Cardiff’s Sandcastle Drive hosts no apparent ghosts

When one sells a house on the two-block-long Sandcastle Drive in Cardiff-by-the-Sea, perhaps it should be required to disclose that the home is on a “Halloween street."

Five years ago, KNSD Channel 7 news listed Sandcastle Drive as one of the top five Halloween streets in San Diego County to go trick-or-treating. While Cardiff kids converged on the street years ago, others from outside the area have increased the attendance in recent years.

This year, families from La Costa to Clairemont joined in. Several parents, obviously from outside the area, approached using a Google map or an iPhone as their guide to find the street near Birmingham Drive.

On Halloween night, the first trick-or-treaters started to arrive by 5:00 p.m. The side street parking lot leading into the duplex development known as Park Place was full by 5:30 p.m. Well over 1000 costumed kids and parents strolled down the street for almost four hours.

Most of the homes in the 800 and 900 blocks of Sandcastle were decorated, some with intricate displays: graveyards, witches brewing, and monsters to greet the arriving kids. One home had a large cardboard wave backdrop, with broken surfboards undoubtedly destroyed by the surf goblins.

Only 10 homes of the 53 on the street chose not to participate, darkening their front doors and interior lights.

The Hejduk family in the 800 block on the cul-de-sac is credited with starting the extravaganza 35 years ago. Their front-yard graveyard, with rising smoke and sometimes a surprise awakening of a “laid-to-rest resident,” is a must-see tradition for returning visitors.