{"id":174697,"date":"2026-11-05T10:29:49","date_gmt":"2026-11-05T15:29:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/?p=174697"},"modified":"2026-11-05T15:50:51","modified_gmt":"2026-11-05T20:50:51","slug":"bates-celebrates-halloween","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/2026\/11\/05\/bates-celebrates-halloween\/","title":{"rendered":"Bates celebrates Halloween"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

How committed is Bates to the whole concept of Halloween? Extremely so. From preparations to the final celebrations, Halloween at Bates ran from Oct. 27-31. The celebration started with the classic first step: getting jack-o \u2019-lanterns ready, followed by costume making, (and reveals) and then on to the sweet main event \u2014 candy for the community \u2014 followed by a pair of parties for students. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Careful carving<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Students got started on Halloween festivities on Wednesday, Oct. 27 with a pumpkin-carving event hosted by the Center for Global Education. The event \u2014 held outside Commons \u2014 brought together first-year and sophomore students from domestic and international backgrounds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Pumpkin
Siya Vaswani \u201930 of West Bengal, India, carves a pumpkin during to the International Student Pumpkin Carving. (Rhea Millward ’30 for Bates College)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n
\"Pumpkin
From left, Sarah Place \u201929 of Springfield, Penn., and Rebecca Arnold \u201929 of Tucson, Ariz., hold their creations. (Rhea Millward ’30 for Bates College)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Pumpkin
From left, Abolfazl Talayee \u201930 of Portland, Maine, and Hongye Wei \u201930 of Flushing, N.Y., proudly pose with a jack-o’-lantern. (Rhea Millward ’30 for Bates College)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Led by Dari Jigjidsuren, the new assistant dean for international students, the afternoon was filled with creativity, laughter, and autumn spirit. Experiencing the beloved American tradition of carving a pumpkin came with some treats, including delicious pumpkin pies and apple cider.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Help from the costume shop<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

With Halloween in mind, Gail St. Pierre, the director of retail for Post and Print and contract manager for the Bates College Store, went looking for some bobcat ears. The Bates College Board of Trustees would be on campus for their fall meeting from Oct. 29-31, in the exact timeframe of Bates\u2019 multipart celebration of Halloween. Thinking they might like to get in the spirit, she went full bore into a retail quest, but to no avail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOh, we searched and searched,\u201d St. Pierre said. \u201cThe internet, Halloween shops. We found bears, foxes, dogs, and bats but not the elusive bobcat.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So she started to think like a maker. \u201cLet\u2019s start by sourcing the supplies needed; fur, headbands, and let\u2019s try and create something ourselves with a glue gun.\u201d Then it hit her; why not turn to the professional costume makers in Theater and Dance? Associate Professor of Theater Christine McDowell and Costume Shop Director Rebecca Armstrong were game. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRebecca worked on the prototype, which blew us all away,\u201d St. Pierre said. Students workers at the Costume Shop reproduced them in bulk, enough to outfit every trustee and then some. Working with (faux) fur isn\u2019t easy, so a group of nearly a dozen students got a chance to practice a very specific bobcat skill.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cA win-win,\u201d St. Pierre says. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Garry
Earlier in the day, before switching to his \u201cHeated Rivalry\u201d inspired costume, President Garry W. Jenkins donned the Bobcat ears. (Brian Rimm \u201905\/Bates College)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Best dressed at the museum<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Speaking of costumes, if Bates gave out prizes for come-as-your-coworker costumes, Morgan Hough would likely have gotten first place. Hough, an assistant education curator at the Bates College Museum of Art, dressed as her colleague Anthony Shostak, education curator. We thought she nailed it, and so, apparently, did Shostak. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Dressing
Morgan Hough, assistant education curator at Bates College Museum of Art, gets used to her costume, as she dresses as her co-worker education curator Anthony Shostak. (Brian Rimm ’05\/Bates College)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Twinning\"
Hough and Shostak pose together for a Halloween shot. Hough dressed as Shostak this year. A bold move that was a big hit. (Brian Rimm ’05\/Bates College)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Candy time<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Then it was onto the main event on Oct. 29, when hundreds of local families came to campus for a trick-or-treat event sponsored by the Harward Center for Community Partnerships. From 5 to 7 p.m., trick-or-treaters visited tables hosted by Bates clubs, organizations, and sports teams. Bates students greeted trick-or-treaters with creative costumes, fun activities, and candy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"Students
Dressed up as snail mail, Janie Phillips \u201827 (left) of Portland, Ore., and Kennedy Mathis \u201827 of Brookline, Mass., greet kids at the WRBC: Bates College Radio table. (Theophil Syslo\/Bates College)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Take
From left, Ainslie Gorton ’30 of Pride’s Cross, Mass., Grace Malone ’29 of Williamstown, Mass., and Ella Albright ’28 of Perkiomenville, Penn., represent their a capella group TakeNote at Bates’ trick-or-treat event. (Theophil Syslo\/Bates College)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n
\"Bates
Members of the Tea Club dressed up as Costco workers serve hot tea and candy to trick-or-treaters. (Brian Rimm ’05\/Bates College)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Bates
The Bates Emergency Medical Services team decorated their table with beautifully carved pumpkins and a look inside their non-transporting vehicle, better known as “Felix.” (Theophil Syslo\/Bates College)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Through his role as the chief marketing officer of Ferrara Candy Company, Greg Guidotti \u201892 donated candy for this year\u2019s campus trick of treat \u2014 Nerds, Nerd Gummy Clusters, Laffy Taffy, and more. In all, Bates had 72,000 pieces of candy on hand for what has been an annual event since 2023. The night before the event, a group of students sorted the candy to prepare for eager trick-or-treaters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Bates
Aiden Habas \u201828 of Hulmeville, Pa., represents The Bates Chemical Society in their \u201cWitches\u2019 Brew\u201d chemistry demonstration, catching the attention of many trick-or-treaters with colorful chemical reactions during the Bates Halloween festivity. (Brian Rimm ’05\/Bates College)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"On
Bates Chemical Society led an interactive demonstration showcasing the chemistry behind pH changes as the solution transformed from pink to blue and back to pink again, introducing children to the wonders of chemical reactions through a Halloween-inspired experiment. (Brian Rimm ’05\/ Bates College)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Bates Chemical Society brought science to life with its \u201cWitches\u2019 Brew\u201d chemistry demonstration, captivating young trick-or-treaters with a colorful acid-base reaction during Bates\u2019 Halloween festivities. The interactive demonstration showcased the fascinating chemistry behind pH changes as the solution transformed from pink to blue and back to pink again, introducing children to the wonders of chemical reactions through a fun, Halloween-inspired experiment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Alumni
Spotted at the college\u2019s community Trick or Treat on Oct. 29? Trustee Sophie Wagener \u201917 (left) and Shannon L. Griffin \u201916 headed down Alumni Walk. Both are wearing brand new “Bobcat Ears.” (Brian Rimm ’05\/Bates College)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The celebration continues<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

On Friday night, celebrations continued in Memorial Commons with WRBC: Bates College Radio\u2019s annual Halloween Concert where student bands dressed up and played the music of beloved famous bands. Playing at this year\u2019s concert were impersonators of U2, Fleetwood Mac, Nirvana, and The Strokes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The last event of this year\u2019s Halloweekend was the annual Halloween dance held in the Gray Cage, outfitted with a photo booth and pizza. Attendees danced the night away dressed in their very best costumes to music played by student DJs. The nearby Bobcat Den also stayed open later than usual on Friday and Saturday, convenient for costumed students looking for a late night spooky snack.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

How committed is Bates to the whole concept of Halloween? Extremely so. From preparations to the final celebrations, Halloween at Bates ran from Oct. 27-31. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1965,"featured_media":174854,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_hide_ai_chatbot":false,"_ai_chatbot_style":"","associated_faculty":[],"_Page_Specific_Css":"","_bates_restrict_mod":false,"bates_author_byline_override":"Charlotte Comrack '27, Hussain Malik '30, and Ranya Adnan '28","_estimated-read-time":"","_post-template":"\/usr\/local\/webserver\/webpve\/htdocs\/new-www.bates.edu\/wp-content\/themes\/b\/news\/single-big-header-image.php","_header-color":"","_photo-credit":"Brian Rimm","_header-effect":"parallax","override_related_with_tag":"","_table_of_contents_display":false,"_table_of_contents_location":"","_table_of_contents_disableSticky":false,"_is_featured":false,"footnotes":"","_bates_seo_meta_description":"","_bates_seo_block_robots":false,"_bates_seo_sharing_image_id":0,"_bates_seo_sharing_image_twitter_id":0,"_bates_seo_share_title":"","_bates_seo_canonical_overwrite":"","_bates_seo_twitter_template":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-174697","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-batesnews"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/174697","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1965"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=174697"}],"version-history":[{"count":35,"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/174697\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":174899,"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/174697\/revisions\/174899"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/174854"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=174697"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=174697"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=174697"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}