Penn State clubs and organizations celebrate Halloween in a myriad of ways this year. From the epitome of Halloween scariness — a haunted house — to a twist on traditional trick-or-treating by turning it into a humanitarian effort, to a tuba euphonium ensemble dressing up and jamming to fun Halloween tunes, there is definitely something for everyone.
The Penn State Tuba Euphonium Ensemble will celebrate Halloween this year with “Tubaween” at 8 p.m. Monday at Esber Recital Hall in Music Building I. A reception will follow the concert and admission for the event is free.
“Tubaween is the pinnacle of OcTUBAfest,” said Luke Gall, president of Tuba Euphonium Ensemble.
“OcTUBAfest” consists of about 10 performances during October ranging from large recitals to smaller studio recitals, and Tubaween is the grand finale,” Gall (senior-music education) said.
“It’s more of a production than a concert,” said Ryan Bulgarelli, a member of Tuba Euphonium Ensemble.
The 19 members of Tuba Euphonium Ensemble will dress up in costumes and perform various Halloween pieces such as Michael Jackson’s “Thriller,” Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” and George Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue.”
“Thriller” will feature dancers doing the dance from the classic music video.
The auditorium will be decorated with fake cobwebs and gravestones with a big “Tubaween” banner, Bulgarelli (senior-music education) said.
“If you come to Tubaween you’re going to hear great music, played really well. It’s a fun way to celebrate the Halloween spirit,” Gall said.
While many will participate in the fun, light-hearted aspects of Halloween, some students will use the holiday to make a difference.
The Penn State chapter of UNICEF, a campus initiative group, plans to Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF from 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday.
The Penn State chapter fundraises for the United Nations Children’s Fund and raises awareness on campus about issues affecting children around the world, said Marina Burka.
Burka (sophomore-human geography) is the president of UNICEF at Penn State.
The Penn State chapter of UNICEF, which became an organization last year, will be trick-or-treating for UNICEF for a second year.
“Kids helping kids” is the slogan for UNICEF’s Trick-or-Treating campaign. Children go trick-or-treating but instead of asking for candy, they ask for coins for their UNICEF boxes, Burka said.
Last year, the organization had 20 to 30 members, in costumes, seeking donations in various State College-area neighborhoods.
The Penn State chapter of UNICEF would eventually like to have Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF established in the community so that children would go with their schools or even members of Penn State’s UNICEF chapter, if possible, Burka said.
“[There’s] a need for greater global awareness,” she said.
Students interested in the blood and gore of Halloween can still find some good old-fashioned Halloween scare, though.
The Penn State Forensic Science Club and Theme Park Engineering Group will host a Haunted House in Pine and Spruce cottages on campus. The Haunted House will be open from 8 to 11 p.m. Thurs., Oct. 25, Fri., Oct. 26 and Sun., Oct. 28. The cost for the event is $4.99 per person.
The theme for the haunted house is “Haunted Hospital.”
Theme Park Engineering Group, participating in the haunted house for the first time, was looking for on-campus projects. They reached out to Forensic Science Club about helping with the Halloween event, said Chris Duarte, vice-president of Theme Park Engineering Group.
The engineering group will provide and set up lighting and audio affects. Each room has a unique theme and they are trying to match the audio specifically to each room, Duarte (senior-architectural engineering) said.
It will take about 45 people to run the haunted house each night, including actors, ticket-takers and engineers, said Frank Wendt, president of Forensic Science Club.
Last year, 700 people attended the haunted house, Wendt (senior-forensic science, biology option) said.
Usually, the haunted house takes about 20 minutes to go through the whole thing but this year will probably be a little longer, Wendt said.
“I guarantee that [people] will be scared,” Wendt said. “They might be a little grossed out.”
