LEXINGTON Ky.—What better place for a spooky jack-o’-lantern extravaganza than Transylvania?
This year, Fayette County elementary school classes are invited to participate in the university’s Pumpkinmania Halloween celebration. The students will compete in a pumpkin carving contest that will transform the steps of historic Old Morrison into a frightfully awesome Halloween display.
The university also will have trick-or-treating for the public on Oct. 28, the night of the pumpkin lighting. Everyone is invited to drive or walk by campus to see the display until Oct. 31.
“Transylvania should be associated with Halloween like fireworks on the Fourth of July,” said Jeff Mudrak, human resources director. “It has one of the coolest names in higher education.”
Not only will schoolchildren get to say they celebrated the holiday at you-know-where, but they’ll also see their jack-o’-lanterns glow alongside hundreds of others.
“The best thing about it is to be able to look up and find your pumpkin and see how it fits in with the rest,” Office Services Coordinator Eric Ramsey said. “It’s just fun.”
Some pumpkins from previous years included ones the university’s Department of Public Safety made to look like their safety officers; another participant carved Old Morrison’s façade. “We encourage people to be as creative as possible,” Ramsey said.
Participating classes earn a chance to win a pizza party and $50 in educational supplies. Also, the school that provides the most carved pumpkins will receive special recognition.
When entering pumpkins, write the school and teacher’s name and email address with a permanent marker on the back and deliver them to Old Morrison between 1 and 7 p.m. Oct. 27 or 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. Oct. 28.
In addition to the elementary school contest, Transylvania plans to acquire 200 more locally grown pumpkins for faculty, staff and students to carve.
“We expect this year will be the biggest and best Pumpkinmania,” Ramsey said. “We’re Transylvania. We should really own Halloween.”
For more information, contact Eric Ramsey at 859-233-8300 or eramsey@transy.edu.
Dates and times:
Sunday, Oct. 27: Elementary school students drop off pumpkins at
Transylvania’s Old Morrison building between 1 and 7 p.m. Delivery
assistance is available.
Monday, Oct. 28: Elementary school students continue to drop off
pumpkins between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m.; official lighting at 7 p.m. and and trick-or-treat from 6–8 p.m.
Pumpkins will glow each night from Oct. 28 to 31.