Halloween may be on a Monday this year, but there’ll be events all week on campus and off for students to celebrate.
Fresno State events
Spotlight Events will be hosting one spooky and one “not so spooky” event this week. The group will transform the Satellite Student Union (SSU) lawn into “The Carnival of Nightmares” on Thursday, Oct. 27, from 7-10 p.m.
Students are encouraged to wear costumes for this event, which will feature food trucks, live music, competitions and attractions throughout the night.
On Halloween, Spotlight Events will present the “Not So Spooky Scavenger Hunt” around the University Student Union (USU) and Resnick Student Union (RSU) from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
University Theatre will be getting into the Halloween spirit by kicking off its second mainstage production of the season with the famous horror, “Misery.” The screenplay is based on Stephen King’s novel of the same name, which was famously adapted in a 1990 horror film starring Kathy Bates.
The Fresno premiere of the production, directed by Thomas Whit-Ellis, will be on Friday, Oct. 28 at 7:30 p.m. Performances will continue on Oct. 28 and Nov. 1-5 at 7:30 p.m. and at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 30, at the Dennis and Cheryl Woods Theatre.
Tickets will be $17 for adults, $15 for faculty, staff, alumni and military and $10 for students. Children under 12 will not be permitted due to the mature nature of the production.
Other Halloween-themed events or attractions in town
Students looking for a nearby pumpkin patch only need to travel a few blocks from campus to Planet Pumpkin, located on Nees Avenue and First Street.
Planet Pumpkin opens annually to sell homegrown pumpkins, squashes and gourds to visitors, while also featuring carnival rides, food trucks and photo opportunities.
Ghost Golf, located on Shaw and Blackstone avenues, offers family friendly indoor mini golf with a haunted theme all year round.
Admission will cost $14 for kids 10 and under, and $16 for kids 11 and older and adults. It includes 18 rounds of mini golf, unlimited play in the mummy shooting gallery and free play on video games.
The Chaffee Zoo is bringing back its annual ZooBoo celebration, which encourages guests to come in family-friendly costumes to view over 1,000 pumpkins with unique patterns and personalities and take part in pumpkin hand carving demos, magic shows, live entertainment and “more candy than ever,” according to its website.
There are three ZooBoo dates left from Oct. 27 through Oct. 29 from 5-8 p.m. Tickets are $22 for adults or $20 for children, with further discounts available for zoo members.
For those willing to travel a little for their scares, Raisin Hell Ranch in Madera is open now through Halloween with the “Deadwood Cornfield” and “Sinister Cornfield.”
“Deadwood” features a macabre take on the Wild West, while “Sinister” takes visitors through the Raisin Hell Hotel, which features “the desolate domain of psychotic freaks and depraved maniacs that are not very welcoming to visitors,” according to its website.
Gates open at 7 p.m. each night, with ticket booths closing at 10 p.m. Ticket prices start at $15 for one attraction or $25 for both at raisinhellranch.com.
Hobb’s Grove in Sanger is back as well, featuring a haunted forest, house and hayride. In between attractions, guests can linger in the Midway, which features food, photo opportunities, merchandise, vendors and warming fire pits with “Kookie Karacters” to interact with.
Parking and concessions open at 6 p.m. and attractions begin after dark. Ticket prices start at $18.50 for the hayride and vary depending on additional attractions and dates selected at hobbsgrove.com.
The Collegian asked students for some of their scary stories on campus. Here’s what they had to say:
“Don’t ever use [the] Family and Food Sciences’ third-floor bathroom alone. Unless you want company by an unknown presence.” – Mai Vang, 23.
“My roommates claim to see a figure walking from our door to the bathroom of our dorm.” – Robert Rivera, 18.
“I got a 32/50 on my quiz.” – Emily Bautista, 21.
“Never use the restroom in the Speech Arts Building. We all know.” – Valera, 25.
“One time a squirrel tried squaring up with me because I had a Dr Pepper in my hand. It won.” – Lucy Liu, 22.
“I see dead squirrels randomly, and it terrifies me.” – Andy Vang, 20.
“One time I was in the bathroom and thought I was alone because I went out of my way to find a random bathroom and someone was in there the whole time and they randomly dropped their phone and it fell over into my stall so now I’m extra terrified and didn’t wanna give it back but I just kicked it back the way it came. The spookiest part was I checked the stalls and knew no one was there to begin with.” – Bobby, 26.
“Once upon a time a professor made me download this terrifying app… I believe it’s called ‘Canvas.’” – Anais Rico, 24.
“The mystery man on the bike at 2 or 3 a.m.” – Mario Rodriguez, 23.