Halloween Roundup

Before we get back on the trail for the rest of our look at Frontierland, I wanted to share with you a bit more of the Halloween festivities from Disneyland. In the territory out behind Big Thunder Mountain is the Big Thunder Ranch. All year 'round, this is where you can visit critters like Courage and Carolina, the turkeys pardoned by the President last Thanksgiving.

From mid-September to the end of October, though, Big Thunder Ranch plays host to the Halloween Roundup, and everyone gets in the spirit of things.

Over at the Big Thunder BBQ, the stage and the tables are set for Miss Chris to have friends and kinfolk over. Notice the comedy and tragedy Jack-O-Lanterns atop the proscenium. Ahead of the main show, Tex Tumbleweed works the "room" with his guitar and some seasonal musical selections like "Ghost Riders in the Sky" and "The Scarecrow of Romney Marsh." He'll even give you a hearty Dr. Syn cackle if you coax him!

Nearby is a demonstration of pumpkin carving. Ask these artisans for some tips, and they'll gladly show you how they work their own brand of magic to transform gourds into ghouls.

Some of their handiwork is on display nearby on tables and in buggies and carts around the ranch. That's Jack Skellington and Sally in the surrey with the fringe on top outside the ranch house. Most guests don't know it, but these are the same surreys that traveled Main Street and the Central Plaza in Disneyland's early years.

Venture inside the ranch house, and you'll discover another Halloween treat: a series of vignettes of pumpkin heads celebrating the season. There's our gracious hostess, a couple ranch hands getting ready for a party and two fellas with real poker faces.

Well, as you read this Halloween has come to an end, so you'll have to wait until next year to see any of these great details for yourself. A couple things are still hanging on, though, before Christmas moves in. Out in El Zocalo, the town square in the heart of Frontierland, is a celebration of Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead).

Day of the Dead, a tradition in Mexico and the Southwestern United States, honors friends and family members who have passed on. The celebration immediately follows Halloween, occurring over November 1 (All Saints Day) and November 2 (All Souls Day).

For Dia de los Muertos, El Zocalo is filled with symbols like these calaveras. The Calavera de la Catrina ("elegant skull"), inspired by the work of Mexican artist José Guadalupe Posada, is a popular image on Day of Dead.

Since I missed being able to wish you a timely Happy Halloween, I'll go with Happy All Saints Day! See you back here tomorrow for more Frontierland from Disneyland.