Everybody sing along! [cue creepy Nightmare Before Christmas soundtrack]…This is Mayfield, this is Mayfield /Girls talking in the middle of class /This is Mayfield, everybody make a scene /Trick or treat till the neighbors gonna die of laughin’ / It’s our street, everybody scream /In this school on Bellefonteeeeeeene!

Strub Hall is decorated with pumpkins and fall colors, costume ideas are circulating the halls, and Mayfield is proving ready for the Fall season. First up is Halloween and soon to follow is Thanksgiving. Which do you like more?

A friend recently brought up the idea of there being two sides to Halloween– the cute pumpkin Pinterest side versus the darker creepy skeleton side. I have heard at Mayfield both, “I loooooove Halloween, it is my favorite!” and “Halloween freaks me out!” It is safe to say that Halloween is the most contested holiday, perhaps because of its inherently darker nature.

Another aspect of Halloween is the Catholic celebration that prepares for All Saints day on November 1 each year. Known also as “All Hallows Eve,” Halloween in the Catholic Church honors great examples of saints and prepares for November 2 which celebrates all souls who have died. The secular side of Halloween often overshadows the actual meaning of Halloween in Catholic tradition and the traditions of other cultures, but both can be enjoyed and celebrated depending on one’s intentions. 

And then there’s Universal Studios’ Halloween Horror Nights. AHHH! This phrase is brought up about as often as the word “vending machine” is in the hallways in October. Plenty of horror stories come out of this event saying it was the best, worst, craziest, or “I was screaming the entire time but loved it!”

Juli…. ‘21 shared, “I was so scared the first time that I got sick but now I know what to expect. And even if the mazes aren’t that scary, it’s really cool to see how much detail they put into recreating different scenes from movies.” Even someone who notoriously loves Halloween admits it was scary at first!

This year, the Mayfield Crier wanted to bring our own style of spooky in our one of a kind “Scariest Issue Ever.” We have challenged the community to take a peep inside if they dare. If you are reading this, you dared …and have made it to this point…are your teeth chattering?….spine tingling?….spooked out? BOO! Got you.

Whether you are the one who loves Horror Nights and your favorite colors are black, orange, and purple or you want nothing to do with black cats and spider webs, there is one commonplace for everyone on Halloween…..FREE CANDY! It is hard to argue against that. Just don’t tell Ms. Wade how much you eat! Cubs, be safe this Halloween and don’t forget that you are never to old to say “Trick or treat.”