WYOMISSING, Pa. — Penn State Berks will host its annual “Halloweek” beginning Friday, Oct. 21, with Fall Fest. On Tuesday, Oct. 25, Halloween experts will present “The truth about Halloween” at 6 p.m. in the Perkins Student Center Auditorium. Then, on Wednesday, Oct. 26, Kendall R. Phillips will present a lecture titled “This is how it ends. Everything goes: Heroes and Horrors in an Age without Hope” at 6 p.m. in the Perkins Student Center Auditorium. All three events are free and open to the public.
Friday’s Fall Fest is comprised of two parts — a ‘family fun’ program from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Perkins Plaza and "witching hour" haunted tours for adults from 7 to 10 p.m. Preregistration is required for attendees of the family-fun program, which includes a parade that will be held at 6 p.m. Children are encouraged to dress in costumes for trick-or-treat activities and light refreshments will be served.
During the witching hour, student Lion Ambassador tour guides will take attendees on a haunted tour of the campus. Penn State Berks community members dressed as vampires, witches and other scary characters will tell stories of the ghosts and legends that surround the campus. This part of the event is not recommended for children. Tours will begin at the Perkins Plaza and pre-registration is not required. The last tour will depart at 9 p.m.
The mysteries surrounding Halloween will be revealed on Oct. 25 as Penn State Berks presents “The truth about Halloween” — a special presentation given by three of the college’s Halloween experts: Erica Pulaski, director of enrollment management; Michele Ramsey, associate professor of communication arts and sciences and women's studies, and Cheryl Nicholas, associate professor of communication arts and sciences and global studies. Pulaski organizes the college’s annual Fall Fest, while Ramsey and Nicholas developed a course titled “Identity, Citizenship, and the Rhetoric of the American Horror Film.” This event is sponsored by the Penn State Berks Arts and Lecture series. For more information, contact the Office of Campus Life at 610-396-6076.
And finally, on Oct. 26, Kendall R. Phillips, professor of communication and rhetorical studies at Syracuse University, will present “This is how it ends. Everything goes: Heroes and horrors in an age without hope.” The talk will focus on both horror and superhero movies, addressing how these films reflect current social, political and economic contexts and invite audiences to think about the world and their place in it. This event is part of the 2022 Reading Film Fest. This lecture is presented by the Penn State Berks communication arts and sciences program and is funded by the Howard O. Jr. and Jean S. Beaver Endowment for Guest Lecturers at Penn State Berks.
Penn State Berks reserves the right to limit the photography and/or recording of any program. The permitted or prohibited activities during a particular program will be announced at the beginning of the event and/or included in the printed program. All media requesting interviews and/or access to photograph and/or tape any program must contact the Office of Strategic Communications at 610-396-6053.
