Friends, candy, costumes, and movies; there is so much to love about Halloween. Every year the holiday provides a fun mental break for students with activities stretching through all of October.

One of those prolonged activities is the Haunted Castle and Black Forest. This experience is run by the local Boy Scouts and their families.

One student who has gotten the opportunity to work there is senior Allie Leach.

“I’ve worked there since I was 6 or 7 because my family’s involvement with Boy Scouts,” said Leach. “I started just bringing my own costumes, getting my makeup done then scaring people in line, then I got moved to inside jobs when I was 7 or 8.”

Working there has brought her so many great memories throughout the years. What she remembers most is the memorable scares.

“One of my favorite memories was when I scared a group so bad, they all fell backwards like dominos,” said Leach. “I was 10 or 11, so scaring a bunch of teenagers and young adults was quite enjoyable.”

Leach also shared how she enjoys her job no matter what role she is assigned each night. She loves the experience the most, no matter which character she gets to play.

“Whenever I work, regardless of the room or character I’m assigned to, I put everything into it,” she said.

Although Leach has loved participated in the Haunted Castle and Black Forest for so many years, she has decided to take the day off on Halloween to spend time with her friends.

“I’ve worked Halloween almost every year for the past 10 years and I’ve decided to hang out with friends and dress up,” she said.

Many other students seem to be going a similar route. A poll filled out by students revealed what some are planning on doing Halloween night.

The most common responses included going trick or treating, attending Halloween parties, handing out/eating candy, watching Halloween movies, and pumpkin carving.

The students were also asked to include what their Halloween costume was going to be if they were dressing up.

Some of those responses include a bat, candy corn, a pirate, Harry Styles, a fairy, a dad, and tweedled dum.

It is clear that there is a variety that students are going to be engaging in to celebrate the holiday, but that most are channeling the spirit of Halloween.

For students who have found themselves without plans, senior Annie Gardt is hosting a Halloween celebration open to everyone on Saturday October 30^th, the night before Halloween.

“It has been a tradition in my family to always have a Halloween party since my parents got married,” said Gardt. “We were about to miss it this year, but I wanted senior year to go out with a bang.”

She also emphasizes how everyone is welcome to come and she hopes there will be groups of people there who don’t usually talk to each other to encourage people at the school to get to know one another better.

“I want different groups of people coming together despite their beliefs and differences just to have a fun time filled with soda and spooks,” said Gardt.

There are going to be lots of decorations, and she also encourages people to dress up, but it is not required.

“Over the years we’ve collected several totes of decorations,” said Gardt. “And I’ve found that by saying costumes are mandatory it kind of scares people away, but they are definitely high encouraged.”

She is going to be a witch this year, and she is so excited to host the event and see who all decides to come.

“I don’t want anyone fighting and if someone comes you don’t particularly like just be nice,” said Gardt. “This is a friendly space.”