ns, and spooky jack-o’-lanterns all helped to kick off the scare of the night at the 14th annual Halloween Party hosted by the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee in Gorham on Thursday night.
On a night where innovative costumes and free candy provided a great opportunity for USM to give back to the community, dozens of families came out to enjoy the various activities put on my many of our Husky athletes. With different teams coming out to help decorate and coordinate the party, “It’s a chance for the kids to meet athletes and be involved with them while their off the playing field,” said Meredith Bickford, the assistant athletic director here at USM. “We try to get donations from the community and surrounding businesses, but it’s really just a way for the Rec. department and the Athletic department to give back to the community,” she explained.
Having the night equipped with a haunted locker-room, giant inflatable slides, ghostly musical chairs, ponies, and even a mummy wrap, children were certainly able to enjoy the festivities of the evening. Five year old Mathew Finney from Gorham, who was dressed as the famous Spiderman, was accompanied by his mother and father, Kim and Mike Finney. “It’s a lot of fun and the kid’s love it,” said Kim. “It’s our 5th year now and Mathew loves it when the college kids wrap him up like a mummy,” she explained. “He’s pretty excited about the bouncy house too,” Mike added.
Although the athletes weren’t able to enjoy the bouncy house as much as Mathew, the feeling of gratitude they received from the community’s supporters was enough. “It’s great to help out, especially since a lot of people support all of our sporting events. It’s the least we can do to return the favor,” said Kristen Arsenault, a junior basketball player who helped the children enjoy their pony ride for the night.
As candy was handed out to contest and game winners, free pop corn, brownies, doughnuts, and beverages were also available to ease any stomach grumblings or dry throats that needed a little more than just candy. The amazing costume displays were also fun to marvel at, especially the baby girl dressed as the fish from Disney’s “Finding Nemo,” who spent most of the night crawling on the floor, searching for a little water to exercise her little fins.
After all was said and done, the athletes spent the remainder of the night cleaning up and, for underclassmen, already looking forward to next year’s festivities. “It was definitely a fun night,” says Mary Vaughan, a sophomore hockey player. “Our haunted house was the best. Hopefully we can continue to scare all the little kids next year.”