A Seaside Skeleton Hunt Will Haunt This Quaint Harbor

THAT SKIN-PRICKLY FEELING... that somebody is watching you? You can experience it in a lot of places, and your initial reaction can run the gamut, from delight to chills. Of course, the delight vibes are high around a harbor, a lovely location where "being watched" usually means a seal or gull is nearby, keeping a close eye on the fascinating doings of human passersby. But sometimes there are other harbor-close beings observing various scenes, the kind of fanciful figures that don't make a splash but can make things spooky. We speak of the...

SKELETONS OF VENTURA HARBOR VILLAGE, frightful fellows that only come out during the Halloween season. And venture out, they whimsically will, on Saturday, Oct. 30 and Sunday, Oct. 31, just in time for the Seaside Skeleton Hunt. How does this lightly haunted happening work? "Over a dozen skeletons" will be set loose around the village area, which means they could be perched on boats, poking out of shrubs, or hanging out on benches. If you find a bony character or two or six, snap their pictures and post on social media ("use #SeasideSkeletons in the caption and tag @venturaharbor to enter").

YOU COULD SCORE... a Harbor Halloween prize pack, sweet. Also sweet? A "few select golden skeleton heads" will be placed around Ventura Harbor Village, and, if you find one, you get to keep the "festive prizes secured inside." Just remember that all of this skele-brating is happening on the Saturday and Sunday of Halloween weekend. But wait: If you're at the village on the afternoon of Friday, Oct. 29, you just might spy this enchanted sight: witches paddleboarding.