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Scream Zone is Back and Scarier Than Ever
at the Del Mar Scaregrounds

Looking for a good scare? The witching hour is drawing nearer as preparations are under way for the largest and scariest haunted attraction to hit San Diego County at the Del Mar Fairgrounds.

Back for its 11th year, the Scream Zone will encompass more than five acres on the west side of the grounds. A 5,000-square-foot tent has been erected and will be open to the public starting September 26. The Scream Zone features the Haunted Hayride, House of Horror, and The Chamber.

The House of Horror’s dozens of chambers filled with fiends, apparitions and scares are guaranteed to frighten even the bravest of visitors (not recommended for children younger than 10). The Chamber is a twisting, turning labyrinth of scares, inhabited by terrifying ghouls, monsters and “the undead” that appear unexpectedly around every corner. The Haunted Hayride takes visitors on a journey through an apocalyptical end of the world in the back barns of the Fairgrounds. About 40 percent of the attraction’s experiences will be new this year, making the Scream Zone a “must see” that shrieks “Halloween!”

The Scream Zone will be open Friday and Saturday, Sept. 26 and 27; Friday through Sunday, Oct. 3-5; Thursday through Sunday, Oct. 9-12 and 16-19; and nightly, Thursday, Oct. 23 through Saturday, Nov. 1. Hours are 7 p.m. to midnight Fridays and Saturdays, and 7 to 11 p.m. other days, when open. Admission prices are:

$27.99 for a triple haunt: the House of Horror, Haunted Hayride and The Chamber

$17.99 for a double haunt: the Chamber and House of Horror or Haunted Hayride

$14.99 for a single haunt, House of Horror or Haunted Hayride.

For more information call (858) 755-1161 or visit www.thescreamzone.com.

NEW WILD EXPERIENCE AT ANIMAL PARK

OFF-ROAD SAFARI ON A SEGWAY

A new off-road experience at the San Diego Zoo's Wild Animal Park offers an exciting way for guests to explore areas not accessible on foot. Adventurers have an opportunity to roll on the wild side along a scenic route past herds of African and Asian animals on a Segway.

Visitors can take the path less traveled on the two-hour Rolling Safari Tour, where they will journey on a Segway X2, a two-wheeled electric personal transporter designed specifically for off-road travel. Riders will learn how to drive and practice on the easy, safe and fun-to-ride Segwaysâ before joining a guide on a wild tour, rolling quietly past Indian rhinos, giraffes, Arabian oryx and more. In small groups of six or less, riders can stop at scenic points along the way for amazing photo opportunities.

For safety reasons, Rolling Safari Tour participants must be at least 13 years of age and weigh between 100 and 250 pounds, and ages 13-15 must be accompanied by a paid adult. Secure shoes are required. The two-hour program includes training on how to operate the Segway X2 and an opportunity to practice riding it in a safe, controlled area before heading out to watch wildlife. The fee is $75 per person, plus Wild Animal Park admission for non-members. The Rolling Safari Tour will be offered daily. Advance reservations can be made at www.sandiegozoo.org or by calling (619) 718-3000. Same-day purchases are also available.

The 1,800-acre San Diego Zoo's Wild Animal Park is operated by the not-for-profit Zoological Society of San Diego. The Zoological Society is dedicated to the conservation of endangered species and their habitats and engages in conservation and research work around the globe.

Help Prevent World’s Fastest Animal
from Running Out of Time

Sept 12, Friday, 9pm

The only living mammal that can go from 0 to 60 mph in three seconds, the cheetah, is being rapidly threatened with extinction. Zoofari cares, and is celebrating a compassionate attitude toward endangered wildlife at its second annual Safari Soiree Fundraiser. Those present will see a rotation of worldwide animal friends which include Victor, the Cheetah Ambassador, only ten feet away from them. The event starts at 5 p.m. and continues until around 9 p.m. on Friday, September 12, 2008 in Thomas D. Mangelsen’s Images of Nature Gallery located at 7916 Girard Avenue in La Jolla, CA 92037.

While Zoofari members converse with them and answer their questions, guests will partake of wine tasting from local vintners, cocktails, and international hors d’ouvres. It will be revealed to them why cheetahs are compared to birds when calling their young, and why they cannot be said to have ordinary paws. They will discover exactly why cheetahs are diminishing at amazing speed, and what it means to the world ecologically.

The Soiree will include a silent auction, a raffle, and donations that support conservation for Zoofari’s animal family, and will advance the work of international field biologists. Tickets are $75 in advance and $85 at the door.

A non-profit organization with a three-fold purpose, Zoofari is on the frontlines in the battle to save wildlife worldwide. It provides a permanent home for displaced, abandoned, and relinquished animals, and strives to provide the utmost in nutrition and veterinary care for animals living at the conservation center. In addition, it works to provide quality education programs for disadvantaged youth groups and Title 1 schools.

Visit www.zoofari.net or phone (760) 630-9230 for more information.

KIDS ROAM FREE AT THE SAN DIEGO ZOO IN OCTOBER

For the month of October children up to 11 years old receive free admission into the Zoo to learn about the world's animals and ways to help them thrive in the wild.

Kids' Free days is designed to give children, who may otherwise be unable to purchase an admission ticket, the opportunity to visit the Zoo and learn about Earth's amazing creatures and the conservation efforts underway to save them.

The Zoo is acting to make the incredible experience of seeing extraordinary animals up close and learning about their lives possible for every child.

Kids' Free Days has been an active program for 23 years, expanding children's knowledge of animals at a great price - free.

Kids' Free Days is available for the entire month of October. The Zoo is open from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. (grounds close at 5 p.m.)

GIANT PUMPKIN PATCH AT BATES NUT FARM

Pumpkins weigh between 75-200 lbs.

September 27- October 31 9am-5pm Every Day

It’s harvest time and pumpkins are appearing in supermarkets and on street corners, but if it’s pumpkins you want to see, there is no place better than nearby Bates Nut Farm.

Families can grab a wheel barrel and go right out into their 15 acre pumpkin patch to choose their own Big Mac – sometimes weighing anywhere from 50 – 200 pounds!

The pumpkins in the fields at Bates Nut Farm are getting bigger every day. “Our crop of Big Macs are doing very well this year,” said Tom Ness, General Manager. “We will have plenty of choices for early visitors.”

For more than forty years, Bates Nut Farm’s 100-acre farm has been providing a breathtaking setting for visitors of all ages. Jack ‘o lantern pumpkins in a variety of sizes and shapes, mini pumpkins, decorative gourds, corn stalks and hay bales are also available in The Pumpkin Patch. You’ll also find family-oriented activities including a straw maze, tractor hay rides, a petting zoo, and on weekends there are pony rides, face painting, and live musical entertainment.

Pumpkins date back 5,000 years to our Native Americans who used the fruit for food and medicine. Early American settlers actually came up with a sort of pumpkin pie by removing all the seeds, and adding milk, honey and spices then baking it over a hot low lit fire.

People from all over the world grow and compete in the harvesting of Giant Pumpkins. One man by the name of Bruce Whitter, from New Hampshire, grew the largest ever weighing 1,458 pounds. The Annual Pumpkin Festival in Port Elgin Canada attracts more than 50,000 visitors that watch growers compete in the world’s title for largest vegetables/fruits grown. For some great photos of Giant Pumpkins, log onto www.giantpumpkins.com.

Bates Nut farm is located nearby in Valley Center and is easy to find. The address is 15954 Woods Valley Road, Valley Center, CA 92082. Call (760) 749-3333. Go east on Hwy 78 to the end and turn right on Broadway and then left on Washington. Then left on East Valley Parkway towards Valley Center and turn right on Woods Valley Road. Bates Nut Farm is on the left side. Website is www.batesnutfarm.biz.

NEW YORK RHINO IN TOWN

The San Diego Zoo's Wild Animal Park has added another member to a crash of Indian rhinos in its Asian Plains exhibit. Alta, a 4-year-old female born in December 2004 at the Bronx Zoo, joins 11 other rhinos in the 40-acre exhibit that is home to animal species found throughout the plains of Asia.

"The large exhibit was overwhelming for Alta at first and she stuck close to the corners and walls," said Andy Blue, animal care manager for the Wild Animal Park. "Now she is interacting with the rhinos and the other species of deer, gazelles and cattle that are also native to India and Nepal."

Alta is on loan to the Wild Animal Park through a national breeding program that maintains the genetic diversity of animals in zoos. When Alta reaches sexual maturity, around seven years old, she is expected to breed with Bhopu, an 8-year-old who came from a zoo facility in India. The Park has hosted 56 Indian rhino births since it opened in 1972.

Indian rhinos are often described as armor-plated, but they are actually covered with a layer of skin that has many folds. Also called the greater one-horned rhino, they are native to swampy areas of Northeast India and Nepal. Visitors to the Park can see Alta and the other animals in the Asian Plains exhibit by making reservations on a Photo Caravan or Savanna Safari tour.

The 1,800-acre San Diego Zoo's Wild Animal Park (more than half of which has been set aside as protected native species habitat) is operated by the not-for-profit Zoological Society of San Diego.

North County Attractions

Bates Nut Farm

15954 Woods Valley Rd, Valley Center, CA 92082

www.batesnutfarm.biz

760-749-3333

California Center For The Arts Escondido

340 N Escondido Blvd, Escondido, CA 92025

www.artcenter.org

800-988-4253

Del Mar Fairgrounds

2260 Jimmy Durante Blvd., Del Mar, CA 92014

www.sdfair.com