Friday, March 6

All Treats, No Tricks: Halloween 2025

Written by Madison Bonner

Photography by Madison Bonner and Elana Melzer

BOO!! It’s Trick-or-Treat! When spooky season rolls around on campus, so does one very special McKendree tradition. This Halloween’s annual Trick-or-Treat was organized by Student Government Association, who opened it to not only students but alumni and the Lebanon community. In order to coordinate with Lebanon’s citywide trick-or-treating, the event took place on Friday, October 31 in the circle drive from 6 P.M. to 8 P.M. 

The event consisted of four spooktacular sections: cars, tables, games, and tours. SGA partnered with SAAC, McKendree’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, to host vehicles for athletic teams in the circle drive. RSOs lined up along the sidewalk with booths full of candy to pass out to students and children alike. CAB provided games such as KanJam, volleyball, cornhole and spikeball during the event. Student Ambassadors also led adventurous trick-or-treaters on Haunted Tours!

5 different sports participated in this event: Swimming and Diving, Men’s Water Polo, Women’s Water Polo, Women’s Hockey, and Beach Volleyball.

McKendree’s local sorority, Kappa Sigma Tau, dressed up and passed out candy. Above, members Morgan Fiscus, Aliyah Spencer and Gabriella Heinrich are pictured with “Alvin and the Chipmunks.”
Members of Literary Interest Society Taylor Dressler, Taylor Turner and Madison Bonner dressed as Feyre, Eleven and a ringmaster, respectively! Taylor Turner’s dog Roscoe joined them as Pennywise.
McK Improv staged a candified murder mystery at their booth! Members Dow White, Carter Rojek, and Madison Bonner posed riddles to Trick-or-Treaters. Examples of such “riddles” include: “What’s the best holiday?” and “What are the four US territories?”
Psychology Club President Joylene Bills and Calvin Wertman sold hot chocolate and apple cider to visiting trick-or-treaters. The proceeds from their sales went towards Psychology Club and McKendree’s Bearcat Food Pantry.
Following a “Witches & Wizards” theme, Residence Life’s booth was decorated with cauldrons and witchy decor. SRA Roxanne McWhorter and RD Emily Smith are featured above, along with Emily’s dog, Tiberius!
Spectrum Alliance and Bearcat Gaming teamed up for their table! Pictured above are Lauren Magnussen, Izaiah Pope, Roxanne McWhorter, Lilyann Mullins, and Cathrine Houck. Their decor included pride flags and skeletons, with a cauldron full of candy and Pokémon cards!
Dressed as Spongebob, Elana Melzer managed not The Krusty Krab, but McK Media’s table! She served up two options: either a “trick” or a “treat”, depending on the customer’s order.
Oaklie Otten and Anna Rose Sheehan pose next to their table for Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA).
Pictured above are Alpha Delta Gamma (ADG) members Mike Cook and Titus Wood. The fraternity joined the festivities with a speaker and, of course, plenty of treats!
Tyson Thompson and Jordynne Loomas gathered groups at their booth before leading them on Haunted Tours.

The event featured Haunted Tours, led by Student Ambassadors Tyson Thompson and Jordynne Loomas. The content of these tours was provided by Dr. Brian Frederking, who is currently researching McKendree’s bicentennial history for the campus’ upcoming 200th anniversary. Dr. Shelly Lemons’ Public History class organized the information by location. The tour guides took turns leading groups around campus, describing spooky historical facts about each stop on their route. Their route looped around campus, including stops at the traditional residence halls, Holman Library, Carnegie/1828, Benson Wood, Native American Mound, Old Main, Bothwell Chapel, Clark, and PAC.

The event was enjoyed by trick-or-treaters of all ages!

Furry friends Tiberius, Dixie and Roscoe were the stars of the show!

Thank you to all those who contributed to the success of this tradition, whether through attendance or participation! We hope to see you again next year!

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