Rebecca Mueller/Winonan

Winona’s sidewalks will soon play host to many young goblins and ghouls, and Winona State University’s residence halls will get a visit as well. Area children will be trick-or-treating in the Winona State residence halls from 6 to 8 p.m. on Oct. 31.

The participating residence halls include Lourdes Hall, Maria Hall and Tau Center on West Campus, and Prentiss-Lucas, the Quad, Sheehan Hall, Kirkland Hall and New Center on Main Campus.

Sarah Wilson, hall director for New Center and Kirkland Hall, said it’s very busy on campus that night.

The hall council executives for each building will host tables to welcome trick-or-treaters.

The greeters in each building will be providing trick-or-treaters with a list of participating rooms. They will also give out maps for larger buildings like Lourdes Hall on West Campus that can be hard to navigate.

Residents handing out candy will post pumpkin signs next to their doors. They are asked to keep their doors propped open.

Cold weather often forces children to cover their costumes with heavy winter coats to stay warm.

“The kids don’t have to wear their coats if it’s cold,” Wilson said. She said the residence halls offer a warm, safe environment for trick-or-treating. It’s also a chance for children to visit lots of places all in one building, so they could get lots of candy.

First-year students Mckenzie Cherney and Madi Bolster are excited to hand out candy in their residence hall on Halloween night. The two became friends this year after meeting in Lucas Hall. They will be passing out candy together in Cherney’s room.

“I know how fun it is for little kids to try something new,” Cherney said. Trick-or-treating in the residence halls is a different experience than trick-or-treating in the neighborhoods around town.

Cherney said that not very many people signed up on her floor, but that other floors in the building had a lot of participants.

She explained that participation varies from floor to floor and can depend on how well the residents get along.

Wilson said, “We have the best participation in the first-year halls.” In general, fewer students participate in residence halls with larger upperclassman populations like Kirkland Hall. This is because these students are generally busier or have other plans for that night.

Cherney and her floormates on first floor of Lucas Hall decorated their hallways with ghosts, pumpkins and bats on Oct. 20 to get ready for Halloween. Cherney also made ghost decorations to hang on the walls in her room.

The residence hall staff does not provide candy for the event, so students supply their own. Cherney’s candy dish is currently filled with Twix, Snickers and leftover candy from the Homecoming parade.

She is also including toys such as a jump rope that she does not plan to use since trick-or-treaters often enjoy getting toys along with candy on Halloween.

“We might dress up,” Cherney said. She has a pumpkin shirt that she is planning to wear. Students are permitted to wear costumes as long as they are appropriate.

The event is sponsored by Housing and Residence Life.

Trick-or-treaters can also visit a Haunted House hosted by the Sustainability House on the corner of Main Street and Sanborn Street.

Contact Rebecca at [email protected]