Residents of the Theophilus Tower will host the 35th annual Tower Trick or Treat from 6-8 p.m., Saturday.
“Families don’t have to worry about their children being out on the streets at night,” Kelsi Nagle, recruitment coordinator for University of Idaho, said. “They’re in one safe, convenient location that’s free for them to come and enjoy.”
After refreshments in the first floor lobby, guests will be ushered to elevators to be taken to the 11th floor.
Ingrid Kooda, tower area assistant, said there are approximately 80 different candy stops, in addition to five floors with games.
Tower residents will volunteer for the event, serving as pit stops for children to gather candy. Children will go to marked doors on the odd-numbered floors. The even-numbered floors — those that generally have lounges — will feature games for the trick-or-treaters.
“It’s a great opportunity for the first-year residents to give back to the community, because the whole thing with the residence halls is it’s a place you live not just a place you sleep,” Kooda said.
All games and activities associated with Tower Trick or Treat are family-friendly and safe for all ages. One floor will teach Michael Jackson’s famous Thriller dance to attendants.
In addition to trick-or-treating, the Residence Hall Association is hosting a haunted house in the tower basement. Shrek’s Swamp will be the theme of the haunted house coordinated by RHA Programming Chair Kendra Buell.
Jazzmine Hudson, area coordinator for the tower, said volunteers will dress up as Shrek characters for the haunted house.
“We’ve had families drive as far away (as) Spokane,” Nagle said. “So we have families come from all over the region for this, because it’s such a big event and they can hit it all in one evening.”
Candy must be sealed and bagged. There will be no homemade treats given out. Professional University Housing staff will be in attendance with a number of campus security and Moscow Police Department officers on hand.
Candy is provided by University Housing and was purchased for under $1,000. Residents may not provide their own treats. Coordinators took into consideration that some children have gluten allergies and have provided alternative treats for those attendants.
“It’s really good for housing and the community to work together as far as … showing kids that they can go to college and this is what this experience is going to look like when they get older,” Hudson said. “Maintaining that role in the community is good.”
The tower’s custodial staff has volunteered to greet trick or treaters as they enter the front doors.
Jake Smith can be reached at [email protected]