Halloweenpalooza II launches Friday
By LARRY PETERSON - CNA assistant managing editor lpeterson@crestonnews.com
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| Junior Amber Davison helps carve a pumpkin at the first Halloweenpalooza in 2008. (Contributed photo) |
Local youths can get a jump on trick-or-treating by attending a carnival-like event Friday at Creston High School.
Approximately one-quarter of the high school’s student body will be involved in “Halloweenpalooza,” a myriad of games and activities to kick off the Halloween weekend. School is dismissed for the day following parent-teacher conferences on Thursday.
All students in preschool through fifth grade are invited to the event to be held 2 to 4 p.m. in the high school commons and areas surrounding Creston High School. The event is a service-learning venture by students in Environmental And Spatial Technology (EAST) classes at CHS.
“We had nearly 300 people at our inaugural event last year,” said Shawn Miller, CHS technology teacher. “This year we expect about 80 of our EAST students to be involved, and we will have other students helping out so we’ll probably have about 90 to 100 overall.”
Miller said putting on the event serves as a way to introduce community involvement.
“As a service project, it’s a chance for us to give something back to the community in a fun atmosphere,” Miller said, “and it’s relatively cheap to put together.”
Named after “Lollapolooza,” a national touring music festival featuring a variety of music genres, comedy performances and craft booths, the high school event likewise offers many fun activities for children. Admission is $1 per child, with no charge for accompanying adults.
Activities include pumpkin carving, pumpkin painting, face painting, caramel apple making, (fake) tattoo parlor, coloring booth, ring toss and many others.
“Last year more than 125 pumpkins were carved and painted, and nearly 500 tattoos were administered,” Miller said.
In the gym, activities will include the Twister game in a Halloween-based version, ring toss game with prizes, sack races, and a “challenge a high-schooler” area where youths can try their luck in contests such as hoola-hoop, cartwheels and jump rope against older students.
A new feature this year outside in front of the school is a haunted maze, which includes hay bales and other partitions under a tent, with youngsters trying to make their way through.
“We will lead small groups out to it and back so it’s not chaos out there,” Miller said. “They’ll get a prize, or a cookie, if they successfully navigate the maze.”
Halloween music, apple cider and face painting will complete the holiday-oriented event one night before local trick-or-treating. Several local businesses and organizations have donatd items for the event.
“A lot of our (high school) students don’t have little brothers and sisters,” Miller said. “We talk a lot about being a good role model and setting good examples. We know they look up to the high school kids. The whole premise behind this is to broker relationships with people of different age groups. Parents and grandparents are welcome.”
While setting up the outdoor maze, Miller said he’s had his eye on the weather forecast.
“We”re praying for no rain Friday,” he said, smiling.
