Last week, Law Link Crew hosted its second annual Fright Fest—an event that was impossible to miss. Posters adorned every corner of the school, social media was flooded with Fright Fest promos, and Link Crew members advertised it in many classes.
As a member of the Social Team in Link Crew, I felt the pressure in the weeks leading up to the event. It was a significant amount of work, but it all paid off because Fright Fest was a huge success. We started brainstorming during our first Link Crew meeting this year, eager to build on last year’s fantastic turnout. Ideas flowed—ranging from an outdoor carnival to a bounce house—but as October approached, we realized we needed to refine our plans.
Initially, we aimed to create an an outdoor carnival atmosphere complete with fairy lights, music, booths, and games. However, we quickly faced challenges due to weather uncertainties and scheduling conflicts. Our sponsor, Mr. T, was unavailable on our preferred date, and the following Friday coincided with Día De Los Muertos. Ultimately, we adapted our plans and decided to host the event indoors to ensure everything went smoothly.After several discussions about the name, the date (Mr. T didn’t end up going to the Bahamas after all), and the themes of the event, we had everything planned out and were ready to start setting up.
We began decorating just outside the gym entrance, hanging up black paper on the walls. But the next morning, we found that a bunch of it had fallen down! It was so frustrating, but with a lot of help from volunteers, we got everything back up in no time. As the event date approached, Link Crew was doing everything in our power to get ready and boost ticket sales. Our marketing team really put in the work during this time.
By Wednesday before the event, though, we had sold fewer than 50 tickets, which definitely made us anxious. I’m sure anyone who sat with me in class was tired of hearing me talk about Fright Fest! We spent late nights at school, fueled by determination to make the event a success.
Finally, the day of Fright Fest arrived, and we were buzzing with excitement as we put the finishing touches on our plans. Ticket sales had shot up to nearly 300, and the haunted house just needed a few finishing touches. We even found replacements for some scarers who couldn’t make it. Once everyone was in costume and makeup, we were set to open the haunted house.
I was one of the scarers in the haunted house, and while I did have fun, it wasn’t very easy. Suzette Hernandez, and I would scream at the top of our lungs as people approached our room. It got a bit chaotic when groups didn’t move quickly and our room got very warm. Still, we took quick water breaks and danced between groups whenever we heard a good song from the dance party. We even ended up delaying our break because there were so many people wanting to go through the haunted house. When we were able to step out of the haunted house and into the dance, I got a chance to see the amount of people attending. Even when I stepped outside, I could still hear the party as the DJ started playing “Fe!n” by Travis Scott.
As the night wrapped up, I felt a mix of emotions. We’d poured so much effort into this event, and seeing everyone enjoy it was incredibly rewarding. Some attendees even stayed to help clean up, which was amazing. Fright Fest really brought all the schools at Townview together, and while it felt good to finally relax after all that hard work, I couldn’t help but feel a little sad that it was over. Mr. T captured our whirlwind experience perfectly when he said, ‘Four weeks to put together, two hours to take down.’ It’s a reminder of how fleeting yet rewarding our efforts can be.
