On Tues., Oct. 19, Associated Student Productions hosted a “Hallowingo” event, which was a Halloween-themed bingo for all students. At the end of the night, all winners were awarded with cash prizes totaling $500 dollars. 

The event was presented in a hybrid mode, and roughly 60 students competed against each other in the university ballrooms, while about 40 students competed virtually over Zoom. It went on from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m, and students that attended in-person were required to show their student ID and COVID-19 clearance screen upon entering the ballrooms. The game was played in four rounds and each round awarded three winners in first, second, and third place. First place winners won $60, second place won $40, and third place won $25. 

The “Hallowingo” was set up in a virtual format so students could play in-person and remotely through their phones or computers. Students that participated were provided with a link to a bingo-generator website that contained the bingo cards. Each tile on the cards represented a popular Halloween song, and the songs played in the ballrooms and through the Zoom. Students guessed the proper song, matched up the sequences on their cards, and ASP checked for correct bingo patterns in-person and virtually. 

ASP uses college event planning and entertainment company, Neon Entertainment, to help organize and host SSU events and activities. Comedian and actress, Katie Kusiciel, works with Neon Entertainment and partnered with ASP to host and moderator the bingo night. Kusiciel provided insight about working with SSU and said, “ I’ve hosted at Sonoma State a few times now and it’s always really fun! I’m greeted by the student staff and they always have a big smile and are ready for a great night. The students enter the room with high energy and congratulate each other when they win- it’s a really positive experience.”

Kusiciel detailed the night by going on to say, “ the students really got into the Halloween spirit with me. I passed out cat ears to a few students which made them really happy! We all enjoyed being festive and spooky together and jammed out to some of our favorite songs. Making people laugh and bringing some levity to a really serious year is really fulfilling, and specifically working with SSU has made me smile. I always look forward to coming back.”

ASP Event Director and third year psychology student, Jocelynne Leon, was the head ASP organizer for the bingo night. Leon described her experience working with Neon Entertainment and mentioned the success of night by explaining, “last year, I came across game shows provided by the company, Neon Entertainment. I was immediately attracted to the Hallowingo, and this year, I was able to work with the vendor and have them host the bingo in a hybrid mode on campus! The event went great and we had over a 100 students participate, which is a record yet for the game shows we have organized. Students seemed pumped to win and we had some students tell us they had fun as they were leaving the ballrooms.”