Brave souls who entered the Annual Ridenbaugh Haunted House on Sunday were greeted by Caitlin Wikel, a UI student and this year”s head of committee for the haunted house.
Wikel said she took on the task of organizing the event because she wanted to keep the haunted house alive – the tradition, that is.
“There was a really big potential that we couldn”t even do it this year because of scheduling conflicts,” Wikel said. “Nobody wanted to do it on a Sunday, especially Homecoming Sunday.”
When Wikel first participated in the haunted house last year she was disguised as a tour group member, or what she called a “plant.”
“I was a plant, so I pretended that I was just some random person who wanted to be in the haunted house,” Wikel said. “We had a couple rooms where they would then grab the plants – I went in with a group of music faculty and I got pulled into a room and the faculty freaked out.”
Susan Billin | Courtesy
UI students pose in their costumes after the annual Ridenbaugh Haunted House on Sunday, October 25.
Wikel said she remembers the group of frightened faculty knocking on the door and asking if she was okay.
“That was probably the best part about actually performing in the haunted house,” Wikel said.
Wikel said that after having fun participating last year, she was determined to continue the fun this year.
Part of the music department”s motivation to put on the annual haunted house is to give back to the community, and Wikel said all proceeds are donated to the Moscow Food Bank.
“We think [it] really benefits everyone,” Wikel said. “A food bank is always a good thing for that, especially with Thanksgiving right around the corner from Halloween.”
When it came to choosing a haunted house location, Wikel said Ridenbaugh Hall is the perfect place because rumors floating around the music department suggest that the building is haunted.
“I don”t know how true [the stories] are, but that”s what you”re told,” Wikel said. “That”s why we do it in Ridenbaugh, because some people feel like they”ve already had otherworld experiences in there. Plus, it”s the oldest building on campus … It used to be a women”s dorm.”
Passer-bys may hear strange sounds coming from Ridenbaugh Hall, which was built in 1902, but Wikel said the sounds usually come from music students practicing their instruments, since most the building is now used as a practice space for the music department.
“If you walk in there during the day, you”ll just hear a bunch of people practicing, which is always kind of fun to listen to,” Wikel said.
Whitney Hilliard can be reached at [email protected]