From the editor

My favorite color is My favorite color is October

I am an October baby, born just 4 minutes shy of Halloween, I always embraced the month as my own, with all the implied magic of the season. Most of my birthday parties were Halloween parties, and I never missed an opportunity to dress up…excessively! When I was younger, I had a reputation for having the best Halloween parties. I would rent out large art galleries or photography studios, apply my marketing skills and have a huge bash, usually in Hollywood or Venice. After I moved to Benicia and had kids, I instituted Fright Night. The neighborhood kids would gather in a room filled with candles, pumpkins and spiderwebs. Then, with the lights turned down low, I would spin a spooky story. Sometimes a little too spooky. I remember once when deep in a story, I glanced around the room and every child was frozen in place with huge, unblinking eyes. Oops, I thought, backtrack, backtrack!

In keeping with the scary story aspect of October, we have included an article on Haunted Alcatraz, and, can I just say, it is dark and creepy and somewhat terrifying! We thought that a story about the Benicia Tunnels would be fitting for October, they are a source of mystery and legend. Our writer, Bitsy Hall, a Benicia native, was sure she would get to the bottom of the legend and once and for all clear up the mystery. That didn’t happen. During her research, Bitsy talked to many sources of information regarding the history of Benicia, and came up with more stories but no confirmed facts about the tunnels. We hope you enjoy the stories!

You might be surprised to see how many articles we have about business in this issue. As a small business person, I’m extremely sensitive to the needs of small business as well as the importance of the big businesses in the Industrial Park. Business is what fuels every town and city. We must support our local businesses large and small.

Enjoy the beauty of this month and don’t miss the First Street trick or treat parade, the Benicia Dog Festival, Scarecrow contest, Ghoulish Wine Walk and the many other events that are happening in the most beautiful, colorful month of the year, October.

“Listen! The wind is rising and the air is wild with leaves. We have had our summer evenings, now for October Eves.” – Humbert Wolfe

Mary

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