There was something different at the Psi Upsilon fraternity house this Halloween weekend. The drink of choice was apple cider, the Chique Chaque dining tables were conspicuously absent and the fraternity was completely devoid of red plastic cups.
Not a trick, this change may have been a treat for Middletown’s kids who visited the Haunted Castle.
The Haunted Castle opened its doors at 5:00 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and continued giving tours until 9:00 p.m. Visitors from campus and the community were treated to a journey through Psi U’s graveyard, the hall of the spirits and the crypt, which Wesleyan students might otherwise know as the dance floor.
“We intended to open our house to the rest of Middletown. It was a beneficial opportunity for both the brothers and the local kids,” said Psi U president Tobias Wasser ’06, adding that community service is one of the fraternity’s four guiding principle. “We had a chance to rent some equipment and put on a show, and we decided to go for it. This is part of our larger effort to give something back to the community.”
The fraternity’s main floor was filled with lights and props to create the atmosphere. To complete the imagery, a mysterious black-shrouded “guide” ushered the thrill-seekers through halls filled with eerie music.
At appropriately terrifying moments, brothers in costumes emerged from darkness to shriek or grab an unsuspecting leg. Although the event was not high-tech, these sudden appearances caused mothers and children alike to emit high-pitched squeaks of fright.
Over the weekend, about 20 families toured the Haunted Castle. Some children complained that it should have been longer than ten minutes, but one boy staunchly defended the experience to his dissatisfied mother. Another child broke into tears before he even began the tour and one rather disgruntled adult couple didn’t understand that this was a children’s activity, but generally people enjoyed the event.
To advertise the event, the fraternity sponsored ads in the local schools and papers inviting children from the community to come to the Haunted Castle for a terrifying tour. With the aid of a number of props, costumes and lights rented by cook and property manager Ed Dunham, a local Cromwell resident, many brothers and a few pledges gathered to show the local children a scarily good time.
This is the first year since 2001 that Psi Upsilon has hosted this event, but most brothers agreed that it was a success. Some said they hoped to host the Haunted Castle again next year.
Max Vargas ’06, a Psi U brother, helped plan the event. He said he believes that this event could become an important part of Middletown’s Halloween celebrations.
“I think that if we keep doing this, it will become a tradition for these kids. Hopefully they enjoy it this year, and [will] come back again.”
The program was sponsored by the Office of Residential Life.
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