I have to admit, as a kid I never really liked Halloween much. My neighbors were the types who gave out old pennies and ‘bit-o-honey” bars as treats, and my mother was as unenthusiastic a costume provider as they come (meaning that every Oct. 30, my brother and I were scrambling at Party City for any costume better than the ‘French maid” and ‘hippie” ones inevitably left over). It wasn’t until high school, when I wowed my fellow students with a dress-code-violating ‘Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century” costume, that I began to understand that Halloween is about much more than just trick-or-treating. It is actually the master excuse for dressing scantily and consuming too many calories. That is why Halloween, in the end, is really for college students more than anyone else. And the UR community certainly keeps this in mind when making plans for Halloween, providing not only the expected frat parties and general drunkenness, but also quite a few interesting ways to celebrate the more traditional trick-or-treat aspects of the holiday. Below are some of the highlights.
Rush Rhees Scare Fair: Friday, Oct. 31 from 2 to 5 p.m. There is definitely something creepy about the library (especially that part of the stacks where the lights turn off on you). It makes perfect sense, then, to hold a scavenger hunt and a tour of the tower on Halloween. Even if it doesn’t sound particularly scary, it should be interesting, and there will be a whole host of student groups providing entertainment in the lobby, including UR Bhangra, Fencing, In Between the Lines Comedy Improv Troupe and Ballroom Dance Club, as well as a costume contest at the circulation desk (for those of you who had the sense to go to Party City early).
Pumpkin Launch Competition: Friday, Oct. 31 at 2 p.m. For a more scientific approach to Halloween, head to Wilson Quad, where the UR chapter of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers will be launching pumpkins from catapults and air cannons. Teams of students will be competing for the best accuracy and distance. Hot cider and T-shirts will also be available.
Halloween Films Presented by the Cinema Group: This weekend, the Cinema Group will be showing two Halloween classics in Hoyt Auditorium, both of which should be excellent preludes to the mayhem that will be taking place later that night. On Friday, for a more traditional horror movie, try the free midnight showing of ‘A Nightmare on Elm Street.” On Saturday, for those who would prefer a more comedic take, there will be three separate showings of ‘Beetlejuice” at 7, 9 and 11 p.m.
Halo-Halloween Pre-Bash at Community Learning Center: There will be a lot going on at CLC this weekend, but if you’d like to start the Halloween festivities a day early, check out the Thursday Halo-Halloween party sponsored by the Filipino American Student Association. Along with dancing, there will be face-painting, bobbing for apples, pie in the face and a psychic corner. Additionally, there will be plentiful amounts of the traditional Filipino dessert, Halo-halo, from which the name of the event is derived.
CLC and Drama House Present: CarnEVIL: The festivities at CLC continue on Friday, this time with three live bands WALRI, On Beyond Penguin and The KJB all comprised of past or current UR students. It should be one of many good stops on the Fraternity Quad that night.
Kiss ‘ Tell Trick or Treat: Lambda Upsilon Lambda Fraternity, which has members from both UR and Rochester Institute of Technology, will be sponsoring a party at the Drama House on Friday. There will be two DJs for two floors; the cost is $3 with a costume and $5 without.
These events should make for a weekend of debauchery and mischief that should live up to the true spirit of the holiday.
Just remember you can get away with anything if you say it’s a costume (feel free to borrow my Zenon concept). And don’t eat any candy that hasn’t been carefully checked by your parents.
Healy is a member of the class of 2011.
