Abigail Dunagan, Campus Carrier arts and living editor
With Halloween just around the corner, various student groups and organizations at Berry College are preparing to host a number of Halloween events. The Scary Berry haunted trail, the Oak Hill haunted tours and KCAB’s Halloween Bash are a few of the events that students, staff and Rome residents can look forward to in the coming week.
Scary Berry is an annual haunted trail that is hosted by the Block and Bridle club. The event starts at Herman Hall, and a hayride takes guests from the parking lot to the walking trail behind the animal barns. The trail will consist of five sections: spiders, zombies, clowns, total darkness, and serial killers. Scary Berry will take place on Oct. 27 at 7:00 p.m.
Sophomore Mary Claire Lill is the co-president of Block and Bridle. Lill participated in Scary Berry last year as a volunteer clown actor. This year she will be the leader of the zombie section. According to Lill, the event needs around 30- 40 volunteers to run, and it can be difficult finding enough scare actors. Scary Berry is one of the only Block and Bridle fundraisers, and funds from the event ticket sales go to the Battle on the Mountain Rodeo, agricultural week and the national Block and Bridle convention that students attend. Planning for Scary Berry begins about a month in advance, and preparation involved clearing the trail, decorating and organizing the concessions. Lill said that she enjoys getting to know the other student volunteers during the event.
“You are just out there in the woods for five hours, so you have plenty of time to talk to the people in your section and get to know them,” Lill said. “Last year it was a really good time.”
The Oak Hill and Martha Berry Museum will be hosting the annual haunted history tours. These will be guided walking tours around the Berry campus, and guests will hear various ghost stories from Berry College history, and Appalachian folklore. The tours will take place on Oct. 27-29, starting at 6 p.m., 7 p.m., 9 p.m., 10 p.m. and 12 a.m. Guests will check in near the College Chapel.
Sophomore Bailey Casey is the educational outreach assistant of the museum, and she also works to coordinate the specialty Oak Hill tours. According to Casey, along with the previous stories, three new scary stories have been added to the tour. Casey said that her favorite part is giving the tours, but she is able to drive the bus and check guests in when needed. Some of the tour locations are Martha Berry’s grave, Roosevelt Cabin and Possum Trot. The tours are an opportunity for guests to learn more about the history of Berry College.
“Even if it is just from a silly little ghost story, you learn the history of where you are,” Casey said. “It is also just fun, and I want people to have that Halloween spirit.”
On Oct. 28 at 8:00 p.m., the Krannert Center Activities Board (KCAB) will hold the annal Halloween Bash on the Krannert lawn. This is an event for Berry students to dress up in costumes and celebrate Halloween. This year, there will be horror animatronics, crafts, games, a dance floor and a costume competition.
Director of Student Involvement David Eller helps supervise the planning of this event. According to Eller, the planning of the Halloween Bash is done primarily by KCAB student workers. Eller said that one of the most challenging parts of planning for this event is making sure that the student organizers can stay focused on classes during event planning.
“One of my focuses is making sure that the students aren’t burning out,” Eller said. “These students at KCAB put a lot of work into the events that they hold.”
Eller said he encourages all students to take advantage of the various Halloween events that are hosted on campus. Between the crafts, dancing and costumes there is something that every student can enjoy.
“I think Halloween is a time to have fun” Eller said. “If you want to dress up and be someone different for night, you have that option.”