On Halloween night, miniature supermen, mermaids and minions journeyed through the eight buildings of the KE apartments, each decorated according to a different theme.
Starting in Phi-Chi, trick-or-treaters and their parents followed pawprints up to the second floor, where music from “The Lion King” played and the walls were draped with paper vines. From the doorways of apartments, student volunteers greeted the visitors with smiles and bowls of candy. From there, the flow of children descended into the circle where a fall-themed photo-station and table with drinks, donut holes, and bags of popcorn waited for them. The next stop was Zeta-Lambda, where a group of pirates asked visitors if they could help find Dory. After journeying through hallways filled with the music of the Beach Boys and blue light, they found Dory waiting for them with more candy.
All the buildings displayed this same level of creativity. Kappa, whose theme was based on the not-yet released Disney movie “Moana,” featured a river of lava that guests had to step from stone to stone to get across safely. In Gamma, visitors were met with the well-known theme music of “Star Wars” while they stepped through hallways lit by black lights and decorated with spaceships. Delta’s “Tangled” theme enchanted visitors as they followed Rapunzel’s long braid along a hallway aglow with lanterns hung from the ceiling. The hallways of Alpha were full of cubic trees and bushes for their Minecraft theme. In Beta, students dressed as friendly monsters as part of their “Monsters University” theme, and Theta-Epsilon featured everything superhero-related with costumed students and walls covered in a city-scape. In the end, children voted for Delta’s “Tangled” theme came in first, and Gamma’s “Star Wars” in second as “Best Decorated Building.”
Robin Zylstra, the department assistant for student life, was one of the main facilitators of Light in The Night along with Assistant KE Area Coordinator Rachel Hamilton and KE Area Coordinator Jason Shaffer.
“This was our 22nd year holding this event,” Zylstra said. “Our goal is to give an opportunity for people to come and get a glimpse of Calvin and our campus. We want to be good neighbors and this event brings together students, staff, and faculty to help make this night fun and successful.”
Student volunteers, like junior Jack Bell, had a lot of fun with the event:
“Seeing the kids laugh, and having fun talking and high-fiving them, was definitely my favorite part of the night. My favorite costume of the night was a little boy who was actually dressed up as a mailbox. He stored his candy in the front part of his costume, complete with a opening door.”
Not only does Light in the Night provide a fun, safe experience for kids and students alike, but each child that came to the event was asked to bring canned food to donate to Mel Trotter Ministries, contributing to the health of the wider community.
