Ghost Village Road: 22nd Annual Event Energizes Togetherness

In my 22^nd year covering the Annual Ghost Village Road, the energy the community brought out this year was everything. 

Local schools represented – from Montecito Union School, Crane Country Day School, Laguna Blanca Lower and Upper schools, to Peabody School, Providence School, home school kids, La Colina School, and Santa Barbara Middle School. Parents and guardians of the galaxy were dressed to impress whilst monitoring the kids and securing dinner plans in the already overbooked restaurants. Kids took on Asian Rap artists, Batman, Superman, Iron Man, Lakers Basketball players, firemen, Robin Hood, princesses, witches, M&M’s, blowup dolphins, mermaids, pets, and women boxing teams.

The treat train ran the gamut from the Montecito Country Mart (MCM) down Coast Village Road to the Montecito Inn. The MCM businesses were all in theme with treats, while kids participated in a costume contest and photo ops under the expertise of the MCM Manager Kristin Teufel, from 11 am through 5 pm when the nine winners were selected. 

Along CVR, the event was legend thanks to each of the Montecito businesses who took the time to incorporate massive outdoor decorations, flying ghosts, Rockstar skeletons, colored lights, flying bats, smoke machines, and the buckets of candy treats themselves dressed in costumes. We are talking our restaurants, the Chevron station, liquor/wine shops, banks, realtors, beauty salons, and retails shops. Great memories were created by Richie’s Barbershop barbers dressed as the Wizard of Oz with a yellow brick road photo op, Dan Encell and his Berkshire Hathaway team serving Encell’s secret recipe margaritas for the adults, Village Properties taking over the sidewalk with ghouls and caldrons, Lucky’s Restaurant team serving live from the crypt, Jeannine’s scones, the Rosewood Miramar’s team goodie table and their powder blue surrey. Thanks to CVR Executive Director Beth Sullivan, for coordinating the CVR event and the live band dressed in graveyard garb that played ‘80s hits from 3 to 6 pm.