Surrounded by fake spiders and streamers reading, “Enter at your own risk,” children of all ages got to trick-or-treat and participate in Halloween-themed activities on Sunday from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Trick-or Treat for Tots in Luntsford and West residence halls.
Forty children, along with parents and grandparents, attended the event in their Halloween costumes. Children were able to walk through the halls of Luntsford and West with members of the hall council and trick-or-treat for candy from designated rooms.
Both residence halls offered activities after the children finished touring the halls. At Luntsford, children enjoyed coloring activities and a photo booth set up in their lobby. At West, children listened to Halloween music, ate snacks, played games and showed off their artistic abilities at a cookie decorating station.
The trick-or treat portion of the event lasted two hours, while the last hour focused on the activities.
Director of Undergraduate Admissions Heather Levesque said she brings her children to this event every year, and she has attended it for several years now. Levesque emails everyone she knows about this event to get people to come.
“It’s awesome,” Levesque said. “This is always a great event. I’m always very impressed that college students will come out, buy candy and entertain our children. It’s always nice because you can be inside, so if it’s raining or cold, then it doesn’t matter. So, it’s a great experience. Everyone is so friendly and nice as well.”
Luntsford and West residents volunteered to decorate their rooms for children to come trick-or-treat. Residents were also allowed to wear costumes, but they were not required to. Twenty-eight rooms in Luntsford and 10 rooms in West participated in the event.
“It’s really fun,” said Tori Schicker, Residence Hall Association liaison for the Luntsford-West Community Council. “It’s cute to see the younger kids say, ‘Thank you!’ and they get so excited when they see their favorite candy.”
Schicker said even the parents got excited when they saw their favorite candy.
The event was hosted by Luntsford-West Community Council, and decorations were donated by the Residence Hall Association. Five resident advisors and nine hall council members helped decorate, give the trick-or-treat tours and directed the activity stations.
“I really enjoy being around kids, and I love these kinds of events,” said Carrington Gambrell said, Luntsford-West Community Council president. “You know, I’m really sad that I don’t get to be home for Halloween to do trick-or-treating, so this is kind of like my way of doing that anyways.”
Residence Director for Luntsford and West Halls Mikayla Shippey has helped organize the event for the past two years. She said it is a traditional event in Luntsford hall.
“I love how involved the residents get,” Shippey said. “Like they get so excited about being able to do something with kids and families that come and being able not just to interact and be out and do something in their own rooms but also to do something with the community.”
