Jordan Cook-Henry started covering the tables that lined Village Park with Halloween-themed tablecloths.

Gillian Stinson helped Mindy Vivio and the rest of the club members make popcorn and other snacks.

In the center of the park, Ashley Rae helped initiate the spooky movies that were being shown that night.

This was the Pumpkin Palooza event, a joint effort from the Forensic Science Club (FSC) and All Things Horror celebrating pumpkins and more last Tuesday night. 

“We wanted to bring people together and let them know a little about the club and what we do,” Jordan Cook-Henry said.

Cook-Henry, current president of the Forensic Science club, was certainly eager to kick off the event. There were several new things added into the event this year.

Pumpkin Palooza is usually an event hosted by both clubs. Located in Village Park, it consisted of painting mini pumpkins, eating some different snacks, and watching movies. This year, however, the FSC added a little twist with blood splatter art.

“The blood splatter art was something we added into the event for a little touch of forensic science,” vice president of FSC and forensic science major Mindy Vivio said. “We wanted to not only educate on the different types of blood splatter, but also give the students a piece of their own art to take with them.”

The Forensic Science club had been planning an entire week’s worth of events and activities related both to the holiday and the club, itself. The week had been something the members were planning before the semester began, with a different event each day.

“This year was the first we’ve hosted activities for an entire week,” Gillian Stinson, forensic science major and treasurer of the FSC said. “We wanted a different event each day, and based each one off of what we’ve learned in class.”

The event hosted two movies, “Haunted Mansion” and “The Addams Family.” Of the snacks that were provided, there were popcorn, chips and queso dip, Oreo dirt pudding and warm cider and hot chocolate to drink.

Once students began lining up for the event, the festivities took off in no time. The movies began playing, and students grabbed some snacks and headed off to one of the tables.

All Things Horror president, Ashley Rae, like Cook-Henry, was also hoping for a night for people to bond and get ready for Halloween.

“Pumpkin Palooza is one of my favorite events to have, and I hope it carries on in the future,” Rae said. “The event has always been successful with a good turnout of people attending.”

Of the many students, freshman theater production major Lillian Torres, was attending the event for the first time. She joined some friends at the pumpkin painting table and enjoyed being creative with the different colored paints made available.

“I really enjoyed the event,” Torres said. “I went to a boarding school before where we did stuff like this, so it reminds me of home.”

Along with the festivities, both clubs wished to bring more awareness by giving students a taste of what they have to offer. For a Tuesday night, the event seemed to have brought a way for students to unwind a little as midterms have been flooding the classrooms this past week.

“I certainly hope to see this event again next year,” Torres said. “It’s nice to be outside, watching a movie, enjoying food and getting to be artsy all at once.”