Mount Hood

October opportunities and activities

Written by:  Sierra Porter | Staff Writer

As students jump into the school year this fall, heads will be filled with priorities of homework, classes, jobs and of course, the pressures of everyday life. Oregon has a tremendous amount of October opportunities of all sorts stemming from screamingly scary to family friendly. 

When it comes to the scariest Oregon has to offer, Fear PDX, Nightmare Factory and the Halloween Train are the best places to look. 

Fear PDX Haunted House takes place every weekend from Sept. 29  until Nov. 1 and is the largest Halloween event in Portland. Fear PDX offers up to eight different terrifying attractions that include gore, chainsaws and escape games. 

The Nightmare Factory is at the Oregon School for the Deaf and is held every weekend in Salem from now until the end of November. Deaf students, alongside volunteers, provide a heart-racing experience with interactive lights, displays and scary characters. Proceeds from the Nightmare Factory contribute to the yearly funds for the Oregon School for the Deaf and help support the longest-running haunted house in all of Oregon. 

Mt. Hood offers the Phantom of the Rails Halloween Train — available to book online Oct. 20-21 and Oct. 27-28. Inspired by Edgar Allan Poe, the Halloween Train provides a two-and-a-half-hour ride filled with ghosts and spooks. 

Oregon has more than just spooky attractions and has a variety of events perfect for people of all ages and scare levels. Bauman’s Farm puts on a harvest festival each year from Sept. 23 through Oct. 29 that includes hay rides, pumpkin picking, a dark maze, an animal petting zoo and kids’ play areas. 

If you’ve never seen a giant pumpkin you may have a chance this October… 

From Oct. 20-21, the West Coast Pumpkin Regatta is taking place with dressed-up members of the community paddling in giant pumpkins in the Regatta Race. 

Eastern Oregon is also celebrating its fourteenth annual film festival during Oct. 19-21 — supplying various films and documentaries for the community to enjoy. 

Don’t stay cooped up in your dorm this October, and take advantage of all of Oregon’s best October opportunities.

Contact the author at howlstaffwriter@wou.edu

Wicked writing ideas for this October

Eight frightful writing prompts to ignite the imagination

Sarah Austin | Lifestyle Editor

During the stressors of fall term, it can be rewarding to sit down and write something creative. Celebrate this Halloween season by crafting up a chilling short story. Listed below are eight spooky ideas to help ignite the imagination. Take the prompts below and morph them into any horrific desire.

  • Todd Hall — previously a women’s dorm — is rumored to be haunted and feed on the fear of men. Halloween night a group of men walk by the three story brick building. They hear/see…. 
  • After talking to someone on “Tinder,” they say something disturbing and get blocked. The next morning they are reported missing and there are flyers around the city.
  • While sweeping the living room, a dark stain is noticed near the carpet. After lifting to investigate, a hidden door is discovered.
  • It’s the day after Halloween. Nobody shows up to the 8 a.m. lecture besides the professor and one person. Campus is empty….
  • During an all-nighter at the Hamersly Library, a strange sound is heard. It repeats every five minutes….
  • While at a pumpkin patch, three close friends decide to enter a corn maze and ignore the closed sign across its entrance. After twenty minutes of wandering, they realize one friend is missing…. 
  • Using “Bumble BFF” a friend-date is made. After meeting and having dinner together, they offer a ride home. Instead of home, they pull into….
  • The main character is driving to the coast when they pull off onto a dirt trail, in hopes of a short cut. It seems to work until they see a tree fall on the road behind them, trapping them in. Forward is the only way to go on this unknown and unmarked trail, and the sun sets in two hours.

For a chance to be featured in Student Media’s art and literary magazine, “The Northwest Passage,” submit stories via email to northwestpassage@mail.wou.edu.

Happy haunting, writers.

Contact the author at lifestyleeditor@thewesternhowl.com

A valiant return: homecoming makes a comeback for fall 2021

With a lineup of exciting activities, homecoming 2021 is sure to not disappoint

Mikayla Coleman | News Editor

Homecoming week is upon us. This student favorite, which has been at Western for a century, is back and will not disappoint. Oct. 5 – 9 marks a week jam packed with exciting and engaging activities leading up to the big game and the crowning of Wolf Royalty on Saturday. 

Homecoming is much more than just a football game. “Having something where we can come together and kind of have fun and unite over something, even if you’re not into sports, it’s a good excuse to dress up, put on your WOU shirt, or whatever,” said Antonia Scholerman, the Homecoming Events adviser.

Homecoming this year has a more emphasized meaning. Due to COVID-19, almost all students were off campus last year and were unable to attend or participate in the traditional activities, like football games.  

In our ever-changing COVID world, we are learning to adapt; and homecoming, like most other on campus events, has had to adapt as well. For example, the Power Puff game was replaced this year with a dodgeball tournament. This exciting addition to homecoming week also proves to be more inclusive. 

“Typically Power Puff was only open to female-identifying students and so (now) anyone of any gender can participate in the dodgeball games,” Scholerman said. 

While homecoming events are important in growing and strengthening the community of students at Western, it is also a way for students to get connected with their off campus community in Monmouth. The activity that best exemplifies this is Paint the Town Red in which students will paint the windows of local businesses in downtown Monmouth. Student groups sponsor these windows and they will be judged against one another. The winner will be announced during a pizza party for the participating groups. This process of collaboration between these businesses, making a very physical and bold show of support for students at Western, reaps a mutual benefit. 

Every year there are nominations of students, by students — six of whom will end up on the 2021 Homecoming Court. After the court is established, these students will fill out a questionnaire and have interviews to allow students and staff to better get to know them and their values. Once those are filled out, voting forms will be sent out to all students so they can vote for the two finalists who will be crowned Wolf Royalty. 

For the full rundown of homecoming events, check out our calendar below. 

Contact the author at newseditor@thewesternhowl.com

Intramural sports return

Intramural recruiting for Fall 2021 begins

Mikayla Coleman | News Editor

The recent return to campus life leaves many students questioning just what extracurricular activities are resuming for fall term. Intramural sports have made a strong willed return. 

Intramural sports programs are open to all Western students, faculty, staff and spouses. They are a great option for those who want to participate in sports, but may not necessarily have the commitment level or developed skill set for a school sports program. 

“Intramurals fill a unique void. There are no practices, no coaches — it’s just show up and have fun and play with your friends,” said Andy Main, assistant director for Campus Recreation. 

Intramurals have less emphasis on qualities that make sports a stressful event and weigh more on getting involved within the campus community. 

“It’s a unique way to blow off steam, maybe take your mind off of a stressful final coming up — for me, most importantly is to meet and bond and get to know new people,” Main said. 

Western’s intramural program has thirteen different sports that they are currently recruiting for. Each sport does have a cost associated with it depending on the scope of the league, tournament or event. This fall term they plan to offer many exciting in person events including Badminton League, Corn Hole League and Volleyball League. Amidst the pandemic panic we have all endured, they also plan to grow with the technical times and implement two virtual sports and activities: the NCAA Bowl Game Pick’em and esports. 

All rules and regulations can be found on imleagues.com/wou

Contact the author at newseditor@thewesternhowl.com

Gaze into new possibilities with stargazing

Get outside and find a new hobby in stargazing

Allison Vanderzanden | Lifestyle Editor

Enjoying the night sky gets easier as the nights grow warmer. Looking for a new hobby? Stargazing is accessible to most everyone, and extensive astronomy knowledge is not required. Follow these tips to start stargazing.

If totally new to stargazing, there are a number of apps that can help. I use “Star Chart” because it offers a red light mode; red light, unlike other colors, won’t affect the eyes’ perception of darkness. Other apps include “SkyView Lite,” “Star Walk 2” and “SkySafari” ⏤ all available on both the App Store and Google Play store. 

With a mobile guide in hand, it’s time to get outside; while stargazing is more exciting when away from city lights, it is perfectly fine to simply walk into the backyard and look up. The best nights to stargaze are cloudless, moonless nights, so check the weather forecast before heading out. 

Once outside, let the eyes adjust to the darkness for about 20 minutes so that as many stars as possible will be visible. Take a moment to become oriented with cardinal directions; all stars, planets and the moon rise in the east and set in the west.

There are a few types of objects that will be visible: stars, planets and satellites. Planets do not shimmer like stars do and tend to be brighter. Meanwhile, satellites tend to move slower and are much dimmer than airplanes across the sky. Track which planets or satellites will be out at what times online.

Now to identify some constellations. The Big Dipper, part of Ursa Major, is arguably the easiest constellation in the northern hemisphere to identify, and it’s in the night sky year-round — making it the perfect starting point. The two stars that form the end of the dipper’s bowl point upwards towards Polaris, the end of the Little Dipper’s handle. Following this same line leads to Cepheus, shaped like a house. Next to Cepheus is the “W,” Cassiopeia. In Greek mythology, Cepheus and Cassiopeia are husband and wife, so they sit together in the night sky. All of these constellations are circumpolar, meaning they are visible all year round.

Different constellations — like Orion, Pegasus and the zodiacs — will come out during different seasons, meaning something new awaits in the night sky every month. Use an app as a guide to learn which constellations are next to each other, and as an added activity, learn about the mythology of constellations online.

Contact the author at avanderzanden19@mail.wou.edu

‌Show Mother Earth some love on April 22

Simple ways to enjoy Earth Day this year

Natalie‌ ‌Dean‌ ‌|‌ ‌Entertainment‌ ‌Editor‌

With Earth Day steadily approaching, it’s time to start making plans for April 22. If it’s staying at home or going out, there is more than one way to advocate for environmental concerns and to celebrate Earth Day. According to earthday.org, “(Earth Day) is marked by more than a billion people every year as a day of action to change human behavior and create global, national and local policy changes.” To celebrate, consider these ways to enjoy Earth Day either solo or socially distancing: 

  • Donate unwanted clothes or items around the house to declutter, and to support local charities, organizations and people in need. 
  • Return cans and bottles to declutter, recycle and get a little extra cash. 
  • Get outdoors with gardening projects ⏤ which can attract native pollinators, support local ecosystems and provide fresh produce.
  • Walking, hiking and biking are rewarding activities that get the body moving while being in the great outdoors. 

  • Join a group or go solo to pick up litter at parks, beaches, dams, hiking trails or around the neighborhood.
  • Reduce, reuse, recycle materials around the house with art projects, such as some of the ones below. 
  • Create a bird feeder by taking a pinecone and covering it with peanut butter, and then sprinkling birdseed on the peanut butter. Once evenly coated, tie the pinecone up with string in a secure location. 
  • Try painting and decorating rocks, which can add flair to any yard or garden. Designs can be as simple as a sun or a ladybug, or they can be used as identifying markers for different plants.
  • Make a fairy garden out of everyday items found outside, like sticks, bark, stones, moss and flowers. 
  • Learn about other ways to be environmentally conscious, such as trying to go plastic-free, reducing waste and being energy efficient.

Contact the author at ndean17@wou.edu

‌Hop to it, Easter is just a few days away

Plan something fun for Easter with these suggestions 

Natalie‌ ‌Dean‌ ‌|‌ ‌Entertainment‌ ‌Editor‌ ‌ ‌

Easter get-togethers and egg hunts across the community will look a little different this year, but there is still an abundance of things to do come Easter Sunday. The day can be as simple as enjoying one’s own company ⏤ full of rest, relaxing and eating huge chocolate bunnies. Whatever people may have planned, here are a few things anyone can try to stay entertained:

 

  • For many people, dyeing Easter eggs is a must, although it can get messy. There are online tutorials that explain tips for beginners and ones that show elaborate designs. 
  • Easter egg hunts are a staple activity for people of many ages, and can also be a good way to keep kids engaged for a while. Try it with pets by putting treats in the eggs and hiding them in a place they frequent. 
  • The egg toss is perfect because all ages can participate in the competition. This is another messy game but it allows people to enjoy time outdoors and to practice their hand-eye coordination. 
  • It would be a shame to forget about the egg walk — which requires the player to hold a spoon in their mouth, while an egg balances in the spoon. Then, they walk a certain distance without dropping the egg in order to win. 
  • “Pin the tail on the rabbit” is an easy, interactive game to help entertain the youngsters. This will require a blindfold, a piece of paper, a pen to draw the bunny, some tape and a white cotton ball for the tail. 

Contact the author at ndean17@wou.edu