Halloween: Parties (for some) to begin

Halloween, which has ancient roots in both religious, ethnic and various secular realms throughout the centuries, is just the latest to feel the sting of the perpetual Scrooges who are bound and determined to take as much joy out of everyday life as possible.

Naturally, it’s the kids, particularly those in affected public schools, who lose out on the fun of innocent Halloween parties, costumes and all of the other trappings of this annual exercise in mildly spooky goings-on.

For adults, however, Halloween has no such constraints. They aren’t subject to the whims of the constantly complaining culture critics. Hence, the rise in Halloween-related pub crawls.

A day (and night) devoted to vampires, witches, monsters and assorted creatures who howl at the moon (and other objects) has become a handy excuse to hit the sauce, wear outrageous outfits, galavant loudly and unsteadily from saloon to saloon and raise a certain devil-may-care brand of booze-fueled hell in the process.

Some of the bars in downtown Burlingame are getting a leg up (so to speak) on Halloween (which, officially, is Monday, Oct. 31) by promoting their own pub crawl costume contest on Sunday, Oct. 30, from 5 p.m. to 2 a.m.

That’s nine straight hours of revelry for the truly dedicated. That’s a lot of boiler-makers and vodka tonics.

The listed watering holes are located at: Rasoi, Barracuda, Barrelhouse, Coconut Bay and the Vinyl Room. If you happen to see a slurring Vampira look-a-like with a Heineken in her (his) hand, say howdy.

ICE CREAM FAVORITES NOTED: Devoted readers of this weekly exercise (you know who you are) have their own rather firm ideas about ice cream.

Not long ago, we asked you to check in with your favorites in this genre. The results, while not overwhelming, were instructive. There was no real consensus on the best of the best. But there were some strong contenders.

Maybe the leader was Mitchell’s, a San Francisco-based treat that’s available at a number of outlets. Then came Preston’s, a Burlingame specialty option, and Marianne’s, a Santa Cruz outfit. Those last two sweet enterprises date from the 1940s.

We would be remiss if we didn’t mention a fourth: “Baseball nut,” courtesy of Baskin-Robbins. It’s only available during baseball season. Thanks for the responses.

FORUM ON BURLINGAME HIGH: A public forum to discuss the century-old history of Burlingame High School will be held Thursday evening at 7 p.m. at the new Burlingame Community Center.

The event is being sponsored by the Burlingame Historical Society. There will be no admission charge. The current academic year is the school’s 100th. The actual centennial celebration is scheduled to be conducted with a variety of events and activities in October 2023.

SOPRANOS WERE NOT INVOLVED: For those curious types who might have been speculating on potentially nefarious aspects of the surprise discovery of an old Mercedes-Benz convertible found buried in the backyard of an Atherton home, we’re here to help. As always.

No, a previous owner of the property was not named “Soprano.” And, to the best of our voluminous knowledge, Paulie Walnuts never set foot in that exclusive village as well. Whew.

A SHARK ALERT IN SAN MATEO: Rob Caughlan knows all about sharks of any and all varieties (both in and out of the water). He’s a longtime Peninsula surfer and political consultant who has been indulging his dual passions for well over 50 years.

He is scheduled to sign copies of his book, “A Surfer in the White House — and Other Salty Tales,” Wednesday evening, beginning at 5:30 p.m. at Byrd’s Filling Station, 219 S. San Mateo Drive in San Mateo. The public is invited.

Email John Horgan at johnhorganmedia@gmail.com.