How Halloween on Vernon Annually Gets Trinity Students Involved Within the Hartford Community

Bella Chirkis ’27

Staff Writer

Halloween on Vernon, which is one of Trinity College’s most popular traditions, will have its 33rd annual celebration on Sunday, October 29. This event has not been skipped since it first started, dating all the way back to 1990. It was even hosted virtually during 2020, when COVID-19 was at its peak and it was unsafe for interaction. This event is hosted by Trinity College’s Annual Community Events Staff (ACES) club, with the overall mission to “strive to bridge the gap between Trinity College’s student body and the Hartford community,” according to their social media pages.

The club finds great success with this upcoming event, as it has been such an influential tradition for Trinity College’s students and the Hartford community. This event causes many Greek life and cultural houses on Vernon Street to open their doors to the community, and through flyers and other promotions, encourages children 12 and under to participate in the Halloween festivities. ACES makes an effort to spread the word throughout local schools and community groups.

Past participants of Halloween on Vernon included a variety of student-led organizations as well as the Greek houses providing their support and artistic abilities to make the event the most exciting thing it could possibly be. Students spend a lot of time and effort in order to create activities for the community, such as decorating their haunted houses and of course, trick-or-treating. Past events of this annual tradition included cookie decorating, face painting and unique Halloween costumes, allowing the Hartford community to enjoy creative spirit for this year’s Halloween festivities.

The main goal of these activities are to connect Trinity students with the local Hartford community, providing real world opportunities that will ultimately ensure that a student’s social, emotional and physical health needs are addressed. Building this bridge will encourage students to engage in meaningful connections with both their peers and the community itself, which will overall develop a strong support system in the long run. The organization makes sure that the children of Hartford have an inclusive, fun and safe environment while they are walking along Vernon to ensure they have a Halloween to remember.

Trinity students have the opportunity to volunteer for this event, which allows them to both engage with the Hartford community and their other peers on campus. This special occasion gives students the enjoyment of interacting with one another, and some interactions may have never occurred because students have not crossed paths on campus before. Halloween on Vernon is a special opportunity to to be a part of, and students can show their support for ACES mission by attending the event. Flyers for Halloween on Vernon will be around campus and the community within the week, and other promotions can be viewed on ACES social media.