Sunday we went to Lehigh’s SPOOKTACULAR!
This is an annual event put on for the community by Lehigh’s Community Service Office. Families (this year over 600 people attended!) are warmly welcomed onto campus for an afternoon jam-packed with tons of activities and food — all 100% free — and all run by student volunteers.
We had never been before, and — like so many things we’ve done at Lehigh in the past year — we probably never would have gone if we weren’t living on campus. But we are living on campus, and we did go. And, honestly, I was impressed beyond impressed with the spectacular-ness that was Spooktacular. I cannot rave enough about how absolutely amazing this event was.
Carolina Hernandez (above with Kyle!) is Director of Lehigh’s Community Service Office. She’s become a good friend of our family. And I cannot overstate what a gift she is to Lehigh and the local community. This woman knows what she’s doing in running a campus community service office. Let me tell you! She is a rare gem and we are beyond fortunate to have her here at Lehigh. Spooktacular is just one of many (many!) things that Carolina’s office does throughout the year to provide tremendous service opportunities and experiences for the campus community. But it isn’t just the events and programs — it is her style of doing them — that really impresses me. It is amazing stuff that Carolina is doing and her impact on the community, and on Lehigh students, is huge.
Before I go on though… spoiler alert!
Kids wear their Halloween costumes to Spooktacular. So, I must reveal… The Bambinos Halloween Costumes 2013: a Knight, a Civil War Union Soldier, and Spidergirl!
Oh yes! It is a sight to see and experience! The bambinos in costume!
***
We checked into Spooktacular, not really knowing what to expect. We ended up spending the whole afternoon having so much fun!
There were games on the lawn of the UC (“University Center”)…
…and then we made our way inside the UC…
…to discover pizza and meatball subs…
…and tons and tons and tons of activities of every variety imaginable. Crafts, snacks, games, tattoos, and every sort of fun-Halloween-themed-activity you could possibly imagine. All being run by enthusiastic, energetic, college students eager to make every kid they encountered smile. I saw hundreds (hundreds!) of kids smiling the entire time– Kyle, Owen, and Meera most definitely included.
And then there were haunted houses! Two of them! One for older kids, and one for younger kids. This was the bambinos’ first experience with haunted houses. It was a riot– The bambinos had a BLAST!!!!
(And, of course, we ran into the fabulous Christa Neu, an awesome Lehigh photographer who has now become a family friend.)
And, as if all that wasn’t enough…
We were then invited outside for trick-or-treating in Trembley (a student residential area near the center of campus).
Students gave out candy from their doorways.
It was such fun trick-or-treating!
And then we were whisked off for jack-o-lantern carving and hot-chocolate at a nearby fraternity house.
(Seriously! This event was unbelievable!!!)
Spooktacular was awesome. We had so much fun and were so glad we went.
It made me proud to be a part of this place.
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A huge thank you to Carolina, the CSO, and to all of the very many students who volunteer to make this event such a huge success. Really, you’ve impressed me beyond belief. It was an honor for our family to be able to take part in Spooktacular this year, and we are already looking forward to Spooktacular 2014!
I want to come with you next year!!! Such a great event for the university to do for local kids! Your 3 are adorable!
WOW!! Sounds amazing!!! What a great event to attend and to be a part of! Wish I could go!!!
– Kate
I’m so glad he’s wearing the right color of Civil War costume
(I’m a hoosier living in FL)
You are too nice! It was so much fun to have the J-Ms and hundreds of other South Bethlehem families on campus. We are just glad that you enjoyed it!
I’m still recovering đŸ˜‰