Before dressing up in costumes and attending the weekend festivities in celebration of Halloween, Eastern students have the opportunity to attend Taylor Hall’s Halloween dinner at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday evening.

The night will include a variety of meal options, goodies and activities.

Gail Abrams-Aungst, the associate director of panther dining said, “(The Halloween Dinner) highlights would be the atmosphere, decorations, food, as well as decorating your own pumpkin that they get to take home with them.”

Students can attend the dinner and choose from a variety of options, the menu for the night includes over 15 main courses, side dishes and desserts.

Taylor Dining Hall will also be serving tempura and BBQ chicken nuggets, pizza sticks, pulled pork and vegetarian options including roasted corn and a Halloween salad bar.

There will be many other Mexican-themed entrees and sides, including a nacho and taco bar, tortilla soup, re-fried beans, fajita chicken, beef taco meat and many more.

Students can also choose from various sides and desserts, such as taffy apple salad, tortellini salad, caramel apples, hot apple cider and festive Halloween cookies and brownies.

Abrams-Aungst said she encourages students to come out for the dinner to have fun, dress up if they like and eat the “great food.”

Not only will students that attend this year’s Halloween Dinner at Taylor Hall eat a festive dinner, they will also get the opportunity to participate in decorating their own pumpkins.

Abrams-Aungst said the dinner stays fresh and exciting every year thanks to a competition all the dining halls have with each other for the decorating, costumes and the food.

The competition is judged by a grading rubric, and the winner receives a traveling trophy.

“We always keep this event fresh with the menu changes, also a new set of students each year makes this event different each time,” Abrams-Aungst said.

If students use dining dollars, the dinner price will be $7.25. Students using cash will have to pay $9.10.

“This is one of the special events throughout the year that keeps the students engaged and excited about our program,” Abrams-Aungst, said.

Lynnsey Veach can be reached at 581-2812 or lmveach@eiu.edu