As midterms and a stressful, remote semester continue, Halloween festivities offer the Kean community a welcome reprieve from busy schedules and studying. Many of the university's organizations have arranged remote Halloween-themed events for the week leading up to and including the holiday.
On Wednesday, Oct. 28, Student Organization will host a Halloween edition of Paint and Sip, which invites students to join their peers and an instructor in enjoying beverages and company while they paint their own pieces with a Halloween focus. For painters of any experience and skill level, it's a great event to counter stress by stimulating creativity and socializing. Attendance is limited, so guests are asked to RSVP via Cougar Link as soon as possible. Supplies including a canvas will be sent to those who save their spots. The event will take place on Zoom from 5 to 7 p.m.
From 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 29, Beta Beta Beta National Biological Honor Society (TriBeta) will present Virtual Escape the Room! Like its in-person counterpart, the remote escape room experience challenging puzzles and questions through videos and Google Sheets - fittingly, with both scary and biological and medical themes. The event will be held through Google Meet. The first competitor to escape the virtual room will win a TriBeta shirt. Entry to the escape room is $2, which guests can pay through Venmo @tribeta-kean.
The Criminal Justice Club will host a Halloween Netflix Party on Friday, Oct. 30 from 8 to 10:30 p.m. The virtual movie night will use the Netflix Party extension to screen a film through Netflix simultaneously for guests, so a Netflix subscription is necessary. To RSVP for the event and for more on installing the Netflix Party extension, visit Cougar Link. A link to join the party will be provided via the Criminal Justice Club's Instagram page on the day of the event, @criminaljusticekean.
On Halloween, Saturday, Oct. 31, the Liberty Hall Museum will celebrate with its annual Pumpkin Patch Day, starting at 10 a.m. Pumpkin picking and carving, arts and crafts, hayrides and more can be enjoyed all day with friends and family. Admission is $8 for adults, $12 for children and free for children under 3. Reservations are required for safety at this year's event; they can be made at the Liberty Hall Museum website. Those wishing to go pumpkin picking for the event must reserve the number of pumpkins they'd like alongside their admission. Volunteers are also sought for the event, and students interested in the opportunity for service hours in a fun, outdoor atmosphere are encouraged to visit Cougar Link for more information.
Halloween is a holiday for stepping outside of oneself and into a costume and a character - and this year, it doubles as a chance to step outside of the stresses and monotony of remote learning to relax, be entertained and help others to do the same.
