Anyone who played Halloween-hooky to go to the Giant’s parade (or to wait in a BART station because you left too late) missed out on one of the best Skyline events this semester. The Associated Students of Skyline College got blood pumping in the quad this Halloween with contests, attractions, video games and dances.
A soft slide that was more than 25 ft tall was one of the scarier and more popular rides. Many banshee-screamers were overheard saying that they had plummeted more than five times already. While this ride was more for the thrill-seeking college students, the dragon bounce-house next to it was fun for all ages. The children at the day care center on campus came out and played raucously in their socks, bouncing around like happy little ghosts.
“We tend to forget a lot of students have kids. We cater to them too, even if it’s something that some of us grow out of. It was really cute; we had kids from the day center asking for candy. They loved it so much,” said Jose Luiz Sanchez-Sosa, ASSC Student body president.
A cotton-candy machine was spinning up and students were free to make their own treats, free of charge. A pressurized air cannon full of candy was also fired a few times to add to the carnival-style fun.
The costumes at this event varied wildly, they included zombies, a giraffe, a spiral princess (with spiral contacts in her eyes!), and plenty of painted skeletons. The transfer club started a flash mob at 11:50; they danced to Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” and danced like the zombies in the video. Batman and the giraffe were both synched up to the music, but the whole group deserves credit for shaking their things in costume and masks in front of the whole school.
The Environmental Club gave out free coffee and temporary tattoos as incentive to get students to realize the detriment of leaving phone chargers and cable boxes plugged in. These electronic devices still suck energy out of the power grid, even if turned off or onto standby. These undead power-suckers can increase your electrical bill, which we all know is truly evil. The theater club also had a table where they were selling Dracula tickets for $5 cheaper than at the door that same night.
“I wish more students had come instead of going to the Giants’ parade but those that came [to Skyline] had a lot of fun. They had a ball,” said Evonne Sharlien Everett, a stagehand for Dracula who was selling tickets.
A company called Games2U brought in the attractions and one of the spectator sports was the foam baton arena. Contestants stood on what looked like firm beanbag chairs and tried to whack each other with giant cotton swabs. The winner was whoever could stay standing longest. A favorite fight was three or four toddlers against one full grown man, who took a lot of shin smacks, but withstood the tiny onslaught for a long while.
“We were supposed to do hamster balls for the students, but there wasn’t enough grass,” said Liz Galatolo, an employee of Games2U.
Games2U also brought some gadgets for students to play with, including 12 laser tag guns that students were free to play with for as long as they liked. A -game van with 6’ wide-screen televisions, three Wiis and three Xbox consoles was open to students. Games outside the van were motion-controlled and included Super Smash Bros Brawl, Wii Sports and Let’s Dance. Inside the van were speakers and LED lights, along with a long bench and shooter games.
Halloween is a holiday for kids and adults, and Skyline saw plenty of fun for both. Without a haunted house, Skyline put on good fun and made the children in all of us feel welcome, relaxed and in good holiday spirits.
