As October draws to a close with Halloween next weekend, Washburn students prepare to celebrate the ghostly holiday by dressing in costume, distributing candy and doing various other spooky activities.

While most college-aged people have outgrown the activity of dressing up, going door-to-door and asking for candy, there are still ways to stay festive during the holiday.

For those students living on campus, the Washburn Residential Council will host the annual event Trick or Treat Off the Street. This event permits participation from residents in Kuehne Hall, West Hall, the Washburn Village, the Living Learning Center and the Lofts at College Hill.

“The aim of our event is to provide a safe opportunity for both parents and children to trick-or-treat, while providing a chance for residents to connect with the community and help give back,” said Jack Van Dam, LLC resident assistant.

In addition to helping the community, Van Dam says the event allows residents to be creative with community members by distributing candy and decorating their doors for the benefit of the children.

“As with any program, the hope is to make it not only bigger and better than years prior, but to make it a sustainable, lasting piece of WRC’s history,” said Taylor Hanna, Residential Living House director.

To encourage students to participate, the council issued the incentive that the first 10 suites to sign up will be provided candy to distribute to trick-or-treaters, while the remainder will need to secure their own candy.

“We hope residents take the opportunity to participate in this event so they still get to participate in trick-or-treating while living in the residence halls,” Van Dam said.

Even if a student doesn’t live on campus anymore, there are a few apartment complexes trying to get their residents in the holiday spirit.

College Hill, located on 17th Street and Washburn Avenue, is holding two Halloween related competitions during October. The first is for residents to carve the most creative pumpkin. The resident with the best pumpkin will receive a $50 Visa gift card, and the runner-up will be awarded five free Pizza Pub pizzas and a $10 PT’s coffee gift card.

The other contest urges residents to decorate their front doors and balconies with a Halloween theme. The residents responsible for the first place door and balcony receive a $20 Visa gift card and a $25 Burger Stand gift card with the second place residents getting a $20 gift card to PT’s coffee-shop.

Aside from spooky decorations and pumpkin carving to prepare for the holidays, many students have finalized their plans for the night of Oct. 31.

“In years past I haven’t done much for Halloween because of work, but since I have the day off I plan on dressing up as BoJack Horseman and going to a friend’s party,” said Brooke Peele, junior English literature major.

While some people may be attending parties like Peele, others are playing host to Halloween themed events like Jessica Rankin, junior elementary education and cultural anthropology double major.

“This Halloween, since I live on my own, my boyfriend and I plan on having our families over for dinner, passing out candy and then celebrating the evening with our friends,” Rankin said.

Despite the fact that Halloween isn’t everyone’s favorite holiday, many still enjoy participating in the activities that accompany this time of year and the fall season overall.

“We’ve been putting a lot of time into decorating the house, making Halloween cookies, watching Halloween themed movies and making caramel apples,” Rankin said. “Halloween is my second favorite holiday after Christmas.”