Lee Erwin reporting
lerwin@clarksvillenow.com
Clarksville, Tenn. – The campus of Austin Peay State University (APSU) was full of lions and tigers and bears, Oh My!, and just about every other costumed character you could imagine Sunday, October 27 for G.H.O.S.T. which stands for Greater Halloween Options for Safe Trick or Treating.
G.H.O.S.T. is a free community event that is hosted each year by the APSU Student Government Association (SGA). University students and staff members dress up, feature activities and hand out free candy to members of the public who attend. Organizers of G.H.O.S.T. at Austin Peay estimated between 5,000 and 6,000 attended the event this year.
SGA Vice President Jessi Dillingham was the organizer of the event and talked about why the SGA hosts the event each year. “We really like to reach out to the community and this is one of the best ways to do it. It’s neat to have it on campus because it’s such a safe environment and it’s a little bit better than going door to door,” said Dillingham.
President of the SGA, Mike Rainier said a lot of work goes into the G.H.O.S.T. project. Planning for the event starts about six months in advance by reserving the Morgan University Center plaza where the event is held and lining up other APSU organizations and groups who are involved.
Another very important aspect of G.H.O.S.T. is the annual Candy for the Mind project. For the 11th consecutive year, the Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi at APSU has collected new and used children’s books for children as a Halloween treat. The books come from donations to the project and last year over 2,000 books were given out free to youngsters.