If you enjoy baked goods, karaoke, inflatable dinosaurs and Halloween decorations, City College’s Halloween Spooktacular was the place to be.
The event took place from 10-2 p.m. at the Campus Store Wednesday. There were several campus clubs selling baked goods and spreading information, a free karaoke station and a raffle among the festivities.
The person who oversaw the event, Melanie Olguin, said the event was helpful for bringing the community together. Since the Campus Store is already a hub for student life, it was an excellent location for the event.
“We do it because we like to get everyone out of their offices and classrooms,” Olguin said.
The Bookstore offered a variety of prizes through a raffle and various contests, and one of them was the Spooky Sweets Dessert Contest. The desserts were judged based on originality, creativity and taste, and were displayed on a table for anybody to try.
The winning piece was a pet cemetery, which was built on a chocolate cake. There were also several cupcakes and mousses, each decorated with a bit of Halloween flair using ghost figures and “blood.”
It also had an art contest, which featured sculptures and body painting.
The winner of the award for overall best art, Norma Cervantes, said she spent about three and a half hours painting herself as Venom, the titular character of a recent Marvel movie. She was awarded a certificate, a gift card, and an art apron.
Originally from Mexico, Cervantes moved to Santa Barbara about five years ago. She is an art student and both works on campus and at the Santa Barbara Zoo where she does face painting regularly.
Other students were there to simply enjoy the festivities, such as Freshman Bridgett Snyder, who was spending her time at the karaoke station.
“I’m a freshman, so it’s my first time seeing [the Campus Store] all decked out,” Snyder said, taking a break between songs. Snyder is a music major, and she performed several Halloween-themed pieces, including “Thriller” by Michael Jackson and “This is Halloween” from “The Nightmare Before Christmas.”.
Several clubs and programs were at the event as well. Extended Opportunity Programs and Services (EOPS) had a booth and was selling sugar cookies. The Feminist Club also had a booth, which club president Katheryn Walk said members were using to raise funds for their club and get the word out about it.
The Student Health and Wellness Center was handing out pamphlets and giving advice on how to have a safe Halloween.
Lacey Peters, one of the representatives for the center, was “helping to remind students how to be safe on Halloween.”
She added that the community has taken a more proactive stance on safety in Isla Vista during Halloween. She brought up substance-free music concerts offered by UCSB and other measures that have been developed in recent years to try to make the holiday safer.
Still, Peters wants students to “remember to take care of each other.”
