Little ghosts and goblins, miniature Disney princesses and superheroes, tiny t-rexes and plump pumpkins -- every Halloween, for a couple of hours, the Lawn is transformed into a magical land of monsters and fairy tale characters.
The annual trick-or-treating on the Lawn, held yesterday late afternoon, attracted hundreds of children and their families from the Charlottesville community. The event has become a beloved tradition among city residents and the University population alike.
"It's our fourth time here," parent Michelle McCarthy said. "It's wonderful. It's convenient, it's fun -- the kids have a great time."
To help maintain this excitement and keep the occasion running smoothly, many people put forth much time and effort behind the scenes. Head Lawn resident Jennifer Allen was in charge of coordinating between residence areas and students living on the Lawn.
Because it costs anywhere from $250 to $400 per Lawn room to provide an adequate amount of candy, sponsors often are assigned to each Lawn room, in order to partly pay for the candy, thereby taking some of the burden off the Lawn residents. The sponsors are mostly first-year residence areas, but upperclassmen residence areas also participate.
Third-year College student Veronica Brooks, a Resident Advisor at Webb dormitory, helped her dorm sponsor one of the Lawn residents, Atul Khosla, this year.
"My role was basically to facilitate interactions between Webb and the Lawnies," Brooks said. "We bought $150 worth of candy and Atul spent $150 or $250 worth."
Though the costs may seem steep, all parties involved said the event makes everything worth the time, effort and money.
"It's a moving experience," Allen said. "Being in college, people feel like they're contained in this bubble. This is a great opportunity to bridge the gap and get the University community intermingling with the larger Charlottesville community."
Charlottesville residents agreed this event provided a way for them to keep in touch with the University community.
"It's a good opportunity to see people in the community," parent Audra Jackson said. "It's a safe place to bring the kids."
In addition to providing a way for the University to help residents enjoy Grounds, trick-or-treating on the Lawn was enjoyable for University students themselves.
"It gives the people, especially first years visiting the Lawn, a feeling of ownership," Allen said. "It's an opportunity to give back in a relatively simple way, and it's kind of a throwback to our childhood. I think a lot of people find that powerful."
University students did indeed derive great pleasure from this event.
"My house is back in the woods, and in the 12 years I lived in Maine, I had 10 trick-or-treaters total," first-year Engineering student Jennifer Swalec said. "This makes up for it a thousandfold."
In addition to first years, students of all years enjoy the event, often coming back year after year to take part in the trick-or-treating.
"Last year I went and just watched -- I absolutely adore it," Brooks said. "I think it's super cute and a good way for the University students to interact with members of the community because I don't think there's enough of that."
The kids that came to trick-or-treat also enjoyed themselves.
"We've been coming every year for quite a while," 10-year-old Eleanor Seaman said. "It's tons of fun."
Charlottesville residents, children and parents alike, appreciated the effort put forth by the Lawn residents and others of the University community.
"I love it," parent Paul Dunn said. "Thousands of little munchkins and dinosaurs and power rangers."
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