Boney Island Reborn (sort of)

It was sad, sad news when Rick Polizzi wrapped up Boney Island for good last year and sent it off to the Great Graveyard of Halloween Haunts in the Sky. This was a unique yard haunt, the most whimsical and kid-friendly of any event for Halloween in Los Angeles, a sort of skeleton carnival loaded with amusing gags: plastic skeletons playing “Trick-or-Trout” (trying to pluck a fish from a pool) or spiders swinging on the webs while spitting out jokey one-liners like “I never knew what happiness was until I got married – now it’s too late!”

The good news, which I recently received from Rick, is that Bob Baranick, an ex-Imagineer, has purchased many of the old Boney Island displays and set them up at his home: 14333 Califa Street in Van Nuys. That is located two blocks east of Van Nuys Boulevard and a couple blocks south of Oxnard Street.

We do not know how this will compare to the old Boney Island, but it is nice to know that the tradition is being kept alive. We will try to stop by on Halloween night and let you know whether it is the same wonderful cauldron of boiling brew as before.