Haunted Hall scares up thrills

When hearing the word “Halloween,” each person thinks of different words and celebrations to define the holiday.

For many people, candy is at the core of the festivities. UW-River Falls does a great job at turning the campus into a fun and safe environment for anyone looking to celebrate the spooky holiday.

If candy and making children happy is what makes students most excited for Halloween, then having a room in one of the residence halls is great because children will be coming to Trick-or-Treat on Wednesday, Oct. 30.

However, there are the people on the opposite side of the spectrum who cannot wait to be scared out of their minds. For those students, Grimm Hall is the place to be on Halloween.

Home to freshman and sophomores, Grimm takes pride in the Haunted Hall that it puts together each year. The event has gone on for over 10 years and has sparked interest all over the campus.

“I’m really excited to see what the Haunted Hall is all about,” said Breanna Blake, who lives in Johnson Hall.

Luring in people with the colorful posters that are hung around campus, the Resident Assistants (RA) take pride in the fact that they worked together to create them.

“It’s the excitement and thrill of being scared that the people get from going through the hall that makes them want to come,” said Grimm RA Andy Klanderman.

To make the event possible, Grimm, and its neighbor McMillan Hall, have been planning the event for about a month and a half, and have almost 50 to 60 volunteers working to make it happen.

The complex director of both McMillan and Grimm, along with RAs from both halls, have taken the time to search out residents who are interested in helping, compiling costumes and finding the best decorations.

The complex director, RAs and the residents are in charge of setting up for the event, running it and scaring the many people that will go through the hall. Each and every one of them are looking forward to the time when they can see all of their hard work finally pay off.

Anna Doran, another RA in Grimm, said that what she is looking forward to most is being able to scare people.

Not only is the event exciting for the people who have been planning it for quite some time, but it is also exciting for the students who live in the building. The RAs used this event as a way to get some of the residents more involved in the place they call home.

There were sign-up sheets posted for the residents who were interested in helping out with the ghoulish activities as a way to get them involved. By volunteering in such a unique experience, the students are able to make friendships by working with others that will last them a life time.

The Haunted Hall will begin at 8 p.m. and go until 10 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 31. The event is open to the public; however, the event is not suitable for children. The coordinators are asking for a $2 entry fee or a nonperishable food item. They are also asking for hygienic products.

Annalissa Swanson, the complex director of Grimm and McMillan, said that the donations and the money the hall will make is her favorite part because it is all going to somewhere special.

“I am really looking forward to donating all of the proceeds and canned food/hygiene items to Turning Point after we are done. I know they are going to appreciate it so much,” Swanson said.

Turning Point is an organization that helps victims of domestic or sexual violence. The people behind the Haunted Hall are ecstatic to be able to not only create an event that is fun for the community, but helps out others as well.