By: Asena Acar Staff Writer
Halloween-themed Fall Carnival brings thrills and fun to MC!
BOO! Happy Halloween! This seemed to be the theme at the Student Senate’s Fall Festival held October 31, at Montgomery College. With all the Halloween decorations hanging on people’s houses and people dressed up in costumes at school, it seemed like everyone was ready to light up the jack-o-lanterns and start handing out candy to the cute little trick-or-treaters.
Starting with the “Spin for a Prize” wheel in the library, there was fun around every corner. The library’s wheel allowed students to spin for a small prize, like a coupon for a free 20 oz. drink from the MC cafeteria. Students also had the option of drawing from a bucket to win a W.E.P.A. card for $5 worth of printing in the library.
Walking out of the library, one could catch the mouth-watering smell of burgers and hot dogs being cooked on a barbecue. For just a small price, students could purchase a hamburger or hot dog with chips and a drink for a delicious lunch while enjoying the festival. We cannot forget the sweets though! There was plenty of candy to go around, and free cotton candy and popcorn at the festival that students could munch on. Who could say no to that?
Even though some people believe that adults are too old for trick-or-treating, no one is too old to dress up in a costume right? There were students walking all around the festival dressed up in different costumes. There was a pair of students walking together dressed up as popular videogame characters, Mario and Luigi. Another student, dressed up as Luigi, was by himself, leaving people wondering, “Where is his Mario?” Another student was the Joker from “Batman.” Dressing up did not stop at the students though. A female security guard was even in the Halloween spirit, with red Devil’s horns sticking out of her head, literally!
What’s another fun thing to do for Halloween? Pumpkin carving! Six pumpkins were set up on a table next to where food was being served, and students were able to just walk up to the table and carve a pumpkin to keep. “Pumpkin carving was fantastic. I didn’t buy a pumpkin this year so it was cool to get to carve one for free. I ended up putting the jack-o-lantern on my porch Halloween night,” said first-year student Abbey Austin.
Another popular event was palm reading. With a huge line of students, the palm reader right next to the pumpkin carving table was pretty busy. Apparently, there were many students who wanted their palms read in order to determine their futures. Well, when the future is full of questions, why not try and find out the answer to some of those long anticipated ones?
The event that seemed to be the most popular was the henna tattoos. According to “http://www.earthhenna.com,” henna is made from a flowering plant called a “mignonette tree,” and henna tattoos usually last for approximately three weeks. Henna is a tradition that began centuries ago. Pharaohs of the 1200s used them to dye their hair and nails. Apparently, it is still popular today since this table probably had the biggest line of all. “I liked getting a henna tattoo. It’s something I’ve never done before,” said Austin. With the popularity of the henna tattoo, it is almost hard to believe that some have never gotten a henna tattoo before!
Members of Montgomery College’s own literary magazine, the “Red Jacket,” used the fall festival to advertise the magazine with a table of their own. Passing by, one could see a large poster board with writing and art samples in addition to past issues of the “Red Jacket.” They even had an email list that students could sign up with to receive updates and information regarding the Red Jacket. One of the members present at the table was even wearing a mask that showed her Halloween spirit! What a way to catch the attention of passers-by.
Got strong arms? Then, the “Test Your Strength” event was one that probably appealed to you the most. Students could win prizes if they had the right amount of arm strength to score high on the strength scale. This was located right next to the basketball event, where students could shoot a basketball and win prizes for that as well.
Where did this idea come from in the first place? A blog posted on the “Student Bloggers” page on Montgomery College’s website by Amanda Merkle is a possible source. “Why doesn’t Montgomery College host a fall festival? I know Montgomery College has a lot of activities, fundraisers, and programs (probably much more) going on, but it would be refreshing to have a festival for the students and the community,” said Merkle on her blog. If this really was the source of the idea for a fall festival, it was a really good idea! Many people seemed to enjoy this year’s festival!