BY HALEY LENAUER
On the last Sunday in October, the Big Creek Crossing put on their annual “Mall-O-Ween” event. The occasion was sponsored by Big Creek Crossing and Fort Hays’ University Collegiate DECA.
The Collegiate DECA booth was open to attendees with questions about the event. Children, adults, and even pets attended Mall-O-Ween to celebrate the Halloween season. A crowd of different costumes gathered in line for the kids’ costume contest, while pet owners waited patiently for the pet costume contest to start. The mall itself has decorated accordingly with spooky decorations of cobwebs, jack-o-lanterns, and spiders. Throughout the day, various booths sponsored Halloween themed games with prizes for the kids to play, with many of these booths being hosted by Fort Hays students.
Among the various unique attractions this year, the mall also offered Haunted House Tours located at the south end of the mall. The Haunted House was put on by the Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church, as both a fundraising effort for its students, as well as a fun experience for the community. Student volunteers also performed as actors during the tour.
It was open to the public the Saturday and Sunday before Halloween, as well as on Halloween day. For this year’s tour, it was a Carnival theme, where visitors were led through a wide range of various haunted attractions, beginning with a ticket booth hosted by a masked man, on into a corridor of spooky train cars, clown themed-rooms, creepy concession stands, and circus performers. Finally, the participants were encouraged to exit by adventuring through a darkened maze at the end of the tour. For the Sunday afternoon Mall-O-Ween event, there were special lighted tours for younger children.