The Lawn wasn't the only place to hang out on Halloween for Charlottesville kids.
The Black Student Alliance transformed the Newcomb Ballroom with spirited orange-and-black decorations for the first-ever Harvest Fun Festival.
Kids and their parents started shuffling in around 4:30 p.m. after indulging their wildest trick-or-treating desires a few steps away on the Lawn. Sounds of laughing and music greeted them, along with tables covered in tablecloths printed with pumpkin designs, and a variety of games and prizes.
The event was spearheaded by third-year College student Raven Carter, BSA's committee service director.
"The inspiration was the trick-or-treating on the Lawn," Carter said. "I went last year and I loved it, but something was missing. There was candy but not games for the kids."
The Harvest Fun Festival was a game haven. Two sisters dressed as princesses attempted to throw balls into pink Halloween containers, while staying behind a line marked on the floor. A large tic-tac-toe board was in another corner, created out of large pieces of black-and-orange construction paper. A game of musical chairs rounded out the commotion.
"I'm having a great time," said third-year Commerce student Alfreda Delle, who helped run the festival. "Musical chairs is always entertaining."
After winning games, the lucky players received tickets that they could exchange at the prize table.
Prizes cost anywhere from five to 20 tickets, a glitzy red cell-phone calculator at the pricey end, and a green bouncing ball more affordable at 10 tickets.
The father of the two princesses, Cinderella and Jasmine to be exact, watched as his children ran off in glee to the prizes.
"It's nice to have something inside," Jim Gibson said. "And the kids are safe and sound."
Children waited to have their faces painted while a suspenseful game of musical chairs came down to two determined children: SpongeBob SquarePants versus the renaissance princess.
The music came to a halt and the renaissance girl delicately took a seat on the one remaining chair. The 6-year-old was named Delia, and she nodded enthusiastically when asked if she were having fun. Her younger brother, Sasha, dressed in a vibrant tiger costume, jumped around and played with his tail.
Carter looked exuberant when the kids started coming in.
This, "allows University students to interact with Charlottesville children," she said. "It's a safe environment for kids to be and have fun."
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