Spooky Beats and Float Building Launch Homecoming Week
Los Altos, CA · October 24, 2026
Pumpkin paint is barely dry over at the community center, and the high school gym is already cueing up speakers for tonight's homecoming dance. Clear skies and mild afternoon sunshine make it an easy Saturday to linger outside.
The Lead
Los Altos High School is launching its annual Homecoming festivities tonight under the banner of "Haunted HOCO," setting off an autumn tradition that sweeps from campus straight onto downtown pavement. Tonight’s dance from 6:00 to 9:00 PM marks the official curtain-raiser for student spirit week, but the neighborhood impact gathers momentum over the coming days.
Across campus, class councils are already assembling timber frames and chicken wire for their class floats. Each grade level is preparing an elaborate moving installation designed to turn heads when the student body marches down Main Street for the community parade on Friday afternoon. For local merchants and families lining the curbs, the decades-old tradition turns the commercial core into an open-air pep rally. Float construction shifts into high gear tomorrow afternoon in neighborhood garages across town.
Local Pulse
New Coast Live Oak Graces Rinconada Court Parks Public works crews planted a sturdy young live oak this week to succeed the fallen neighborhood landmark tree.
State Street Market Expands Downtown Dining Options Business Fresh stall concepts and local craft pours offer new indoor dining choices as autumn gatherings ramp up.
Today's Outlook
- High 74°F · Low 50°F — Clear
- Enjoy pristine sunshine today, but keep a lightweight sweater handy once the evening chills.
What's On Around Town
Today
Family Fun Day: Halloween Hoopla Los Altos Community Center (97 Hillview Ave), 10:00 AM–1:00 PM · Free Costume crafts, seasonal games, and scavenger hunts for local families.
Getting Started in Genealogy Los Altos Library (13 S San Antonio Rd), 10:00–11:00 AM · Free Archival research strategies and records guidance for tracing family history.
Furry Friends Reading Buddies Los Altos Library (13 S San Antonio Rd), 2:30–3:30 PM · Free Young readers practice aloud with gentle, certified therapy companion dogs.
Silicon Valley Whisk(e)y Festival Elks Lodge #1471 (4249 El Camino Real), Palo Alto, 3:00–6:00 PM · Paid Regional distillers, rare pours, and live acoustic music across the afternoon.
Youth Vespers and Fall Festival Orthodox Church of the Redeemer (380 Magdalena Ave), 4:00–8:00 PM · Free Pumpkin carving, bouncy houses, and casual dinner for neighborhood youth.
Tomorrow
- HEAD WEST Marketplace State Street, 11:00 AM–5:00 PM · Free
- Sfumato Quintet and String Sextet Los Altos United Methodist Church (655 Magdalena Ave), 2:30 PM · Free
- Concert at the Cave Jesuit Retreat Center of Los Altos (300 Manresa Way), 4:00–7:00 PM · Paid
Monday
- Now Read This Book Club Los Altos Library (13 S San Antonio Rd), Noon–1:30 PM · Free
- After-School Homework Help Los Altos Library (13 S San Antonio Rd), 4:00–5:30 PM · Free
Spotlight & Story
- Chef Chu's
- When Lawrence Chu took over a former coin laundromat at San Antonio and El Camino in 1970, he planned an ambitious fast-food franchise. Instead, he built an institution where signed photos of international dignitaries line the foyer beside plates of sizzling chicken salad.
Los Altos Daily Digest — compiled from local sources every morning. For breaking updates, follow your local newsrooms.
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