ONLINE EXCLUSIVE BY ELLEN KOESTER
You only have to look to the holiday section of department stores to see the truth: Halloween is about to come and go. Stores are phasing out black cats and ghost decorations and phasing in Christmas trees and stockings.
One way students could cling to the night of costumes, candy and creepy chills was by attending the Halloween Creativity Fair on Oct. 26 from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.
The fair, held in Meredith 124C, provided a space for students to come and participate in some holiday-themed crafts.
Students were encouraged to decorate gourds and small pumpkins to work through their creative juices. Coloring pages were available for students with other less messy interests. Glue and paint tended to coat the hands of the pumpkin decorators.
It was set up by the Entrepreneur Center, which is trying to hold monthly creative events.
Stephanie Cardwell is the administrative assistant with the Center.
“We are trying to get students to work together from across campus. These events provide a break from their academic work. It’s also to bring more arts into entrepreneurship,” Cardwell said.
Besides the crafts, food and drinks were in ready supply for students. The center provided apple cider and hot chocolate as well as cookies and donuts. There was also little Halloween candies that Cardwell picked up from Dollar Tree.
Freshman Ellen Reter said she liked the pumpkin decorating station the best.
“I get to paint,” she said. “There is nowhere else to do this unless you’re in an art class.”
Besides painting, students could glue googly eyes, straws, Popsicle sticks, pretend bugs and more to their pumpkins or gourds.
“I enjoy fun Halloween activities in a really fun, chill environment,” said sophomore Taylor Sellers. “I enjoy the pumpkins and painting the pumpkins.”
For Sellers, Halloween has always been a favorite holiday.
“Halloween has always been big in my family and we’ve always celebrated it,” she said. “It’s great to have activities I can do even though I’m not at home.”
Sellers came at the behest of her roommate, junior Rebecca Banger.
Banger has come to innovation events in the past and likes the program. One of the event’s bigger selling points for Banger is its convenience.
“I think it’s very easy to come to. You can just drop in and come as you please,” Banger said. “Students of all major and all schedules are able to come.”
This is the second event of the year, the first event pulling in 70 people in attendance. There will be another creative event on Nov. 16 in which journalism professor Chris Snider will hold a digital technology workshop.
Cardwell said there will also be an event on dead day (December 9) with food and relaxing activities such as coloring and puzzles. She hinted that she is working to get a special guest in attendance in the form of a furry friend.
