National Honor Society members hosted Halloween Fest on October 27 for the Olympia community to enjoy fun games and activities for the whole family.
Although the event was rebranded, the Halloween fest was a big success. When guests walked in, they were directed through the Commons area full of fall-colored decorations and activities, such as spoon races, a Thankfulness Tree, Witches’ Brew, photo booths and a craft section where kids could paint paper plate pumpkins. Face painting was a hit for the children who wanted to become cute Halloween cats or spooky spiders. Families could also enjoy interactive activities such as pumpkin tic-tac-toe.
“My favorite part was just seeing the faces of all the little kids being happy honestly,” said junior Gracie Melvin. Melvin and senior Linnea Kerr-Dennhardt dressed as Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum. This duo painted faces for the commons committee this year with the help of junior Emma Yoder.
The spooky hall was in the band and chorus hallway where students lurked, waiting to give their victims a fright! Decorated with spider webs and flashing lights, the otherwise dark hallway gave an eerie feeling to those who dared to enter.
“My favorite part was when they would tell us what level of spooky they wanted because when they wanted full spooky then everyone started actually screaming and banging on the windows of the practice rooms and stuff. I thought it was funny,” said Megan Horner, an OHS senior who participated in this year’s spooky hall.
From the main entrance, past the spooky hall, and through the commons, guests had the option to enter into the gym where the Royal Kingdom and Superhero Headquarters resided. The superhero side had games such as testing guests strength by picking up Thor’s Hammer. The little heroes could also take pictures with other superheroes, the city, and jail backdrop. There were also more games such as Frisbee, mini-golf, and giant inflatable bowling.
On the other hand, the castle had many enchanting activities for the royal guests. The princesses and princes had games such as Pin the “Kiss” on the Frog, Rapunzel’s Tower photo opportunity, princess hopscotch, decorating stations, and even a red carpet fashion show, leading to a photo booth with Princess Belle, Aimee Small. A hair braiding station headed by Moana, also known as Madianna Martinez, was also featured.
“I felt it was a lot better in the gym. In the hallways, it was really crowded with stuff everywhere. It was just packed and overflowing, but in the gym, there was so much more room so there’s more space for the kids to walk through,” said senior Andy Wilson.
From the gym, guests were directed to the pool hallway where a “Lazer Maze” of red streamers challenged the young heroes to use their best ninja skills to make it to the other side. The pool hallway directed guests outside to a new outdoor area, introduced this year. NHS Officer Bailey Rogers headed this committee. The outdoor area included potato sack races, a miniature petting zoo, and even a hayrack ride for families to enjoy together.
Overall, the event was a big success and over the organization made over five-hundred dollars to donate to Toys-for-Tots. The members put in a lot of hard work and the guests seemed to have a great time.
