HALLOWEEN ACTIVITIES : Sweets Are Just One of Many Treats Being Offered for Children

Gather up the little ghosts and goblins, there is more to Halloween than just trick-or-treating. Several communities will present such activities as carnivals, games and haunted houses. Here is a list of some activities celebrating Halloween, which is on Wednesday:

ARTESIA: The Department of Parks and Recreation will present its annual Halloween Carnival and Haunted House, featuring games, prizes and hot dogs. The free carnival will be from 5:30 to 9 p.m. Wednesday at Artesia Park, 18750 Clarkdale Ave. There will be a fun house and a costume parade at 7:30 p.m. The event also will be offered Tuesday with a $1 admission. For information, call the recreation office, 860-3361.

BELL: Kiddie rides, game booths and a greased-pole climb will be some of the fun offered at the annual Halloween carnival presented Wednesday by the Bell Department of Community Services and the Bell-Maywood Rotary Club. Trophies will be awarded to winners of a costume contest. Admission is free, with nominal charges for refreshments. The carnival will be held from 6:30 to 9 p.m. at Veterans Memorial Park, 6526 Wilcox Ave.

BELLFLOWER: Costume parades, game booths, contests, a magic show and activities for ages preschool to adult will be featured in the free annual Halloween carnivals presented by the Bellflower Parks and Recreation Department. The carnivals will take place from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Wednesday at the three major parks in Bellflower: Ruth R. Caruthers Park, 10500 Flora Vista St., 866-5684; John S. Simms Park, 16614 S. Clark Ave., 866-7510; and T. Mayne Thompson Park, 14001 S. Bellflower Blvd., 866-8614.

First Southern Baptist Church offers children from preschool through the sixth grade its free Funfest, featuring carnival games, prizes, candy, treats and fellowship. Funfest will be from 5:30 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at the church, at 10010 E. Compton Blvd.

CERRITOS: The island at Heritage Park, 18600 S. Bloomfield Ave., will be the site of a free haunted house for children ages 6 to 12. It will be open from 7 to 10 p.m. Tuesday and 6 to 9 p.m. Wednesday. A free tiny tot haunted house at Heritage Park will be open from 2 to 8 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday. A clown, juggler, games and rides also will be included for the tots from 2 p.m. to dusk. The traditional Halloween festival will feature costume contests, games, rides and carnival booths. The free event will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. at Heritage Park. Free face painting will be offered for children 12 and younger from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. Wednesday at Cerritos Park East, 13234 E. 166th St.

Finally, resident children in the sixth grade or younger can win prizes in the free Goblin Grab. The goblin will randomly draw names from entry forms and call winners from 8 to 9:30 p.m. Wednesday. Prizes will be given only to children who are home to speak with the goblin. Prizes can be picked up Thursday at Liberty Park, 19211 Studebaker Road. Entry forms need to be returned by Monday to any Cerritos Park, the Cerritos Public Library or City Hall.

DOWNEY: Frisco’s Carhop Drive-in, along with 93.1 KODJ-FM radio, Blue Sky Designs and Downey Service Center, will present its free Halloween Haunted Cruise Night. Entertainment will feature Raymond Michael in an Elvis tribute show. There also will be a live D.J., best costume award and special effects. Kids can trick or treat down Frisco Lane. The festivities begin at 4 p.m. Wednesday. Frisco’s Carhop Drive-in is at 12050 Woodruff Ave.

HAWAIIAN GARDENS: The Recreation Department will hold its annual free Halloween festival at C. Robert Lee Community Center, 21815 S. Pioneer Blvd. The haunted house will be open from 6 to 10 p.m. Wednesday. The program will include games, food booths and a costume contest. For information, call 420-2641, Ext. 229.

LAKEWOOD: The Parks and Community Services Department is presenting free celebrations with themes from the Peanuts gang to the Simpsons and Big Time Circus. Carnival games, contests and a costume parade will be held at carnivals from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Wednesday at eight parks in Lakewood: Biscailuz Park, 2601 Dollar St.; Bloomfield Park, 21420 Pioneer Blvd.; Bolivar Park, 3300 Del Amo Blvd.; Del Valle Park, 5939 Henrilee St.; Mae Boyar Park, 6701 Del Amo Blvd.; Mayfair Park, 5720 Clark Ave.; San Martin Park, 5231 Ocana Ave.; and Palms Park, 12305 E. 207th Street. Haunted houses will be held at all the parks, excluding Bloomfield, Mayfair and Palms. For information, call 866-9771, Ext. 408.

LONG BEACH: Paul Barber, expert on vampire lore and author of “Vampires, Burial and Death,” will read excerpts from his book from 7 to 9 p.m. Wednesday at Sherlock’s Home Mystery Book and Gift Store, 4137 E. Anaheim St. The shop will hold a free autograph party and reading. The store will be decorated with memorabilia from Dracula’s castle, and prizes will be given to the first 100 guests arriving after 6 p.m. For information, call 494-2964.

The Spruce Goose Dome will be transformed tonight into a house of horror for a costume dance party, the “Spruce Gruesome Rockin’ Spooktacular.” A live dance band will perform Top 40 hits. Psychics, palm readers and fortune tellers will supply more entertainment. One person will win his or her weight in M&M;/Mars candy. The doors open at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $18 per person, available at the Queen Mary main entrance, Queens Highway. For information, call 435-3511.

Beach Charities will present the third annual free Legend’s Haunted House for children 15 and younger. The pelican Long Beak, Beach Charities’ seven-foot mascot, will hand out complimentary candy to youngsters. The haunted house will be open from 5 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at Legend’s restaurant, 5236 E. 2nd St. For information, call 436-7727.

Downtown Long Beach Associates will present more than 60 Poly High School drama students playing roles in the “Menagerie of Nightmares,” downtown Long Beach’s haunted house. The haunted house--above the Golden Frog restaurant, 201 E. Broadway--will be open from 3 to 11 p.m. today, 5 to 11 p.m. Monday and 5 p.m. to midnight Tuesday and Wednesday. Admission is $5 general admission and $3 for those under 10. For information, call 436-4259.

Long Beach Plaza, on Long Beach Boulevard and Pine Avenue between 3rd and 6th streets, will be open for trick-or-treating from 6 to 8 p.m. on Wednesday. The first 5,000 children will receive a free “BOO!” bag to hold their candy.

The Rancho Los Alamitos Historic Site and Gardens will hold a Fall Harvest of Games from 1 to 4:30 p.m. today. The event will feature a pumpkin hunt, horseshoe pitching, hoop tossing, potato sack races, bobbing for apples and a Halloween costume parade. There also will be free tours of the barns and ranch house. Rancho Los Alamitos is at 6400 Bixby Hill Road. There is no admission fee, but donations are welcome. For information, call 431-3541.

The Long Beach Parks and Recreation Department will present several events:

* Drake Park, 951 Maine Ave., will have a carnival with games, rides and a costume parade from 6 to 9 p.m. Wednesday. There also will be pumpkin carving and costume decorating activities through Tuesday for children 8 to 14. For information, call 432-0153.

* El Dorado Park West, 2800 Studebaker Road, will hold a Halloween festival with games, a costume parade and face painting. The festival will run from 6 to 9 p.m. Wednesday. There will be a small fee for food and some games. For information, call 425-4712.

* Houghton Park, 6301 Myrtle Ave., will have a carnival with food, games and a costume contest from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Wednesday. Games cost a dime each, and there is a small charge for food. For information, call 423-3049.

* King Park, 1950 Lemon Ave., will have a free Halloween party for children ages 2 to 11 from 3 to 5 p.m. Monday, and free pumpkin carving for those 5 to 11 from 3 to 6 p.m. Wednesday. For information, call 591-5915.

* Silverado Park, 1545 W. 31st St., will hold its free Halloween carnival and haunted house from 5 to 9 p.m. Wednesday for ages 5 to 12. For information, call 424-5942.

* Wardlow Park, 3457 Stanbridge Ave., will hold its free Halloween carnival and haunted house from 6 to 9 p.m. Wednesday.

* El Dorado Nature Center, 7550 E. Spring St., will have free games, mask making, a costume parade with a nature theme, nature walks after dark and storytelling from 6 to 9 p.m. Wednesday. For information, call 421-9431, Ext. 3415.

NORWALK: The Recreation Division and the Norwalk Town Square Merchants Assn. will present the Halloween Kids Kraft Corner. Recreation leaders will teach children how to make Halloween buttons or picture frames. The activity will be held from 1 to 3 p.m. today in front of HQ Office Supplies, 14035 Pioneer Blvd. There also will be a face-painter for children up to age 16 from 2 to 6 p.m. Wednesday in front of the Family Bargain Center, 13913 Pioneer Blvd. For information, call Norwalk Town Square, 868-2291.

The Recreation Services Department will present Festival ‘90: Ghosts, Goblins and Goodies, the annual carnival featuring game booths, costumes and fun. The carnival will be on the Civic Center Lawn, 12700 Norwalk Blvd., beginning at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday. For information, call 929-2677, Ext. 218.

PICO RIVERA: The Recreation and Community Services Department will present a Halloween Happening from 6 to 9 p.m. Wednesday at Smith Park, 6016 S. Rosemead Ave. There will be game booths, disk jockey entertainment and hayrides for $1. There will be a costume contest with prizes in four age categories. Prizes also will be given for the scariest, funniest and most original pumpkin in the annual pumpkin decorating contest. Entries must be delivered between 6 and 7 p.m. Wednesday, with the judging beginning at 7:15 p.m. A haunted house will be open from 7 to 10 p.m. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Haunted house admission is $2. For information, call 942-7004.

WHITTIER: The Human Services Department will present the 1990 Halloween Spooktacular from 3 to 8 p.m. Wednesday. Featured will be indoor carnival games, costume and pumpkin decorating contests, plus a special appearance by Ed the Magic Man at 4 p.m. There will be two haunted houses, a free one for ages up to 7 and another for older children, with a fee of $2. The Spooktacular will be held at the Whittier Community Center, 7630 Washington Ave. Admission is $1. For information, call 945-8205, Ext. 523.

Whittier College will hold its third annual Halloween carnival from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Wednesday. The carnival will feature varied game booths and a haunted house, courtesy of the Ball, Johnson and Stauffer residence halls. Student volunteers will escort carnival-goers through. The college is at 13406 Philadelphia St. Admission is free.