Officer’s Circle was transformed into Officer’s Hollow, a pumpkin- and cobweb-covered festival put together for 400 boys and girls looking for a scare and sugary treats Saturday.
“It’s fun for kids, and it was pretty cheap to put together,” said Kim Jorgensen, a sophomore pre-nursing major who dressed as a ghost.
However, Officer’s Circle’s doors hosted its Halloween festivities with limitations. The houses had to have a proper amount of light, free of stressful effects such as strobe lights, and should entertain children, not scare them.
Officer’s Circle residents still found unique ways to make the event fun for kids.
Pirate Cove, or the Kennecott House, welcomed Jack Sparrows and mummies alike to crawl their way through weaving cardboard tunnels, large enough for parents to join in.
“My favorite part was the explosion,” said one girl dressed as a ladybug. The eruption the trick-or-treater was referring to is the Mad Scientist House’s “Old Faithful” show. With the kids safely on the sidewalk, members of the Crocker Science House went out into the street and manipulated the inner pressure of a two-liter Coke bottle, causing its contents to shoot nine feet into the air.
Hogwarts, aka the Bennion Service House, hung hoops from tree branches for kids to simulate goal-scoring Quidditch shots, taking home fistfuls of treats instead of a tournament trophy.
Besides the open Officer’s Circle houses, the Social Work’s Student Advisory Committee occupied the lawn with face painting, a rubber duck pond and a balloon artist, among other activities, for kids to enjoy.
Officer’s Hollow was started four years ago by Elise Miller, a dance teacher for disadvantaged children at the Virginia Tanner Creative Dance Program.
At the time, Miller was a resident of the Bennion Service House and was inspired in part by her own experience.
“I’m epileptic, so I can’t go into haunted houses because of the lights and things like that,” she said. She created a safe environment for kids with disabilities to have their own Halloween fun.
The event was originally for disabled and disadvantaged children, but now the event is open to everyone.