Downtown San Jose bars get into the Halloween spirit

Don’t be surprised if you run into “Halloween” movie killer Michael Myers at O’Flaherty’s Pub in downtown San Jose. The masked slasher is all over the San Pedro Square bar — just one of several watering holes downtown with themes of spooky movies and TV shows to get patrons into the Halloween spirit (or spirits, I guess).

Besides O’Flaherty’s, other San Pedro Square bars owned by the Nuvo Hospitality group have gotten into the fun. Walking into tiki bar Dr. Funk Rum House puts you in a scary circus in line with the cult horror comedy flick, “Killer Klowns from Outer Space,” while Five Points bar has taken its decor cue from “It,” with Pennywise the Clown and quite a few red balloons around.

Arcade bar MiniBoss has transformed itself into “Nightmare on Second Street,” with a ton of scary decorations, while 55 South on Post Street is getting into a creepy 1980s vibe with “Stranger Drinks.” (If you have to think about that one too long, that means the Netflix hype machine for the new season of “Stranger Things” isn’t doing its job.)

There are also themed drink menus to go with the spooky decor at each place. You can leave it to your own taste to decide if something like O’Flaherty’s “The Shape” — with Irish whiskey, brown sugar and “bloody” whipped cream — is a treat or a trick.

PARKING SPOTS: Given how important parking in downtown San Jose is to visitors, residents and business owners, you’d think that the city’s Downtown Parking Board would be a hot ticket. Not so, says Dave Heindel, the owner of HotWorx gym on Santa Clara Street. He serves as an at-large representative on the board, which has had five of its six meetings since June 2024 cancelled, usually because there isn’t a quorum.

The board has seven designated seats, but only five are currently filled — and if two of those five can’t make a meeting, it gets cancelled. The open seats, which are officially appointed by the city council, are for a downtown resident and an at-large member.

It doesn’t help that navigating the city’s website can be harder than finding a parking spot downtown during a Sharks game. The shortcut is to go to www.sanjoseca.gov and search for “downtown parking board.”

DIWALI FOR ALL: Downtown San Jose will have its first-ever Diwali celebration Saturday at Plaza de Cesar Chavez, and the Association of Indo Americans — which is producing the event — is estimating about 25,000 people might come out for the free holiday celebration.

Singer and YouTube sensation Vidya Vox is the headliner for the event, which runs from 3 to 9 p.m. and will also include Bollywood dancing, a fashion show, food and lots of glowing lights. You can get more information at www.aiaevents.org.

Gumby Marques, interim CEO of the San Jose Downtown Association, said the theme is “Diwali for All,” with the clear message being that everyone is welcome to take part. “You don’t have to be Irish to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, you don’t have to be German to celebrate Oktoberfest and you need not be Indian to enjoy Diwali,” Marques said.

MILESTONE MAKEOVER: It’s been 15 years since the Butter Paddle opened in its current location in Los Gatos, and the members of the nonprofit EMQ Auxiliary are having an open house Saturday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. to celebrate. They’ll also be showing off the store’s new look after undergoing a refresh just in time for holiday shoppers.

The festivities will include live music and refreshments at 33 N. Santa Cruz Ave., where the store specializes in gifts from local and women-owned businesses. The Butter Paddle originally opened in 1967 in Saratoga and moved to Los Gatos in 2015. It continues to support Pacific Clinics, which was known for a long time as Eastfield Ming Quong and continues to provide mental health and social services to at-risk kids and families in Santa Clara County.

“The Butter Paddle is more than a gift store. It’s been a labor of love, powered by generations of volunteers,” EMQ Auxiliary President Shirley Frantz said. “We’ve watched this community rally around our mission to uplift vulnerable children and families.”