Photos by Matt Hembree (C’20)
By Kelsey Siegler
Contributing Writer
The staff at Stirling’s Coffee House recently put on their annual Halloween “HulaBOOloo Party” with Halloween activities directed at community members of all ages and people on and off the Mountain.
The coffeehouse not only featured festive Halloween treats and drinks throughout the month, but also had this event to get everyone in the spirit of Halloween. The festivities included pumpkin carving, face painting, fortune telling, bobbing for apples, witch broom limbo, mummy wrapping, a scavenger hunt, pin the face on the pumpkin, sidewalk chalk, spooky charades, a broom stick obstacle course, and a candle-lit graveyard walk.
Stirling’s plans the “HulaBOOloo” event every year and invites the Sewanee community via email a week before the event. The staff provides the materials, such as pumpkins for carving, toilet paper for mummy wrapping, candy for prizes, and more, along with freshly dipped caramel apples and homemade apple cider and cupcakes.
Chris Woolverton (C’18) told fortunes, such as that money lines on palms meant a person would be prosperous, or that if a person’s lines ended abruptly, his or her life would end quickly too.
Similarly, the bobbing for apples was fun, as Anna Palmer (C’17) gave helpful tricks to the children, saying that “grabbing the stem of the apple” was the best way to get an apple.
All of the children left with their faces painted, many by Reevie Walton (C’18), who specialized in anything from fairies and dragons to superhero drawings.
“I loved the look of amazement and surprise when I showed the children their finished painted faces,” Walton said.
Reevie Walton (C’18) paints faces at Stirling’s Halloween party.
Darden Wilson (C’18) also enjoyed her time wrapping children up as mummies, saying she was “happy to help” and that the “children seemed to love it even though the wrapping lasted about ten seconds.”
Stirling’s offered prizes for best costumes and gave out candy, apple cider, caramel apples, and pumpkin cupcakes for prizes, and the children were very excited. There were mostly younger children and families at the event, and many children dressed as pumpkins, witches, princess and pirates.
There were smiles everywhere up until the spooky storytelling event in the graveyard given by former professor Gerald Smith, a very historic and special moment for all of those who were able to listen to this Sewanee history on Sewanee grounds.
Stirling’s is the center of Sewanee community life where professors and students meet and have memorable conversations take place over a one-of-a-kind cup of coffee. The “HulaBOOloo Party” never disappoints, and brings together the community as Stirling’s is known for doing.