ECU gears up for the annual Midnight Madness event

It's that time of year again -- when ECU students prepare for a night of fun, dressed up in their most creative and wild costumes. On Oct. 31, the night of Halloween, the annual Midnight Madness event will take place on campus.

The event has been going on since 1993 and is offered to students as a different option from going downtown. Every year, the theme of the event and some of the games are different. This year the theme is "Nightmare on Tenth Street." The events that will take place will include carnival games, bowling, a costume rock band competition, a "Taste of Fear" competition, a showing of the horror film "Drag Me to Hell" and finally, a dance.

According to one of the chairs of the event, Jacob Tidwell, assistant director of Student Activities in the Office of Student Activities and Organizations, Midnight Madness is designed for students who want a safe, alcohol-free environment on Halloween.

"It's not that we're trying to deter people from going downtown," Tidwell said. "That is their choice, but we offer a good alternative."

Not only does the Midnight Madness event provide students with an alternative place to celebrate Halloween, but students can walk away with prizes from some of the events. The biggest prize is an iPod Nano, which one student will win. Students can fill out a survey about the overall event to enter their name in the drawing. For winning some of the other events, students will have the opportunity to win some cash prizes as well.

Sierra Adams, a sophomore nursing major, said she and a friend attended last year.

"We got some cool prizes such as wax hands when we were there," Adams said. "All the little activities were cool."

The activities and games will take place in Mendenhall from 9 p.m. until midnight and the dance starts at 10 p.m. in the Student Recreation Center and ends at 1:30 a.m.

Last year, about 1,500 people attended the event and Tidwell said he hopes to have somewhere around that many people again.

Not only can students attend, but they can bring one guest if they get a pass for them prior to showing up to the event. Passes can be obtained in the Student Recreation Center, Jones Hall Campus Living Office or in Mendenhall on Oct. 30 and Oct. 31.

All students who attend must have a valid OneCard to swipe at the door. The security at the event will require students and their guests to provide this information.

The event is also open to faculty and staff members who wish to attend and they, like students, can bring one guest.

Midnight Madness is a free event designed specifically for the ECU community to have some different options for activities on Halloween.

For more information about Midnight Madness and what the night includes, go to http://midnightmadness.ecu.edu or call Jacob Tidwell at 252-328-4738.

This writer can be contacted at features@theeastcarolinian.com.