Save on California's Great America "Halloween Haunt" Packages!

This October, save on California’s Great America theme park “Halloween Haunt” Packages when you spend a night at one of seven Santa Clara hotels. The spooktacular discount packages include one night weekend accommodations and two admission tickets to the 3rd annual Haunt (extra tickets can be purchased at a discount at participating hotels).

Prices represent almost a 50% savings over regular room and ticket cost. Deal good Friday – Sunday nights October 1-31, 2010. Book online at www.santaclara.org/Haunt. Participating hotels include the Avatar Hotel ($129), Biltmore Hotel & Suites ($129), Embassy Suites ($149), Hilton Santa Clara ($129), Hyatt Regency Santa Clara ($129), Marriott Santa Clara ($139) and The Plaza Suites ($129). Rates are subject to availability.

Northern California’s biggest and scariest Halloween event features six spine-tingling haunted mazes, four themed scare zones, one themed attraction, four head-turning live shows, plus the Park’s world class thrill rides. Event hours are 7:00 p.m. to Midnight Fridays thru Sundays in October. For more information on Halloween Haunt, visit http://haunt.cagreatamerica.com/

New at California's Great America is "Planet Snoopy!"

There's a new top dog in town, and his name is Snoopy. New at California’s Great America in 2010 is “Planet Snoopy.” Snoopy, Charlie Brown, and the rest of the Peanuts gang will take up residence in the children’s areas of the Park (formerly Nickelodeon Central and Kidzville). There will be photo opportunities daily with Peanut's favorites including Snoopy, Charlie Brown, Lucy, Linus, and Sally.

America's favorite beagle will also appear in "Snoopy Rocks! On Ice," a professional ice dancing show held in the Park's Great America theatre. California's Great America is Northern California’s best choice for family fun and adventure with over 100-acres of world-class entertainment. It is the state’s only combination theme and water park. In 2010, the Park will open March 28, April 2-4, April 9-11, April 14-18, weekends April 24 – May 30, daily May 31 – August 23, and weekends through October 31.

Convention Center Wins 7th Consecutive Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Award

For the seventh consecutive year, the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) California Integrated Waste Management Board has awarded the Santa Clara Convention Center the WRAP Award for its efforts to reduce, re-use, recycle, and buy recycled. The Convention Center’s waste reduction efforts and recycling program reduced waste by 101 tons this past year.

WRAP awards honor businesses for cutting the amount of trash they produce, conserving resources and reducing waste disposal in landfills. This year’s honorees have diverted over two million tons of materials from landfills. This diversion results in a significant reduction in green house gas emissions. “It’s an honor to be awarded for our part in saving the environment,” said Lisa Moreno, Convention Center general manager. “Our Convention Center is an example of what we all can do if we make it a priority,” said Moreno.

Since 2002, the Convention Center’s waste reduction program has recycled paper products, cardboard, glass and aluminum. ARAMARK, the Convention Center’s in-house caterer, adds to the effort by contributing leftover food to the Second Harvest Food Bank. For more information, visit santaclara.org/conventioncenter/greenmeetings.

Santa Clara Busy in December with Holiday Events!

The city of Santa Clara is planning for a festive holiday season this December. Scheduled events include the Annual Holiday Tree Lighting (12/4), Historic Home Tour (12/4-5), Caltrain’s Annual Holiday Train (12/5), Santa Clara Chorale’s “Comfort and Joy – Christmas with the Santa Clara Chorale,” (12/11 & 12/13), and the Santa Clara Ballet’s 36th annual “Nutcracker Ballet (12/12 & 12/13).

The city’s Tree Lighting Ceremony on December 4th includes lights and musical entertainment and the arrival of Santa Claus aboard horse-drawn carriage. Santa Clara’s Annual Historic Home Tour on December 4th & 5th features private homes including a Queen Anne Cottage and a Gothic Revival. Caltrain’s Holiday Train will be lit up with thousands of colorful lights when it stops in Santa Clara on December 5th for a FREE 20-minute show.

Other events include Santa Clara Chorale’s “Comfort and Joy” on December 11th & 13th, featuring traditional carols as well as ones from England, France, Germany, Austria, Spain, and Poland. Also, the Santa Clara Ballet Company performs the holiday season’s favorite ballet, “The Nutcracker” on December 12th & 13th at the Santa Clara Convention Center.

For detailed information on these and other events, visit the Santa Clara Calendar of Events.

2nd Annual "Halloween Haunt" even spookier in 2009!

Your worst nightmares come to life this October, 2009 at California's Great America as hundreds of monsters resurface for the 2nd annual Halloween Haunt! The Park will come alive with six terrifying mazes, four head-spinning live shows, four sinister scare zones, twisted attractions, and all of Great America's world class thrill rides.

With the addition of its sixth haunted maze titled "Toy Factory," Halloween Haunt 2009 activities will be even spookier this year. Returning haunted mazes include: CarnEvil, Club Blood, Cornstalkers, Slaughterhouse, and Werewolf Canyon. There are also four returning scare zones: Dead Man's Cove, Gauntlet, Underworld Alley, and Witch Doctor's Trail.

The Park has also added a new show called "Shocking Sideshow of Freaks." This show will join the two returning shows "Dave Hill's Haunted Hypnotics" and Ed Alonzo's Psycho Circus of Magic and Mayhem." Halloween Haunt will be open Friday and Saturday nights throughout October as well as Sunday, October 25th. Hours are from 7:00 p.m. - 12 a.m. For tickets and more information, visit http://haunt.cagreatamerica.com.

New Stadium in Santa Clara Could Host Super Bowl and World Cup!

The Santa Clara City Council recently voted to approve financing plans for a $937 million stadium for the San Francisco 49ers, setting the stage for a citywide ballot question this coming Spring. For a detailed view of the proposed new 49ers stadium, watch this video.

Jed York, president of the 49ers, praised Santa Clara officials for creating "the best infrastructure in the Bay Area" and told city officials and a crowd of more than 150 onlookers that the proposed 68,500-seat stadium to be built on an overflow parking lot at the amusement park would not only host up to 10 NFL games annually, but possibly a variety of glamorous events, including the World Cup soccer tournament, in the future. Stadium proponents also view it as a likely venue for major concerts, college football bowl games and even the Super Bowl.

As part of a 40-year agreement with the 49ers, city officials agreed to contribute $79 million to the project, including $42 million in redevelopment agency funds, $20 million from the city-owned utility district to relocate an electrical substation near the site and $17 million to build a parking garage.

Boomerang Bay Water Park Opens May 23rd

The Australian-themed Boomerang Bay water park at California's Great America opens its 2009 season on Saturday, May 23rd. California's Great America is the only theme park in California to offer a complete water park inside - free with admission. Highlights include: Boomerang Lagoon, a huge heated lagoon with 150,000 gallons of water; Castaway Creek, the area's longest lazy river; Didgeridoo Falls, a family waterslide atop a 54-foot high platform; and Jackaroo Landing, a multi-level water fortress of eight family water slides connected by bridges and passageways.

Boomerang Bay's operating schedule includes opening weekends starting May 23-24, plus May 25 (Memorial Day) and May 30-31 before daily operation begins June 6 - August 14. The water park then opens again on weekends August 15 - September 6, plus September 7 (Labor Day). For more information, call (408) 988-1776.