The last week of October is always an exciting time for the Colby-Sawyer community. As the chill of autumn settles in the air, students are met with a plethora of exciting activities as part of the college’s annual Fall Freak Out event.

Spearheaded by the Campus Activities Board (CAB), Fall Freak Out kicked off on Thursday the 28th with a double-feature viewing of 1998’s Halloweentown and 2021’s The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It. Friday the 29th saw a performance by comedian Chris Turner, who recently became the first British comedian to perform on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. On Saturday the 30th, students were invited to paint pumpkins and make caramel apples in Wheeler Hall, and on the 31st, a Summoning Spirits Seance Magic Show was held there.

CAB also collaborated with the Susan Colgate Cleveland Library for the annual Haunted Library Walk, which transforms the five-level library into a haunted house. CAB members, as well as theater troupe CSC Players, dressed as clowns and ghosts to give patrons a good scare. This year’s lineup also included a plague doctor played by Quinlan “Q-ey” Ebel, five-year-old son of College Librarian Malia Ebel. But the Campus Activities Board wasn’t the only group getting in on the fun — plenty of student-led clubs threw their own events too.

On Oct. 22, the Cross Cultural Club celebrated Dashain (pronounced da-sai), a 15-day-long Hindu festival that is one of the most important holidays in Nepal. After a presentation by club President Smriti Sharma Sapkota ‘22, Tikka blessings were given by Professor Beth Krajewski and Dean Thomas Kealy. Students could also partake in traditional Nepali food and receive henna tattoos.

The Psychology Club held their annual Psych Night on Wednesday the 27th. Free candy and pumpkin painting were available, and professors from the college’s psychology department joined in.

The second annual PRIDE Club Halloween Drag Show was held Saturday the 30th. Hosted by Mr. Ego of House of Marvel Entertainment, the show featured student performers in solo numbers and head-to-head lip sync battles. This year’s lip sync contest winner was Toxic Masculinity (Sarah Trout ‘24), and Best Drag went to Jasmine Tea (Sarah Zink ‘25). Mr. Ego — known by day as CSC Facilities’ Kelvin Dawson — performed as well. This year marks his tenth anniversary as PRIDE Club’s designated drag show host.

Finally, on Nov. 1, the Hispanic-Latino Club held a Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) celebration. Día de los Muertos, a holiday of Mexican origin, is a joyful celebration of the departed. Students observed the ofrenda, an altar dedicated to the souls of the dead. They could also learn salsa and samba dancing and were served food from the El Rodeo restaurant in Concord.