Christine Carrillo With a chalice fashioned from...

Christine Carrillo

With a chalice fashioned from a skull and a snake-head cane in

hand, Michael Bloom of Westminster found a local venue to flaunt his

year-round Halloween fervor.

Wearing a black top hat and tails and adorned with skull jewelry

and gothic accessories, 42-year-old Bloom drove his personally owned

hearse, a 1975 Cadillac, to Costa Mesa Sunday to partake in the fifth

annual Trick or Treat Festival at the Orange County Marketplace.

After participating in the event’s hearse procession, Bloom, who

is a member of the Los Angeles Hearse Society, exhibited his hearse

among the others, all decorated with traditional and extreme

Halloween trimmings.

With the thematic trimmings in place -- vampires, bats, skeletons

and coffins -- the marketplace was transformed into a daytime

Halloween haven.

“It’s something that families can do together,” said Jill Lloyd, a

spokeswoman for the marketplace. “It’s a mixture. It’s for kids and

adults and that’s what we try to do here at the marketplace.”

As adults have an opportunity to shop at the marketplace, enjoy

the third annual Halloween Hearse, Bug and Monster Classic Car Show

or listen to the entertaining Halloween antics of Dr. Demento in the

Automotive Road of Dreams Museum, the children were able to play a

more interactive role in the day-long event.

After checking in at the pumpkin patch, children disguised as

superheroes, goblins, witches and princesses, were given a “trick or

treat map of the participating merchants.

“It’s a nice family outing and I just thought it would be fun and

cute with all the kids dressing up,” said Dawn Kasper owner of Stich

n’ Stuff in the Artisan’s corner of the marketplace.

As one of the participating merchants, Kasper gave out candy to

the children who found their way to her location. Her two

grandchildren helped after they finished trick or treating

themselves.

But trick or treating and a themed car show weren’t the only draws

to Sunday’s haunting festivities, as Farmer Mike Valladao, a

world-renowned pumpkin sculptor, returned for the third consecutive

year to sculpt Spiderman on a nearly 400 pound pumpkin.

With pumpkin sculpting underway, the pumpkin pie eating and

costume contests followed.

“[My wife and I] are amazed at the detail of some of the

costumes,” said Tim Burnett of Mission Viejo. “I can’t believe how

many adults have really gotten into this whole Halloween thing.”

Just as the event invited children to dress up in true Halloween

fashion, it also allowed adults to discard their everyday persona and

take on disguises of their own.

“I recall, growing up, when Halloween was a big deal,” said Bloom,

who describes himself as someone that’s always participating in

Halloween events rather than attending them. “I enjoy the looks I

get. I’ve been a bit of a ham for some time ... it’s a thing I’ve

always had with Halloween.”

* CHRISTINE CARRILLO is the news assistant. She may be reached at

(949) 574-4298 or by e-mail at christine.carrillo@latimes.com.