This past Friday night, on October the 13th, The Siskiyou was able to attend this year’s homecoming dance. A dance that held a theme worth of the spooky day on which it landed, a Spooky Sock Hop. Homecoming is a fun event for students at SOU, and since the decline of the coronavirus on campus, the dance was able to be started again. Last year in 2022, the theme was Y2K, and many students enjoyed it. The event was organized by SOU EPIC, and the Siskiyou was able to learn that EPICs very own Kent (they/them) was the creator behind this haunting idea.
When students walked into the event, which was hosted at SOUs own recreation center, they were met with a new form of signing into EPIC events. If one was an SOU student, (non-students were allowed to attend this event), they would sign into their SOU account and follow the link given to them to HawkNEST. Then they would click the sign in button and they would be cleared for a stamp to enter the event. HawkNEST, for students who are intrigued, is the new platform for Presence, which held information about on campus events in previous years.
After gaining a hand stamp and passing the bag check at the door, the Siskiyou followed students inside and down the stairs to the dance. There were homemade cookies laid out in trays on a table to the left, and a water/punch station right in front of where the stairs ended on the bottom floor. Students would pass by both to enter the gymnasium where the dance was set. The gym floor was covered with a thick plastic covering, and spooky decorations were scattered around the room. There was a digital photo station in the far corner where students could take a photo with their friends, or by themselves, and add a spooky background of their choice. This photo was emailed to them at the end of the dance. On the wall by the door, there was a DJ set up and he played some throwback songs to reference the theme. “Monster Mash” by Bobby Pickett was played for the spooky side, and “Grease” by Barry Gibb was played for the Sock Hop side. Finally, across from the DJ and to the right, bleachers lined the walls to create a gym, 50’s sock hop feel. The Siskiyou could feel the effort put into the theme!
Aside from the decorations and food, students were dressed to the nines with their costumes. The Siskiyou noted some of these popular costumes worn by students. Beast Boy, Starfire, and Raven from the Teen Titans, many people dressed as Barbie, a person dressed as a Plague Doctor, Captain Jack Sparrow, skeletons, vampires, witches, cats, devils and clowns dotted the dance floor.
Just like any homecoming dance, there was homecoming royalty. Like in the movies, in the middle of the dance, the dancing was stopped for the announcement. They pulled names from the hats they had at the entrance, where students could put their name in the running. This year, EPIC crowned two queens, who shared their dance in front of the crowd.
This event was truly spooky and spectacular.
