The weather is getting colder, and the leaves are beginning to change. Fall is officially upon Sonoma State University’s campus and with the beginning of fall means spooky season is coming up fast. Some people spend their time carving pumpkins, picking their costumes, and others spend their time watching classic Halloween movies. Sonoma State’s Residential Hall Association and Village Councils invites students to take part in another Halloween tradition, Safe Trick or Treating. The event will be hosted on Oct. 27 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m in Sauvignon Green.

“Safe Trick or Treating allows for strong community engagement between the Sonoma State campus and the towns around. Children and families from Petaluma to Santa Rosa are invited to come to the event. Our goal is to grow the bond and create a friendship between Sonoma State and the community that surrounds it,” said Residential Hall Association employee Trevor Paige.

Safe Trick or Treating will include: a kid-friendly haunted house, a haunted photo booth, a bouncy house with a slide, “Chuggy” the Bouncy train, along with a craft and activity table sponsored by the Village Councils as well as other Sonoma State University clubs. The residents of Sauvignon also have volunteered to purchase and hand out candy to the kids that are old enough to walk around the buildings.

“Safe Trick or Treating is open to clubs and organizations to sort of put their name out their in the community and get involved with youth. It would be a great opportunity to have our clubs and organizations host carnival games as well as give out prizes,” said Residential Hall Association employee Robby Campos.

Children will be walking the buildings of Sauvignon Village to trick or treat. Students who do not live in Sauvignon and want to get involved are still invited to attend the event and can email [email protected] for more information on how to do so. Students of  Sauvignon Village are invited to contact their RA’s about signing up to hand out candy from their dorms. 

“My freshman year, my roommates and I handed out candy to the kids during Safe Trick or Treating. It was a really fun way to get into the Halloween spirit,” said senior Carman Lucena. “We all purchased decorations for our dorm and got to see all the little kids in their cute costumes. It was a big majority of our neighborhood that got involved and it was fun to see everyone’s decorations as well.” 

Safe Trick or Treating has been going on since 2004. 40 Sauvignon dorms participated in the event last year. Residential Hall Association and Student Involvement try to provide the candy to be passed out during the event but students are invited to bring their own candy to pass out as well. It is a way to provide a safe place for children of the community and allow them to interact with the students on campus. Safe Trick or Treating has become a great way for the students of Sonoma State to build a strong community engagement with the surrounding towns of Sonoma County. With the popularity of the event in the past, Residential Hall Association and Village Councils are looking into expanding the event to more areas of campus to create more involvement with more of the campus.

“Students can participate in many ways. This event specifically targets Sauvignon residents but in the future we hope to extend it,” said Campos. “Another way that students can get involved is by talking to their club or organization and sparking interest in Safe Trick or Treating. Clubs and organizations can have a carnival game booth and pass out prizes to the children and residents can help by passing out candy and just interacting with the children of the community.” 

Safe Trick or Treating is a Sonoma State University tradition that gets students and the community around Sonoma State University in the festivities of Halloween. It is a great opportunity to give back to the community and build a strong support and engagement with the community.