BAKERSFIELD, Calif. — October 31st is just around the corner, which means people around town are really getting into the spooky spirit. One local family wants to make sure that every child in Bakersfield can experience Halloween without having to travel too far.
“It's a lot of fun, it helps us get closer to our neighbors,” Camrin Gomez, a homeowner on the east side of town, said. “The neighbors love it; they want to take pictures in our yard.”
Camrin and her husband Rudy are making sure there are Halloween festivities available to those who live in their area.
“We like to decorate as much as possible to try and bring a little bit of fun to this side of town so not everyone has to go out to Rosedale,” Camrin said.
The decorations start going up at the beginning of October and it’s not long before they start getting visitors. “The neighborhood kids ride by on their bikes and want to help or they ask, 'do you have candy yet?” Camrin said.
Over the years, the Gomez family has accumulated boxes and boxes of knickknacks. Some are from Facebook Marketplace, and others from the sale rack the days following Halloween.
When asked which decoration is her favorite, she said “the carousel with the babies on it going backwards, that's the thing that everyone loves the most.”
And they don’t just go all out for Halloween, they have a treasure trove of decorations for every holiday.
The reason they strive to bring all the bells and whistles to their side of town? They’re hoping to, in their own way, add something extra to their neighborhood.
“We used to be drug addicts for a good part of our younger life, and about 7 years ago we both got clean together and moved into here, and we just wanted to do something to kind of give back to the community because you know, we were a drain on society for a long time,” Camrin said.
Now, Camrin and Rudy say they put all their energy into raising their kids, working, and going back to school, all the while having a little fun during the holidays.
“I really hope to see lines of people coming to see our decorations because we put a lot of heart and effort into it and I want to see it get to as many people as possible,” Camrin said.
If you want to go see all their hard work and get spooked, they even have a maze for everyone to take part in, free of charge. Their ‘haunted’ maze will be running on Saturday, October 26, from 7 to 10 p.m., and again on Halloween night, from 7 p.m. to midnight.
Their home is located on Oregon Street, just a couple of houses down from the Noriega House.
