OAK

LANE TRICK OR TREAT OFFERS FUN FOR SURROUNDING COMMUNITY

BLACKSBURG, Va. More than 500 trick-or-treaters swarmed Oak Lane on Oct. 30, as local

residents gathered to participate in the 15th Annual Oak Lane Trick or Treat.

In all my years of participating, I have never seen so many families come out to this

event, said Katherine Kolly, vice president of scholarship for the Virginia Tech Panhellenic

Council. Kolly, who is also a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority, helped organize this years

Oak Lane Trick or Treat. I really enjoyed being a part of Oak Lane Trick or Treat this year. It was

truly a successful and enjoyable experience for both the families and residents.

Every year, the Oak Lane community at Virginia Tech invites families from Blacksburg and

Christiansburg to participate in trick-or-treating and fall-themed activities. The Oak Lane

community is home to fraternity men and sorority women from nearly 20 on-campus Greek

organizations. It also encompasses the Transfer House, which is home to 35 Virginia Tech

transfer students.

The Halloween-themed event began at 4 p.m. in front of the Sigma Chi house, where

members of the Virginia Tech Panhellenic Council checked in families. As families arrived at the

check-in booth, organizers split attendants into small groups of two to three families. Two

leaders from the Oak Lane community were assigned to guide each group to participating

houses.

 I enjoyed Oak Lane Trick or Treat because it was great to see the Greek community at

Virginia Tech come together with the Blacksburg and Christiansburg communities, said Kappa

Kappa Gamma sorority member Bonnie Woodward, who guided children around Oak Lane

during the event. The kids were adorable in their costumes and the activities were really

creative and engaging.

Organizers encouraged all participating houses to decorate or create Halloween-themed

activities for trick-or-treaters to enjoy. Some houses focused on using Halloween-themed

decorations to engage participants. Both Sigma Chi and the Transfer House used fake cobwebs

as decorations for the front of their houses. Other houses, including Alpha Phi, placed painted

and carved pumpkins outside their door for trick-or-treaters to admire.

Certain houses used classic carnival games as inspiration for activities. Tri Delta and

Gamma Phi Beta created a ring-toss game using witch hats as pegs. Tri Delta, along with Sigma

Kappa, also created a ghost-themed activity, inspired by the milk-bottle-toss carnival game,

where children used plastic balls to knock over rolls of toilet paper decorated as ghosts.

Both Pi Lambda Phi and Kappa Kappa Gamma hosted activities that allowed participants

to tap into their creative side. At Pi Lambda Phi, children used crayons and markers to decorate

paper pumpkins. Kappa Kappa Gamma organized a craft where children made ghosts using

lollipops, tissues, markers and string.

One parent said she liked how we made kids work for their candy, said Brianna

Hamade, resident advisor for Kappa Kappa Gamma. A lot of children seemed really proud of

their ghosts.
 The sisters of Alpha Chi Omega organized an activity that they named Pie an Alpha Chi.

For the activity, children used plates of whipped cream to pie Alpha Chi Omega sisters in the face.

Participating sisters wore hairnets and plastic wrap for protection; however, the activity still

proved to be the messiest of the day.

Morgan Gross, 8, and her cousin, Zeya Gross, 4, who were dressed as a vampire and a

mermaid, said but one word when asked what their favorite part of the day was. Candy! they

both agreed. Participating houses handed out nut-free candy to create a safe environment for

children with allergies.

I believe the event was a success, said Kristina Gallagher, vice president of community

outreach for the Virginia Tech Panhellenic Council and member of Gamma Phi Beta. I received

positive feedback from parents during the event and after the event, via email, and I think

chapter members enjoyed themselves as well.

The event concluded at 6 p.m. Though it only took most participants about an hour to

visit every house, organizers scheduled the event for two hours to accommodate latecomers and

participants who took more time visiting houses.

Target Audience

Parents with children in preschool, elementary school or middle school, from the Blacksburg

and Christiansburg communities who attended the event with their family.

Members of the community who didnt attend the event, but are interested in attending in

the future.

Oak Lane residents and members of Virginia Tech Greek life, who participated in the event

and are interested in gaining feedback.