Written by Maggie Samples // Graphic by Cooper Turman
Harding students celebrated Halloween in a variety of ways over the weekend and on Halloween day.
Tours were offered at Harding’s “haunted” tunnels, but students also found off-campus ways to celebrate the holiday.
Several churches in the area hosted trunk-or-treats. Freshman Kinsley Jones attended the Westside Church of Christ trunk-or-treat. Jones said the event went well and she had a great time engaging with members of the congregation.
“I chose this event so we could be more involved in the community that surrounds Harding,” Jones said. “If I’m gonna be here until I complete my degree, I want to pour into this community and find ways to be involved outside of Harding activities.”
Jones said that the trunk-or-treat reminded her of her own childhood, and it was fun to see the costumes and interact with the children.
“I vividly remember the trunk-or-treats at my church back home.” Jones said. “They would put so much effort into making sure the kids had a good time. It’s time now for me to do my part to make Halloween fun for the kids.”
Junior Josie Thomas hosted a group of Harding students at her house in Searcy. Junior Bailey Coffman said they handed out candy, ate dinner together and watched the movie “Hotel Transylvania.”
“Since I live about eight hours from home, it’s always nice to have a home cooked meal,” Coffman said.
Coffman said the group of friends gathered at Thomas’ home is not exclusive to one club and that she’s grateful for the expanded community that this gives her. The group was composed of Thomas’ past and present roommates.
“Sometimes at Harding it’s easy to join a club and stay close with just those people that you chose as a community,” Coffman said. “I’ve been blessed to have good friends in many different clubs, the friends at Josie’s house the other night being in three different clubs. Halloween is a fun time that not only gives people an excuse to dress up, but brings friends together and increases camaraderie.”
Women’s social club Delta Gamma Rho (DGR) hosted a “Spooktacular” on Oct. 30. Junior Hannah Diles attended and said she enjoyed the various activities, including a haunted hayride, costume party and chili competition. Diles said her favorite part of the event was the haunted hayride.
“When the sun had set, we rode through steep hills, woods and back fields, while different people dressed up as clowns ran at us,” Diles said.
Diles said she had been looking forward to this event for a long time and appreciated the opportunity to continue growing her community in DGR. The event also provided a space to enjoy the transition to fall and the cooler weather.
“At the function, it felt like coming home,” Diles said. “The combination of costumes, the bonfire and hayride, and company felt like a youth group event when I was in high school. Life was so much simpler then when we weren’t constantly thinking about what adult life holds. I am thankful for moments to breathe deeply, enjoy good friends and be fully present.”
