The Halloween season got a kick start here in Riverbank over the weekend, with activities both at Jacob Myers Park and on the Riverbank High School campus.

The Riverbank Parks and Recreation Department hosted an alien-themed Haunted Hayride through the western trail at Jacob Myers Park on Friday and Saturday evenings, Oct. 25 and 26, with participants riding through the dark in open trailers pulled by Parks pickup trucks, past a number of scare sites.

Rented construction lighting generators lit up the park, normally closed after dark, as crowds lined up for the ride and a number of youngsters played on the playground equipment while waiting their turn.

On Sunday afternoon, Oct. 27, the RHS Athletic Booster Club hosted a Fall Carnival and “Booth or Treat” event at the western parking lot on the Riverbank High School campus.

Scheduled from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m., the event featured fun family games, food trucks and booths, a variety of vendors, a photo booth, bounce houses, a DJ and much more. And costumes were encouraged.

Proceeds were intended to go to RHS athletic and academic programs.