Granada Hills : Mall Holds Monster Costume Contest

Ghosts, ghouls and goblins are invited to show off their creepy clothes Saturday at a Halloween contest in Granada Hills.

Sponsored by the Granada Village Shopping Center, the free event will feature a panel of celebrity judges, including actor Mike Majik Boyd from the TV soap “Days of Our Lives,” actor Jayson Pasquarella from “Baywatch,” actress Jill Weinstein from “Baywatch Nights,” and Mona Wooden, president of the Granada Hills Chamber of Commerce.

The contest will be divided into two categories, children 12 and younger and adults 13 years and older, said Dana Schmitz, the center’s marketing director. Registration will begin at noon in front of the United Artists theater at 10801 Zelzah Ave. Judging will begin at 1 p.m.

First, second and third prizes will include a variety of gift certificates worth as much as $50 from some of the shopping center’s 45 businesses. More than 40 door prizes will also be given away, Schmitz said, and each child will receive a toy while supplies last.

Afterward, contest participants will be led through the center’s shops to collect candy until 3 p.m.

According to Schmitz, the event was created as an alternative to late-night trick-or-treating.

“This is safer because it’s during the daylight hours and it’s going to have a lot of supervision,” she said. The event will be held annually if it draws a large enough turnout, she said.