basketball event.

The recreation center is located at 851 Alma Real Drive. More information can be found at laparks.org.

Oktoberfest

“All are invited” to join Palisades Lutheran Church for its annual Oktoberfest on Saturday, October 19, from 5 to 9 p.m.

The event will feature “traditional German food and drinks,” log sawing, games, and music, described as “great for families and friends.”

Tickets are available online for $22 for adults and $10 for kids (anyone 13 years and under), or will be available on the day of the event for $25 for adults, $12 for kids.

Earlier in the day, PLC will host its fourth annual Charity of Choice 5K Run/Walk, which begins at 9 a.m. Entry fees are $20 for students, $45 for everyone else.

Both events will take place at the church, located at 15905 Sunset Boulevard. For more information, or to purchase tickets, visit plc.cc.

Fiesta of Fright

Rustic Canyon Recreation Center will host Fiesta of Fright on Saturday, October 26, from 4 to 8 p.m.

Festivities will include a costume contest set to begin at 5 p.m. There will be two categories: ages 0 to 6 and ages 7 to 12. Prizes will be awarded in categories such as scariest, funniest, cutest and most original. Immediately following there will be a costume contest for dogs.

There will also be games, food, candy, moon bounce and prizes, as well as a Haunted House for $5 from 5 to 8 p.m.

Rustic Canyon Recreation Center is located at 601 Latimer Road. For more information, call 310-454-5734 or email rusticcanyon.rc@lacity.org.

Creep Your Crypt

For the 11th year in a row, the Palisadian-Post is presenting its Creep Your Crypt Halloween home decorating contest.

Residents in all neighborhoods of Pacific Palisades are invited to enter their home into the contest for a chance to win one of three prizes: Creepiest Crypt, Best Theme or DIY/Originality. It is also possible to nominate a neighbor into the contest.

Prizes will include items and gift certificates from area businesses, including McConnell’s Fine Ice Creams, Theatre Palisades, Alfred, Porta Via Palisades and Jemma Pizzeria.

Entries are now being accepted at palipost.com/creep-your-crypt-contest-2024, with communitywide voting set to begin on October 24 and run through October 31. Winners will be revealed in the November 14 print edition of the Post.

Graveyard Smash

As part of its annual Pumpkin Patch, Palisades-Malibu YMCA will have a Graveyard Smash at Simon Meadow on Saturday evening, October 26, from 4:30 to 8 p.m.

Open to the community, the event will feature “fall spooky fun,” including a costume contest, “ghoulish” games, face painting and trick or treating.

Throughout the 2024 season, the patch is open at 15551 Sunset Boulevard from 3 to 5 p.m. Monday to Friday, and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, through October 31. It serves as one of Palisades-Malibu YMCA’s biggest annual fundraisers, alongside the tree lot.

Netflix & Chills

Bay Theater will stream a series of spooky films during “Netflix & Chills” through October 31.

“As part of Netflix & Chills, Netflix’s celebration of all things horror, Bay Theater is bringing you witches, zombies and ghouls galore,” read the Palisades Village website. “Join them for a spooktacular time each week when a new Halloween favorite premieres to get you in the trick-or-treating spirit.”

Upcoming films include “Hubie Halloween” starring Palisadian Adam Sandler through October 10, followed by “The Witches” from October 11 to 17, then “Hotel Transylvania” October 18 to 24. The series will conclude October 25 to 31 with “Hocus Pocus.”

For more information, including tickets and showtimes, visit baytheaterla.com.

Editor’s note: This story has been updated to remove a Mythical Creature Mask Making workshop at Getty Villa on October 19, which has been cancelled.

Nicole Montanez Took Over Vivian’s Boutique on Via De La Paz

By SARAH SHMERLING | Editor-in-Chief

One Via De La Paz store may have recently seen a change of hands—but it has not seen a change of heart.

Nicole Montanez took over women’s clothing store Vivian’s Boutique, revamping the space and its offerings, but paying homage to the original owner for nearly 40 years, Vivian Foster.

Montanez, who lives near El Medio Bluffs, described Foster as “an integral part of this wonderful community.” She renamed the store as Vivian’s Boutique by Nicole at the start of August.

“I’ve known Vivian for about two years,” Montanez explained. When Foster wanted to sell the store, Montanez said she was originally interested because of her background and the “passion for fashion” that she has always had.

“I thought, ‘What a great opportunity,’” Montanez recalled. “I spent a lot of time training with her and learning what she did.”

While Montanez was in college, she worked in retail and one of her master’s degrees is in business, she explained, so she “always had an entrepreneur kind of mindset.” She also was looking for an avenue to give back to the community.

“I have a passion for helping our community,” Montanez added. “We’ve done, and are going to do, projects with the community where we can give back. I wanted to place myself in a position where I was able to do all of those things that really bring meaning to my life.”

The decision to keep the name and add her own on—Vivian’s Boutique by Nicole—was made for two reasons, Montanez said.

“One, I thought it would be nice to keep the name because it is part of the history of the Palisades, to be here almost four decades is just pretty fascinating,” Montanez said. “And then also, because I wanted to show [Vivian] honor and respect because I was so grateful for the opportunity.”

When it comes to what is for sale in the store, Montanez said she planned to keep “a lot of the same great brands,” including Skies Are Blue and Hanky Panky.

“I think the most important thing [we’re keeping] is all of the great prices,” Montanez said. “It’s still very affordable to have fun fashion and things that are trendy, that are good, sustainable pieces, yet for reasonable prices.”

One change Montanez has brought to the store is “cultivating more brands that are coming in,” offering items like underwear, bras, lingerie and pajamas.

“As somebody who works and lives in the Palisades, I don’t like to leave our little community of paradise,” Montanez described. “So I was thinking to myself as I took over the store, what are some things that I would like to see and be able to purchase without having to go outside of our community?”

Montanez said that since she took over the store, there has been “a lot of curiosity” about it and what it has to offer.

“A lot of people were curious as to what happened with the store,” Montanez said. “We remodeled it … I put up paper on the windows and I think that created like, oh my gosh, what happened?”

Now, two months in, Montanez is now looking to the future—noting the importance of continuing to support small and local businesses.

“I think it’s important to continue to support small businesses, and I would love to see more of the community come and check us out, see who we are,” Montanez said. “We have a lot of fun stuff planned for the upcoming holidays.”

As Montanez continues to build on Foster’s legacy, she hopes to create a welcoming space for everyone in the Palisades.

Vivian’s Boutique by Nicole is open at 875 Via De La Paz Tuesdays through Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. For more information, visit viviansboutique.com.

By SARAH SHMERLING | Editor-in-Chief

Jennie Fahn will bring “Under The Jello Mold” to Pierson Playhouse for one night only on Sunday, October 20—a “maternal love story with a secret in an unexpected place” promising “a roller-coaster story of hidden secrets, purse snatchings, mommy issues and love.”

“The too-crazy-to-not-be-true story of the end of her mother’s life, the title refers to the specific spot Jennie’s mom hid her end-of-life instructions,” read a statement about the show. “It turned out, she was also hiding a secret. In 80 minutes, Jennie’s one-woman tour-de-force entertains, enlightens and thrills.”

Fahn has several connections to Pacific Palisades, including her husband, Jonathan Fahn, who has directed multiple productions for Theatre Palisades. Their son, Harrison, graduated from Palisades Charter High School with the Class of 2014.

The show features a song and dance number, “Hospice Hottie,” with lyrics by Fahn and music by John Mickevich, and musical staging by Palisadian Melissa Fahn, Jennie’s sister-in-law.

“Fahn just returned from an ovation-earning engagement at the SheDFW Arts Festival in Dallas, Texas, where emotional audience members lingered long after the show to discuss the many relatable moments,” according to the statement.

The show serves as a follow up to Fahn’s original one-woman show, “You Mutha! A One-Mother Show,” which ran for two years in Los Angeles and part of the New York City Fringe Festival.

“‘You Mutha!’ was about different mothers, but the character of my real mother became the star,” Fahn explained. “People begged me for a sequel. But as my mother’s health declined—and she eventually passed away—I felt the audience deserved more. I wasn’t sure they really wanted a show about death. But when I tested the material in front of an audience, I learned they wanted the truth. The truth can be very funny, but also really touching.”

“Under The Jello Mold” was originally directed by Tom Cavanaugh. Fahn has been performing it since 2017. It has garnered “top awards” at the Hollywood Fringe, including Best Solo Performance and Pick of the Fringe.

It has since been performed across the United States, in California, Idaho, Arizona, Oklahoma and Washington, D.C.

“I’m trying to get the show to NYC,” Fahn joked, “but I’m taking the long route.”

The performance at Pierson Playhouse, located at 941 Temescal Canyon Road, will take place on October 20 at 4 p.m. Tickets are available for $25 at underthejellomold.com.

By LILY TINOCO | Assistant Editor 

Chamber Music Palisades has begun its 28th season of concerts, with the next to take place on the evening of Wednesday, October 16, at 8 p.m. at St. Matthew’s Parish.

The concert will feature guitarist Kenton Youngstorm, faculty at Colburn Community School, performing solo works by Heitor Villa-Lobos. He will be joined by Susan Greenberg, principal flute at Santa Monica Symphony and long-time former flutist of Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, in a duet by Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco.

The program will also include a special collection of “enchanting” songs by George Frideric Handel, Maurice Ravel, Hector Berlioz and Aaron Copland, featuring soprano Elissa Johnston and tenor Jon Lee Keenan—both soloists with Los Angeles Master Chorale. The vocal artists are joined by Grant Gershon on the piano—the artistic director and conductor of the group.

KUSC host and longtime Chamber Music Palisades associate Alan Chapman will host the program and provide program notes.

Chamber Music Palisades’ 28th season will consist of three additional Wednesday evening concerts, which will all take place at 8 p.m. at St. Matthew’s, located at 1031 Bienveneda Avenue.

The next concert of the season will be January 15, 2025, with the Pacific Trio—violinist Roger Wilkie, cellist John Walz and pianist Edie Orloff.

“The program includes a world premiere of Los Angeles-based composer Jonah Sirota’s ‘Quartet’ for flute (Greenberg), oboe (Gigi Brady), the composer on viola and piano (Orloff),” according to a statement. “Also on the program is the ever-popular piano quartet by early Johannes Brahms, and chamber music by two trendsetting women composers, Louise Farrenc and Madeleine Dring.”

The concert on March 19, 2025, will feature the New Hollywood String Quartet—Tereza Stanislav and Rafael Rishik on the violins; Rob Brophy on the viola; and Andrew Shulman on the cello. They will present a program with Turina’s string quartet, written in his teen years and one of Beethoven’s famed Razumovsky string quartets.

“Joined by flutist Susan Greenberg, the quartet will play an arrangement of [Joseph] Haydn’s ‘Symphony No. 101,’ ‘The Clock,’ from the set of 12 final symphonies written during the composer’s visits to London,” the statement continued.

The season will end with a final concert on April 30, described as a “tour de force display of great talents.” The program will feature a “brilliant” woodwind quintet, as well as a “powerhouse piano duo.” It will also include the world premiere of an original trio for flute, clarinet and piano by Los Angeles-based composer, Adrienne Albert.

Tickets for each show will be available for $35 online or at the door at St. Matthew’s. Season passes for all four concerts are available for $120.

For more information, visit cmpalisades.org.

Palisades Charter High School students—in conjunction with the global Fridays for Future movement—participated in a Climate Strike on the afternoon of September 28 along Swarthmore between Sunset and Antioch. The afternoon, described as a “fun event raising awareness about climate change,” included face paint, birdhouse decorating, voter registration, food and more.

“Archer students also came to the protest, and Pali students marched after school with the band,” according to an event organizer.

Pali High’s EAST class partnered with Resilient Palisades to bring the event to fruition.

The National Charity League Westside Chapter hosted a kick-off meeting at United Methodist Church of Pacific Palisades in September—which was described as a “wonderful gathering of young women and their mothers, excited to support our philanthropy partners.”

The Patronessess and Ticktockers participated in a “meaningful philanthropy project” during the meeting, which included writing handwritten notes and assembling snack bags for NCL Westside Chapter’s partner, Ronald McDonald House.

“The core of the NCL program is for mothers and daughters (grades seven to 12) to participate together in activities that foster philanthropy, leadership and culture,” according to a statement about the event. “Through this program, members give back to their communities while creating unforgettable bonds with their mothers.”

Those who attended also saw a presentation by guest speaker Jules Hirst, who is an etiquette coach and co-author of “Power of Civility.”

The Summit at Palisades Highlands hosted an end of summer event in September, which featured an In-N-Out truck and raised funds for Los Angeles Fire Department.

The two-hour celebration was attended by nearly 400 members of the community, who gathered for “family fun, delicious food and support for a great cause.”

“A standout feature was the LAFD fire truck, providing families with fantastic photo opportunities and giving kids a hands-on experience with the vehicle,” an event organizer said. “Amplified Entertainment’s DJ kept the energy high with great music and fun games for the kids, ensuring everyone had a blast. Guests enjoyed mouth-watering In-N-Out burgers, paired with refreshing drinks, cotton candy and popcorn.”

The event was organized by Rebecca Wade, Kim Lang and the Recreation Committee.

“A special thanks to Carla Davidson for the beautiful flower arrangements, Jackie for her help with setup, and JodieLynne and Ana for keeping the welcome sign-in table moving smoothly,” organizers said. “Lastly, a big shout out to the rest of the committee for their hard work in cleaning up afterward.”