Spooky Fest brought Halloween spirit to Citrus College on Oct. 22 with live music, themed contests and performances that transformed the Campus Center into a festive celebration.
The event was hosted by the Associated Students of Citrus College after being proposed by Student Trustee AJ Hernandez to bring more campus life and connection to students.
Students took part in games and contests, including the mummy wrap contest, a dance performance and a costume contest. Halloween themed snacks and decorations added to the festive atmosphere.
Citrus College student Naz Ibarra said she attended because she loves everything about Halloween. Her favorite part of the event was the mummy wrapping contest. Ibarra said she enjoyed the spooky music played by the Nightshift band.
Other students said the event was a fun break in the middle of the school day. Trey Jenson, a Citrus College student, said the atmosphere of the event reminded him of high school dances without the formality.
“It’s a nice little break in the day between classes and it’s nice unwinding between classes,” Jenson said.
He found out about the event through flyers.
One of the most anticipated parts of the afternoon was the costume contest, which featured categories for the most original, funniest and best overall costume. Tanya Collier, a Citrus College student won for most original costume with her alien look. She said she was shocked and didn’t expect to win.
Another Citrus College student, Omar Millan, dressed as Shaggy 2 Dope of Insane Clown Posse won the funniest costume category.
“Being here is fun, they have good music playing,” Millan said.
Night Shift singer Daniel Carjen won best overall costume dressed as Jack Skellington from “The Nightmare Before Christmas”. His highlight of the event was performing to Michael Jackson’s “Thriller.”
“Everybody reacted to it how we wanted them to,” Carjen said. Everybody was so excited and loved it”.
As the contests wrapped up, the Night Shift band kept the energy going with live performances and Halloween classics, including “Thriller.” Angel Leandro, a vocalist in the band, said it was her first time singing at an event like this. She dressed up as Jennifer Check from Jennifer’s Body to match the theme.
“I love Halloween so much” Leandro said “I love the spookiness about it, I love dressing up”.
Hernandez said the biggest challenge in organizing the event was making sure everything was in order and that the team had everything they needed. He added that he hopes Spooky Fest will become an annual campus tradition.
As the afternoon came to an end, students left with snacks in hand and Halloween spirit in the air, marking one of ASCC’s most festive campus events of the semester.
Editor’s Note: Editor-in-Chief Angela Hernandez is the sister of Student Trustee AJ Hernandez, who proposed the idea for Spooky Fest.
