University students decorated their houses and dormitories with ghouls, spider webs and pumpkins in anticipation of the Middletown youth who went trick or treating across campus Tuesday night. Approximately 20 children showed up in an assortment of costumes with empty pillowcases and plastic-pumpkins to collect their favorite candies and treats as part of an annual program called Halloween Halls.
Vladrose Petit-Frere ’05, the coordinator of the program, sent flyers out earlier this month to fourth, fifth and sixth graders in Middletown schools advertising the event. Parents and younger siblings of the elementary school kids were also encouraged to participate.
Halloween Halls was originally conceived as “a way of building ties with the community and making positive strides in way of that relationship,” according to Petit-Frere.
“It went very well; the children had an amazing time,” said Petit-Frere. “The turnout was great and Wesleyan students really had a fun time spending some time with the kids.”
Eric Latch ’08, a volunteer, participated in the program for the opportunity to interact with children in the community.
“I feel like it is a good way of building a strong bond with the Middletown community. It is important that we continue to foster this relationship,” Latch said.
The housing facilities that took part in Halloween Halls were the Butterfields, Hewitt, Hi Rise, Lo Rise, Clark, Westco, Nicholson and Japanese House. Escorted by a group of Wesleyan volunteers and parents, the children also stopped by off-campus houses on their trick-or-treat trail.
Another volunteer with Halloween Halls, Tom Volgenau ’08, said he really enjoyed the opportunity to help celebrate the holiday with the children.
“The kids looked like they really enjoyed it,” Volgenau said. “They grabbed a lot of candy and it was fun seeing the kids have a good time. The parents looked tired by the end of the night though.”
According to Petit-Frere, it is not only the kids who enjoy the Halloween Halls program; parents look forward to the event, too.
“[The] parents love it because it is a set amount of time in a confined area where the children will get a lot of candy in a short time,” Petit-Frere said. Prior to trick-or-treating, volunteers and participating families gathered at a meet-and-greet dinner at Middletown Emblem Club #452.
Halloween Halls is an annual program that takes place on the Tuesday preceding Halloween. The event is scheduled before the actual holiday so as not to conflict with the other Halloween events at the University.
The event is sponsored by the Office of Residential Life and the Office of Community Service.
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