By Bessie King

Candy, costumes, parties and good scares are some of the highlights of Halloween. With the holiday season approaching, Chartwells Dining Services decided to spice up the midterm period with the Second Annual Halloween Pumpkin Carving Contest. The event was held at Stetson East, Thursday, Oct. 24.

This year’s contest, catered by Chartwells, had 40 contestants, plus volunteers and cafeteria staff who helped in the planning. Pumpkins, carving tools, candy, cookies, Halloween stuffed animals, and even warm apple cider, greeted the students who went the extra mile to create a design for a Jack-O-Lantern.

Students who entered the contest were competing for prizes. The first, second and third place winners received a cash prize of $100, $75 and $50, respectively0..

Even if the students were only concerned with the awards and the free food, the organizers of the contest were thinking of giving students a break form their hectic college lives.

“This is the second year in a row in which we do the contest, and it is around midterm time so that students can come and feel less stressed for a while,” said Debbie Fantasia, the marketing manager of Chartwells on campus. “We are trying to spice up the dining hall facilities and make them feel more welcome, so that students don’t miss the holiday traditions from home and instead enjoy them with friends.”

All the pumpkins will be donated to the “Boys and Girls Club of America” in Arlington, Mass., and to the “Circle K” organization in Boston, to be used in their annual Halloween fundraising party and at a food kitchen this weekend.

Voting for the contest took place the following day after the carving time, where students came into a dark, set-up showroom where the pumpkins could be seen lit up with glow sticks, and then voted on. The happy winners were as follows: first place Britten Cosgrobe with her “Nemo” pumpkin, second place Mary Ann Yacgher with “Hometown Pride” motif, and third place Kelly Crawford and her “Classic Pumpkin Face” design.

Those who did not have a chance to enter the contest this year do not have to wait long for another “create your own” type of contest.

“We also have Gingerbread house building in the Christmas season, and some of the houses from last year looked like mansions so we are expecting even better results this year,” Fantasia said.

Start planning the structure of your gingerbread homes, or wait for another one of the events Chartwells organizes such as the Valentine’s Day cookie creations, Mardi Gras dinner parties or a pancake eating contest.

Have a Happy Halloween, but don’t eat too much candy.