Participants danced and bobbed for apples at Elliott Hall's first Halloween ball Friday. Fonzie of Happy Days along with the Baroness Samedi and Ghostbusters attended.
Leonardo Ortega, head of organizing the event, said at the start of the party that he was expecting at least 60 people to come. Seventy-six people actually bought tickets and came in by the end of the event.
"It was more than I expected," Ortega said.
Some believed the attendance could be attributed to the change to the Halloween ball instead of the traditional haunted house.
"I think we would not have had this many people if we had had a haunted house," said Megan Light, who helped and attended the event.
Many came hoping for a good time while others from the hall came because they helped organize the event, which included a large number of Elliott's residents, Ortega said.
This was a giant event for the hall and there was surely no lack of participation, said Kristin Larson, who assisted with organizing the event.
"There were a lot of people," Larson said.
People would randomly show up to meetings for the event's planning every once in a while, she said. Everyone wanted to get in on the action of throwing the ball, Larson said.
In the end, organizers said they were pleased with the final product. Elliott raised more than $200 for Food Not Bombs, an international organization geared toward feeding the hungry and impoverished by making meals. Elliott also collected 31 canned goods for the organization.
At the beginning of the year, Elliott Hall Council decided a Halloween ball would draw in more students and get more attention on campus, especially because of the lack of attention the haunted house had gotten in past years, Larson said. The event was in the works for around a month and a half beforehand and took the work of many students and organizations for it to actually happen.
Ryan Wilson was one student who helped on the event's construction committee. He helped set up the ball, including the stocks and dungeon, which he said were his favorite aspect of the event because he could lock his friends in the dungeon. He said that it seemed like everyone was having a good time.
Wilson was one of many who wanted to be sure that two specific associations who deserved recognition for their support got it. These two groups are the Muncie Civic Theatre, who helped provide tools and such for the construction of the ball, and the Department of Applied Technology on campus, who contributed woodshop goods to the table of supplies.
Elliott Hall will also sponsor a Halloween night murder mystery dinner catered by Elliott Dining. Students can use their meal plans or pay $7.15 for the dinner. Donations of $2 will also be accepted and will be given to Food Not Bombs. The show starts at 6 p.m. and will conclude at about 8 p.m.
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