By Cassandra Santiago
The trees lining downtown Iowa City and campus are replacing their green leaves with bold reds, bright oranges, and fallen-to-the-ground browns. Sweaters are in, sandals are out. October is almost gone, and Halloween is finally here.
In the frantic excitement of carving pumpkins, picking a costume, and shedding scared tears at haunted houses, how the traditionally spooky holiday came to be may have been forgotten.
The Celtic people believed the dead could roam the earth on the night of Oct. 31. Every Nov. 1, throughout modern Ireland, the UK, and northern France, they celebrated Samhain, the new year. In the eighth century, the Christian church changed Samhain to All Saints’ Day or All Hallows’ Day. The night before was changed to All Hallows’ Eve and later shortened to Halloween.
The kid-loved tradition of trick-or-treating wasn’t always about collecting pounds of candy and worthwhile cavities. Souling and guising were the popular activities. In Medieval Britain, the needy begged for pastries known as soul cakes on Nov. 2. In exchange, the beggars prayed for people’s dead relatives. This was known as souling. Guising consisted of young people dressed in costumes and accepting food, money, and wine for entertainment.
See Halloween, 4C
Irish and Scottish immigrants brought the souling and guising inspired treat-or treating custom to America in the 19th century. The family-friendly version popular today was not adopted until the 1950s. Today, Halloween is the second most commercial holiday in America.
Hawkeye students have the option of celebrating the ghostly weekend with their parents. That’s right. Their parents. The annual UI Family Weekend will kick off for registered families Friday night with a magic show by well-known magician Nate Staniforth.
But having family in town doesn’t stop the downtown college fun. From flash mobs to costume contests to go-hard concerts, Halloween weekend in Iowa City will be a horrific delight.
Here are some ways to celebrate the gory holiday, whether you’re spending it cozy with the family, heading downtown for a nightcap with friends, or taking on the challenge of both.
FAMILY FUN
Connect with your inner detectives at the “Who Dun It Mystery Dinner.”
Some people love Halloween for its scary elements, others for its intense mystery. But the “Who Dun It Mystery Dinner” will provide a comedic, interactive atmosphere for families to tap into their inner detectives.
The event, at 6:30 and 8 p.m. on Halloween at Old Brick, is part of the UI Family Weekend lineup. Paperback Rhino, an Iowa City improv group, will open the evening. The organizers of the event, Campus Activities Board, arranged the presence of loads of candy, creepy Halloween-theme decorations, and dinner catered by Zio Johno’s Spaghetti House.
“We are so excited to finally get to share this event with the families. Come hungry, ready to solve the mystery, and in the mood for lots of laughs,” said Kaitlyn Chizek, the special events director of the group, in an email. “I don’t want to give away too much, but there are some neat prizes involved for a few lucky guests.”
Visit the Colony Pumpkin Patch
Shoot some corn bits from a cannon. Find your way through 12-foot corn stalks with a flashlight. Pick the perfect pumpkin for carving or snacking. Your choice.
These are only three of the activities North Liberty’s Colony Pumpkin Patch offers. The family-owned and restored farm’s location brings the countryside to the middle of a small city.
“We’re a very community-oriented business, and our corn maze is usually always centered on some type of support of nonprofit,” said Katie Colony, a co-owner of Colony Pumpkin Patch. “This year’s maze is centered on the North Liberty Community Pantry. Some of the proceeds will go back to the pantry.”
The five-acre flashlight maize maze will open for the last time Friday from sunset to 10 p.m. All other activities on the farm will begin at 4 p.m. both tonight and Friday, ending at sunset.
Pop up at the Halloween Flash Mob
This flash mob, hosted by the Dream Divas of Iowa City, will take over the Weatherdance Fountain area on the Pedestrian Mall. The show will begin at 7:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. The Dream Divas is a group of school-age female dancers. As for the flash mob, participation is open to males and females from the seventh grade up to adults. Participants had one day of practice to wow attendees this weekend.
Catch the movie Goodnight Mommy at FilmScene
There’s nothing like a gripping, scary movie to set the tone of Halloween. In this tale, a mother returns home to her 9-year-old twin boys in the countryside. Her face is bandaged from recent cosmetic surgery. Something’s not right under the wraps. The boys start to question if their mother ever made it home, leading them to deadly consequences. Friday will be the final showing of Goodnight Mommy at 11 p.m. at FilmScene, 118 E. College.
DOWNTOWN FESTIVITIES
Participate in the back to back to back Halloween celebration at Studio 13, 13 S. Linn St.
Studio 13 will kick off one of its most celebrated times of the year tonight with a performance by the IC Kings. The troupe performs once a month at Studio 13. For its annual Halloween show this year, attendees can expect heavy prop use, high energy, and lots of comedy. The show will begin at 8 p.m.
The hype continues with the “Halloween Drag & Dance” party on Friday. Jason Zaman, the Studio 13 owner, said the planning for this year’s festive weekend began two to three months in advance. This time frame allowed Studio 13 performers ample time to decide on and practice for their Disney Hocus Pocus-theme drag show.
“The performers put a lot into what they do. They spend a lot of time and money,” Zaman said. “It would be great to see people come out and get a chance to see it.”
The hourlong show will take place both Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m. Besides go-go dancers, costume contests, LED lights, blow-up toys, and more than $3,000 in giveaway prizes, attendees can expect food. Studio 13 will have the alley blocked off with Pizza Pit feeding the masses starting at noon on Saturday until after the extended 3 a.m. bar close. Tailgating and game-watching available at 10 a.m. Saturday.
Get to the live musical performances at the Union Bar
Tonight at Union might be the chaotic, pre-Halloween party many will seek. The bar is starting off its ghostly weekend with a performance from the hip-hop and rap group Travis Porter at 6 p.m. Cash prizes will be awarded to first- and second-place costume-contest winners and bottle service for third place.
If the concert isn’t enough to satisfy the party animal in you, the bar will host an after-party starting at 10 p.m. with no cover charge. Union Bar doesn’t plan to slow down until after Saturday, when world famous DJ Hedspin takes the stage from 7 p.m. to 3 a.m.
So much Halloween packed into so little time. Hopefully, your schedule isn’t the scariest thing you face this weekend.
