Mt. Washington’s Big Halloween Bash Is Off

The annual Halloween bash in Mount Washington, considered by many to be the social event of the year there, has been canceled this year because its sponsor has decided the event was too big for the hillside community northeast of downtown Los Angeles.

The decision last week by the Self-Realization Fellowship has disappointed many area youngsters and their parents, who use the event as a springboard for related get-togethers, celebrations and trick-or-treating in the area. The nondenominational church has staged the party--which had been scheduled for Oct. 31--since the 1970s.

“I think it’s a shame they’re not having it,” said 15-year-old Jessica Marter Kenyon, who has gone to many of the celebrations, which featured magicians, fairy princesses, free candy and theatrical skits. “My friends and I looked forward to it every year.”

More than 5,000 attended last year, with visitors praising the church’s role in sponsoring a positive event for the Mount Washington area. But because the area has only 8,000 residents, church officials say, they have been increasingly worried about parking and traffic and how they affect the small hillside enclave.

“The event has grown beyond our expectations over the years, and we want to be sensitive to the concerns of our neighbors,” spokeswoman Lauren Landress said in confirming the decision.

Some residents question the motives behind the cancellation.

It comes at a time when the church’s proposed $40-million expansion of its headquarters at the old Mt. Washington Hotel, where the church has been based since 1925, has been a hot topic. The church is seeking a 30-year conditional use permit to allow construction of a museum, additional office space, counseling facilities, underground parking and more living quarters for the monks and nuns who live at the church’s headquarters.

The church also seeks to reinter at its San Rafael Avenue headquarters the remains of the church founder, Paramanhansa Yogananda, who died in 1952. His remains are at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale.

A 120-day comment period on a draft environmental impact report on the project recently ended, and officials are poring over the voluminous public comments.

Supporters said the project should be approved because the church’s plans are sensitive to the environmental concerns of many Mount Washington residents; critics argue that the proposal is just too big.

Some of those critics say the cancellation of the Halloween bash is the church’s way of punishing vocal opponents by eliminating its sponsorship of a popular community event. There have been few, if any, complaints about the crowds from residents.

“They were looking to remove something that the community has liked,” said longtime Mount Washington resident Louis Mraz.

Another critic said the church is merely trying to quell opposition to the expansion by acknowledging that some problems arise from the annual Halloween bash.

“I’ll concede they’re in a tough situation, but the church wants to be on its best behavior right now,” said Dan Wright, head of the opposition group CANDER, which stands for Conditional Use Permit of 3880 San Rafael Avenue--Analysis, Negotiation, Dissemination & Enforcement Roundtable. “If the project wasn’t pending, the SRF would have paid no attention to their neighbors’ complaints [about the Halloween event].

“It’s good that the church is recognizing that the Halloween party has grown out of scale with the community. We only wish they would think that way of their expansion proposal.”

Church officials dismiss such criticism, reiterating that the church’s only desire is to be a good neighbor and to explore ways of resuming the Halloween event that will not be a nuisance to neighbors.

“I know why we did it, and there is no connection [with the expansion proposal],” said Miles Hyde, a church spokesman. “The event has grown into something we didn’t intend it to be, and we’ve heard about the complaints for years. We can understand our neighbors’ concerns, and we want to evaluate it.”

Hyde said that in response to a letter informing residents of the cancellation, about 50 people have sent comments and suggestions to the church.

Meanwhile, residents of Mount Washington are scrambling for an alternative way of celebrating Halloween.

Kenyon said she might visit a friend’s home in the area and then go trick-or-treating with her. But it won’t be the same without the Halloween bash.

“There’ll be something definitely missing this year,” she said.