More Than 1,100 Area Residents Attend Lindsey Wilson University 'Safe Halloween'

An evening that brings the university and the community together.

by Duane Bonifer

COLUMBIA, Ky. (10/31/2026) — The anticipation started building about three weeks ago among residents in Lindsey Wilson University's Phillips Hall.

That's when students of the 140-resident residence hall started to prepare the 123-year-old building's hallways for the university's "Safe Halloween." The annual event is when the university opens select residence halls to area children and their family members, who enjoy a trick-or-treat journey through decorated hallways and receive candy from students dressed as characters from children's stories, films, TV shows and video games.

"I was very excited about it this year, especially when I found out the theme of the hall," said Lindsey Wilson student and resident Anna Kate Alexander '29 of Glasgow, Kentucky.

Alexander dressed as Princess Peach from the "Mario" video game series, which complemented her hallway's theme. The building's other themes included the "Minions" animated series, the "Star Wars" saga, the "PJ Masks" children TV series and several Disney characters.

A lot of people shared Alexander's excitement this year because more than 1,100 area children and their family members attended this year's Lindsey Wilson "Safe Halloween," often all dressed in costumes. That made it one of the largest crowds since the event was first held in 1994.

In addition to trick-or-treating through five buildings, guests could brave a walk through haunted Horton Hall and enjoy games, activities and face-painting in the Cralle Student Union Building, which was turned into the board game Candy Land.

Pleasant weather was one factor that contributed to a large attendance at this year's "Safe Halloween," but so did area children's excitement. Lindsey Wilson student Emmalee Miller '27 of Louisville, Kentucky, said that when she visited Adair County schools earlier this week, there was a lot of buzz about the event.

"They told me they were excited and they look forward to it every year," said Miller, an elementary education major who dressed as Ariel from "The Little Mermaid" on her Phillips Hall floor.

Lots of smiles and a few shrieks

Many of the Lindsey Wilson students who handed out candy during "Safe Halloween" said they had as much fun as the trick-or-treaters.

"It makes my heart warm every time I see them smile," said Lindsey Wilson student Hayeni Costa '27 of Kissimmee, Florida, a resident of Memorial Hall who dressed as the Fairy Godmother from the "Shrek" movie to go along with her residence hall's theme.

Memorial Hall resident assistant Layla Massey '27 of Las Vegas, who was dressed as one of the Three Blind Mice, said she also "loved seeing all the kids smile" as they toured her residence hall.

"It also makes me miss my siblings for sure because they love Halloween," said Massey.

Alexander said that some of the kids stopped to give her a hug when they passed her in the Phillips Hall hallway.

"Some of them were so excited to see my character, and they would stop and say, 'Hi Princess Peach' when they gave me a hug," she said.

Some guests chose to walk through Horton Hall, where the ground floor was transformed into a maddening and chaotic haunted space.

"Chaos is the key," said Men's Resident Director Cole Burch '27 of Owensboro, Kentucky. "If you get a bunch of good guys that can help, that also makes a big difference. You hear a lot of screams and a lot of laughs right after, so I think we're doing it right."

A month of preparation

Phillips Hall resident assistant Aidyn Weingartner '29 of Shelbyville, Kentucky, who dressed as Rosalina from "Mario," said residents started to decorate the residence hall about three weeks ago by painting walls and creating the designs that were attached to walls and hung from ceilings so that an ordinary college residence hall could be transformed into a magical and memorable scene from a children's story.

"I think what makes it special is that because we're such a small and close-knit community, it helps bring us together even more," said Weingartner. "The RAs and residents come together as one to put something on for the children, and they really enjoy that."

Keefe Hall residents decorated that building's hallways in a Marvel Comics theme, and residents there dressed as famous heroes and villains, including Spider-Man, Cyclops, Wolverine and the Winter Soldier.

"I love the kids and seeing them happy," said Keefe Hall resident assistant McKenzie Melton '29 of Lily, Kentucky. "Their faces light up when they see us."

New additions

This year's "Safe Halloween" tour included two additional stops -- one to the Katie A. Murrell Library, where staff members were dressed as characters from recent Broadway musicals, and the Lucretia C. Begley Art Gallery, which had a tribute to the Day of the Dead, created by the university's Spanish and art departments.

Student De'Asia Fisher '30 of Campbellsville, Kentucky, helped prepare the Day of the Dead ofrenda, which is a decorated altar that welcomes and honors the spirits of deceased loved ones. De'Asia included pictures of three deceased uncles and her late fraternal grandmother.

"I have my own altar at home I keep up year-round," she said.

Classmate Annabelle Rucker '30 of Nicholasville, Kentucky, had her first experience with the Spanish tradition.

"I didn't know much about Day of the Dead until now, so it's been a good learning opportunity for me and for the people who come see it," said Rucker, who included a picture of her maternal grandfather on the ofrenda.

Surprises

Student George Diakhate '30 of Louisville, Kentucky, who was dressed as Luigi from "Mario," said he was impressed with how elaborate the residence halls were decorated.

"I didn't expect it to be as nice as it was," said Diakhate.

The decorations and characters also impressed fellow freshmen and Memorial Hall residents Katherine Gunther and Katelynn Whitlock, both of whom are from Louisville.

Whitlock, who dressed as one of the Three Little Pigs from "Shrek," said that her first "Safe Halloween" proved to be "a lot more than I expected."

"I love it, she said.

Gunther said that "Safe Halloween" is a good example of Lindsey Wilson's strong connection to the local community.

"I had heard about this from some of my RAs," said Gunther, who dressed as Donkey from "Shrek." "But I didn't expect it to be this big and have this much detail. All my friends who went to bigger schools don't do this. I think it's cool and it shows that Lindsey Wilson cares a lot about Adair County."

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