UNA’s University Program Council is switching up this year’s ghost walk to a trick-or-treat style event. The walk will take place on Oct. 29.
The Ghost Walk is a yearly event organized by UPC which takes students through downtown Florence and UNA’s campus to buildings that are rumored to be haunted and tells the history of the campus and the ghosts.
“We have so many cool buildings on campus that are allegedly haunted, and so we’re gonna have the history of that, why it’s considered haunted and a little bit of the ideas behind how North Alabama keeps that alive, ” said UPC’s Welcome Warrior Chloe Lee Jones. Jones is in charge of the events that happen in the first month of each semester: Mane Month in the fall and Frost Fest in the spring.
Grace Anthony, the Freshman Forum advisor with SGA, was a tour guide at the event last year.
“[UPC and Freshman Forum] had time slots and stuff,” said Anthony. “It was really fun. I had a really good time. Leading people around campus and telling them about all the school and stuff was really cool.”
As the Welcome Warrior, Jones was a little out of her expertise planning the event.
“[The Ghost Walk] is a little bit outside of my range but we had some difficulties with ‘Who was going to do what’ and so I volunteered,” Jones said. “ I was like ‘I don’t have anything planned in October, so I’d be happy to do it.”
The change in this year’s style is going to be similar to trick-or-treating. Attendees will receive candy at each stop in addition to the history of the building or area. Students are also encouraged to dress up in costumes for the event.
“So [the attendees] will get a bucket when they arrive,” Jones said. “It’ll kind of take us back to our childhood a little bit. That’s going to be kind of fun.”
Anthony plans on attending this year.
“I think it’s really important to showcase the history of UNA,” Anthony said. “And even though it does have the haunted aspect of it, it does showcase a lot of the deep history of UNA and how far it goes back.”
Jones encouraged students to get involved by registering on CampusGroups before the event, so the planners can get an accurate headcount. According to Jones, UPC will most likely open the registration for the week preceding the event. Jones also included that all the areas of the walk will be accessible to those with disabilities.
