More than 600 people attended the event which showcased Central Michigan University basketball programs. Thursday night’s event featured a skills competition, slam dunk contest and performances by the CMU Dance Team.

The night began with the men’s team clad in white tuxedos and maroon vests, and their female counterparts participating in a dance-off at mid-court.

Both groups performed choreographed routines, but the women’s team emerged as the crowd favorites.

Men’s Coach Ernie Zeigler said a main reason for this event is to get the fans excited for the season.

“I am very pleased with the turnout and think that it was extremely successful,” Zeigler said. “I think we’re looking forward to having a whole lot of fun here in McGuirk.”

The skills competition began the basketball portion of the night, with teams consisting of two basketball players and one CMU student. A series of cones were laid out around the court, which participants had to weave through while dribbling, before going on to make a 3-point shot.

Junior guard Jalisa Olive and freshman guard Austin McBroom won the title.

Sophomore guard Derek Jackson received four 10-point scores from judges to win the slam dunk competition with his between-the-legs windmill dunk.

Jackson said he had practiced the dunk a few times, but had never done it in front of such a large crowd. Jackson also said Fright Night was a great chance to get out and show the fans the hard work the team has put in.

“It’s fun to come out and have fun,” Jackson said. “We have been putting a lot of work in at practice so it’s good to get them (the fans) hyped for the season.”

Students were not the only ones in attendance — Mount Pleasant residents came out in costume to celebrate the start of the basketball season as well.

Former CMU employees Larry and Dawn Dennis were in full costume while attending their first Fright Night event.

“We always try to support the basketball programs,” Dawn said. “This gave us a good warm-up for the Halloween weekend.”

Larry said although this was their first time attending Fright Night, they have been attending CMU games since the ’80s.

Children in attendance received candy-filled bags and participated in a costume contest.

Thursday’s event was not only to introduce this year’s teams, but to also kicked off their 2011/2012 campaigns that will begin with the women hosting Northwestern University on Nov. 11, and the men to follow on Nov. 12 against Ferris State University at McGuirk Arena.

Chris Fleming

On Halloween there will be some answers about the haunted stories that take place on Central Michigan University’s campus.

Paranormal stories will be the subject when Chris Fleming, medium and paranormal researcher, will put paranormal stories to the test at 6:30 p.m. on Monday in Warriner Hall’s Plachta Auditorium.

Fleming co-hosted the TV shows “Psychic Kids” and “Dead Famous.”

Jon Milliman, Bronson senior and Program Board special events chairman, said he is excited to give students the opportunity to meet Fleming.

“Any thrill-seekers will love attending this event,” Milliman said. “It will be so cool to hear how paranormal activity relates to each person’s life.”

After the lecture, Fleming will take a group of about 30 people through campus to reveal any paranormal activity, Milliman said.

Lansing senior Emily Nuss said she will be attending this event to see if there is anything that could possibly turn her into a paranormal believer.

“It freaks me out, because part of me doesn’t want to know if our campus is haunted, but at the same time, I’m completely intrigued,” Nuss said.

Nuss said she has seen one of Fleming’s TV shows and heard of him through various friends. She said she loves the fact the event is on Halloween and gives students an alternative to going out and making poor decisions.

“I’m not sure if I believe in paranormal activity. I believe that really freaky stuff happens and it could possibly be because of paranormal activity,” Nuss said. “I guess I just haven’t seen anything that makes me believe.”

While Nuss is interested about the campus hauntings, Milliman said because of the season people might be experiencing these things.

“It’s possible that since it’s Halloween, you too could experience some paranormal activity,” Milliman said.

The Haunted Yard, a Halloween event open to the public, is sponsored by Ace of Diamonds, 128 E. Broadway Street. Kriss Roethlisberger, the store’s owner, coordinates the event at her house, 814 N. Lansing. She said she has been putting on the Haunted Yard for 16 years and each year it gets better.

“We started out little and did it for the neighbors and it grew from there,” she said. “It’s a lot of fun. Everybody has their hobby — our hobby is monsters.”

Last year, 5,010 people came through the Haunted Yard, she said.

“We’re hoping for more than that this year,” she said.

The Haunted Yard opened Oct. 14 and is open until Halloween day.

Roethlisberger said she has a huge support team consisting of her husband, family and friends that help build the Haunted Yard.

During the summer, the crew spends about two months building everything, she said.

“I look forward to it all year long,” she said.

The Haunted Yard is free, with a suggested donation of $2 per adult, she said. All the money goes to the Circle K and Kiwanis Key Club.

The yard includes CarnEvil, Pirate Ship, Sammy’s Cemetery with Babysitter’s Nightmare, Rat City, Cricket’s Witches House, Cave of Fear, Merlin’s Mystery Maze and The Tunnel of Fear.

Mount Pleasant resident Todd Graham just started working at the Haunted Yard.

“It just looks like a lot of fun,” he said. “I’m a teacher, so it’s fun to see the little kids come in.”

Graham said everyone likes the scary maze, but he appreciates the design and complexity of the pirate ship surrounded by lights.

Ryan Johns, 13, has been involved in the Haunted Yard since he was about six-years-old, he said.

“I really like scaring people,” he said. “It’s not really (as) scary as people think.”

Mount Pleasant resident John Ronk has been volunteering for five years.

He said all different kinds of people come, including college students, families, young kids and anyone who enjoys Halloween.

The Haunted Yard is now set up to be handicap accessible, so anyone is welcome, he said.

“I like to show the little ones that it’s nothing to be afraid of,” he said.

Mount Pleasant resident Cindy Abbott said it’s fun to see the expressions of people when she startles them.

“I really like scaring the adults,” she said. “That’s the most fun.”

Central Michigan University can look like a different place during the day than it does in the dead of night.

Trout Hall will put that spooky effect to good use in coordinating its 16th annual Legends of the Dark event today, Thursday and Friday on the northern half of campus to raise money for select philanthropies.

“The event has grown bigger and bigger each year,” said Trout Hall Director Ann Krzyzaniak. “It started off as a fun hall event and has transformed into a campus-wide tradition.”

Tours start from the Down Under Food Court in Bovee University Center every 10 minutes from 7:30 p.m. until the last scheduled tour at 10:20 p.m. each night.

Each tour lasts about an hour and consists of stories told by tour guides throughout campus north of Preston Street. New and improved “scarers” are scattered throughout campus to improve the experience, said Farmington Hills sophomore Hannah Keshishian, this year’s program coordinator.

“I had different visions this year and I wanted to put my own spin on it,” Keshishian said. “We made budget cuts and used that money for costumes and make up and we got cool props. We wanted it to be more of a theatrical event.”

Admission is $3 in advance and $5 at the door and all profits will be divided up between four philanthropies: Sexual Aggression Peer Advocates, Relay for Life, Adopt a Family and the Mobile Food Pantry.

The haunted tours are Trout Hall’s biggest fundraising event each year.

“It’s something we do that’s cool and fun and brings in a lot of revenue and promotes the hall and promotes Sober in October,” Keshishian said.

In 2009, the event raised about $1,600 and in 2010 it raised $1,000. This year’s goal is to raise $2,500 with the increased ticket price.

Krzyzaniak said the tours are a fun Halloween experience, but are also useful in getting to know the history behind CMU’s campus.

“I think one of the most alluring aspects of the tour is people see parts of campus they don’t normally see,” Krzyzaniak said. “You might walk by a spot dozens of times in a year and not know about the legends behind some of those spots — legend has it they are indeed true campus stories.”

Planning for the event is a year-round process and requires 100 volunteers to fill the roles of tour guides, scarers, security guards, ticket sellers and makeup artists.

Volunteers range from all over the campus, which is partially what makes the event run so smoothly.

“We have had a great amount of support from the Health Professions Residential College located in Emmons Hall this year and in the past, in addition to volunteers from Greek life and honors students,” Krzyzaniak said.

Anne Foley, the principal at Kennedy Elementary School in Somerville, Mass., has come under fire from parents, students and politicians after banning the celebration of three fall holidays, Columbus Day, Halloween and Thanksgiving, in her school.

Foley claims Columbus Day and Thanksgiving are insensitive to American Indians and the connections to witchcraft make Halloween inappropriate to celebrate in her school.

She has instructed teachers not to celebrate the holidays in their classrooms and not let students dress up for Halloween.

One student told reporters, “I think that it’s kind of ridiculous because we should celebrate what we want to celebrate. We shouldn’t be told what we shouldn’t by other people,” and Massachusetts Sen. Scott Brown tweeted, “Let’s not take political correctness to the extreme. Let the kids in Somerville enjoy Halloween.”

With the exception of Columbus Day, Halloween and Thanksgiving have largely lost their original connotations, and from a political correctness standpoint, there is really not much harm in letting kids celebrate the holidays in schools.

Ultimately, the decision is up to the principal though, and if she wants to ban the holidays, that is her choice.

Children are in school to learn, not to have costume parties and celebrate holidays. Instead of wasting a day celebrating these holidays, is it not more beneficial for students to actually be doing what they are supposed to while they are at school — learning?

While the ban may be over the top, the reaction by parents opposing the ban is even more ridiculous. One parent told the local news station, “The children, they need to express themselves and be children. Don’t take holidays and fun time away from them. They have so much homework. They don’t have enough play time.”

Is this what our education system has become? School is not about “play time.” Play time is what happens when kids are out of school, and there is nothing stopping the kids from celebrating the holidays on their own time.

Foley’s reasoning is largely flawed, but the outcome from her decision is a good one. Students will spend the day learning, doing what they are supposed to be doing at school.

Parents should set a good example for their kids and embrace the fact that they will be learning.

With all of the problems plaguing the school systems in America, returning to an emphasis on learning is exactly what we need to get schools back on track, and if that means limiting the number of parties and holidays that are celebrated in school, then this will ultimately do more good than harm.

Editor’s note: Nathan Inks is the current president of College Republicans.

Scott began celebrating the Celtic and now neo-Pagan holiday Samhain at a young age.

“Samhain is the beginning of winter and the time where the veil between our world and the next is the thinnest,” the Dearborn junior said. “It shifts depending on the equinox, but tends to be Oct. 30, 31 or Nov. 1.”

She grew up celebrating Halloween, getting dressed up and trick-or-treating, and plans to hand out candy this year.

Scott said her parents raised her and her sister without a religion, so one day they could find one that meant something to them.

At age 11, Scott started attending rituals with her sister, beginning with a celebration of summer, life and things that grow, a ritual called Beltaine. Not long after, Scott began identifying herself as a Wiccan and now as a Pagan.

“Paganism is hard to define,” Scott said. “I can only say what I believe and what the Pagans I’ve met believe. I follow a polytheistic religion based on ancient gods and goddesses that are very much in tune with nature. The holidays I worship are based on the cycles of the Earth and the sun. The spirit allies I connect with are what mean something to me.”

Scott plans to celebrate Samhain this year by hosting an ancestor feast.

“My loved ones and I will make food that reminds us of our ancestors like potato leek soup, Irish soda bread and squash, and put a little bit of everything on a plate,” Scott said. “It’s the idea that your ancestors eat with you.”

She plans on hosting a Samhain ritual with the Open Grove Society, a registered student organization that promotes religious diversity.

Michael Ostling, assistant professor of philosophy and religion, teaches REL 302: Witchcraft, Magic and Occult Phenomena.

He said the scholarly term for modern Paganism is actually neo-Paganism, and it’s a new religion.

“Historically, witchcraft was the practice of harmful magick to hurt people,” Ostling said. “Today, neo-Pagans have taken a negative term and turned it positive. It’s a non-harmful religion.”

Witches became associated with Halloween because it’s a festival related to dead people, and witches somehow got lumped in there, he said. Halloween is actually a Christian holiday.

“Hallows is another word for saints,” he said. “Halloween is the eve of the holiday All Saints Day, Nov. 1.”

All Souls Day, Nov. 2, is historically the day to celebrate the dead, Ostling said.

For Scott, Halloween isn’t offensive, but a historically Christian holiday.

“Halloween is silly and a fun way to acknowledge that things kind of freak you out sometimes when you don’t know quite what’s there,” Scott said.

Similarly, Traverse City senior Melissa Hughes said she doesn’t think of Halloween as religious time.

“I never thought of it to be religiously related,” Hughes said. “It’s just an American holiday that’s fun and filled with superstitions.”

Hide yo’ kids, hide yo’ wife, Halloween is right around the corner.

And you know what that means — the one day of the year where girls dress without a conscience.

Sure, it gives me the chance to dress as a stripper and not feel the need to dance, but where is the line drawn between classy and just plain wrong?

While scouring for my costume in a local Halloween shop, I couldn’t help but notice how every costume is a “sexy” something.

Although I do not pride myself on the chance to wear next to nothing and get away with it, I decided to try on some of the more risque costumes … for research purposes, of course.

I dodged and tucked on my three-inch skirt as I peeked out of the changing room curtains and called for my friend’s approval. I felt shameful as little kids tried on innocent bunny costumes next door with their mom buttoning the backs, while my friend told me “spanx will cover that.”

As crazy as some costumes may get (I saw a “Sexy Banana”), they all have one thing in common: No hem-line.

When one wrong move could cost me a month full of Facebook “likes” on a bad photo put up by an even worse friend, deciding what to wear is more than a toss-up.

As I continued trying on costume after costume, I realized girls don’t have many options to save their pride on the last day of October.

The pressure to dress like a “slut” is becoming even greater with the limited choices of conservative costumes. Since when has Halloween become the day to reveal more than a treat or two?

Not all boys like the girls who step out in a two piece bikini with ears and call themselves a bunny, but I do not see many disgusted by it.

I am beyond jealous by the fact that a boy can be warm and cozy in a banana suit and get attention. But for a girl, it may take losing a few articles of clothing to get a look on Halloween night.

I’m not saying you have to dress like a slut to be noticed by boys, but I am also not saying dressing as a nun is going to grab a man’s attention in a room full of half-naked girls.

In the end, if you’re going to wear a skanky costume, please just remember underwear.

During the Halloween season, some adventure-seekers look for supposedly haunted places like the Mount Pleasant Center, 1400 W. Pickard St.

“I have never been there; it’s not my thing,” said Detroit freshman Antonio Colley. “I’ll leave it to the thrill-seekers like my friends.”

The building is owned by the city of Mount Pleasant and not open to the public. The lot of what used to be one of the largest state hospitals for the developmentally disabled is surrounded by trees and no trespassing signs.

“My sister told me about it when she went to Central,” said Flint freshman Katelyn Crittenden. “They took me there and the scariest part was the front door.”

Friends looking to scare others continue to spread the story.

“I was told about the asylum from a friend on campus that suggested I go and explore,” said Flint freshman Trey’von Boose-Burt.

Many believe the location and look of the building is the spookiest part.

“I believe that the abandoned asylum was creepy because of its geographical location, seeing as how it’s located in the depths of a long dirt road with little, if any streetlight,” Boose-Burt said.

Although the building is closed, some people say it isn’t completely abandoned.

Crittenden said she doesn’t think much goes on at the former asylum today.

“I don’t think there are ghosts,” she said, “but I believe there is some type of paranormal activity.”

The building now sits boarded with wood over the windows.

“The front doors give you an uneasy feel and the rain wells are so deep if you fell in them you wouldn’t be able to get out,” Crittenden said.

Meanwhile, the Mount Pleasant Police Department works to keep out people looking to trespass.

“I think the police have better things to do, so they don’t patrol it well,” Crittenden said.

Mount Pleasant Police Department Public Information Officer Jeff Browne said the property is posted well, telling people not to trespass.

“We have a security firm that patrols it for us and the police patrol it as well,” Browne said in a previously published report. “People caught on the property will receive a citation.”

He said the police often encounter people trying to “ghost hunt” at the location.

“The mysterious stories behind the former patients truly provide a scare,” Boose-Burt said.

Carving pumpkins is one of my favorite fall activities.

You get to spend the day at the cider mill picking one out, carve it, light it up as a Jack-o-lantern and then roast up tasty pumpkin seeds.

The process itself is a timeless tradition, but this year, I’ve discovered a few new ways to make a pumpkin stand out, rather than just giving it a toothy grin.

The first idea is to paint your pumpkin. While this certainly has been done before, the twist comes with using chalkboard paint. You can purchase chalkboard paint at most craft stores, and it even comes in a variety of colors. I would personally stick with black to fit in with the spooky Halloween theme.

Once your chalkboard pumpkin is ready, unleash your creativity. Count down the days until Halloween, write out spooky sayings, or write out party rules on them for your holiday bash.

Next, try wrapping your pumpkins in tights. Smaller pumpkins are going to be better here; I wouldn’t advise trying to shove a 15-pound pumpkin into a pair of fishnets.

Using patterned, lacey tights can give your pumpkin an antique look, and the black on orange is a festive color combination. Tie off the tights at the top of the pumpkin by the stem. You may even be able to make a pom-pom or bow at the top. If it doesn’t look so great, then just tie a large ribbon at the top to cover it up.

If carving is the way you’d like to go, try using metal cookie cutters. Plastic ones might work too, but metal is going to be more durable. Pound the cookie cutters into your gutted pumpkin with a rubber mallet, a hammer… even a sturdy shoe might work. You can purchase all sorts of Halloween-themed cookie cutters, so the possibilities are endless.

For the last few ideas, try using accessories with your pumpkins.

Carve out slots on small pumpkins and give them a pair of plastic vampire teeth.

Badazzle your pumpkin with cheap jewels from a craft store, or washers from a hardware store for a more discoball look.

If you’re planning on passing out candy, poke holes in a carved pumpkin with a pen or screwdriver and then insert suckers into the holes. You can even make a game out of it: Any trick-or-treater who pulls out a marked sucker stick wins a prize.

Getting crafty with pumpkins is one of my favorite holiday activities. Unfortunately, some people’s favorite activity is smashing pumpkins. So make sure if you put a lot of time and effort into your pumpkin, don’t leave it out overnight to get smeared across your sidewalk.