Once in every year there comes a time when people are given an opportunity to dress up as anything to their hearts’ desires, and display their artistic creativity through the gutting and carving of pumpkins. On Oct. 30, NEIU’s Student Activities provided a public display of these features through pumpkin carving and costume contests in Village Square.
Tables were laid out for contestants to display their skills at carving, as well as a provision of a trick or treat box, where one had to dive their hand into the mouth of the box. Whether a trick or treat was chosen, it was a matter of bringing a sense of celebration for Halloween. Costume contestants acted, danced, or wobbled around while displaying their desirable personas. It was a magnificent display of hard work and creativity for both carving and costume contestants alike.
Contestants were judged by a panel of four judges looking for effort and creativity placed on the creation of their work. For the pumpkin carving contest, Regina Torres, an NEIU senior, worked effortlessly on a piece of the intricately carved Obama. It was stated that it took four long, hard hours through the method of utilizing a real-life photo, but keeping the actual process a secret, as to not give away any tricks. When asked why she chose to choose Obama as the figure for her pumpkin, “I prefer portraying monsters and creatures, however, with the election coming up on Nov. 4, my motivation was derived from the views of pop culture and the issue of time pertaining to the election.” Regina Torres, an English major and art minor, took first place in the pumpkin carving contest. The second place winner was NEIU student Terry Oconnor, who carved Yoda, from Star Wars. NEIU student Adrian Quinonez placed third in the contest with a carving that judges likened to either a haunted house or Dante’s inferno.
Judgments were made for the costume contest as well. Costumes ranged from a Greek goddess to the invisible man to a banana. A large group of people waited for the judging process, where the contestants portrayed their characters while walking the runway. The first place winner of the contest was NEIU student Kitt Miller, as Mech, a robot piloted by a human. It took him one hour to make the costume himself. Second place was, NEIU student Cecilia Carboni, as Steampunk Monster Hunter. “The idea was inspired by a friend incorporating gothic and Victorian concepts together.” It took her three days to carve the handle of the gun, while her costume was composed of mix and matched clothing from her closet. Third place winner was NEIU student Judy Burns, as Mumble, a character from the motion picture, Happy Feet. “I love to dance and love animals and it was a last minute idea that I thought was cute.” The creation process took two to three days to come up with the idea, 20 minutes for the make-up, and two hours collecting and assembling the whole.
The large group of viewers was thoroughly enjoying the event with laughter, awe, and applause. The pumpkin carving and costume contest was filled with another year of great success and will be for future years to come. Happy Halloween!