On Halloween night, the women of Alpha give Biola students a chance to revisit their childhood. Students can walk up the multicolored steps into the popular board game of Candyland and enter another world.

The smell of popcorn coaxes in visitors, as they walk by the bounce house and rows of couches where children sit watching the film version of “Candyland.” They are greeted at the door first, of course, by big bowls of candy. Then there’s a friendly nurse serving up a whole counter of goodies, from chocolate chip cookies to chips and salsa.

Travel a little further and enter one of the lands from the game, each swarming with little kids in costume; there was a leprechaun, Woody from “Toy Story,” a box of Wheaties, a charming Snow White, and of course mixed in are the occasional students whose costumes ranged from a peacock to Willy Wonka to Tinkerbell.

In Gumdrop Land, real candy was stuck on the walls and the doors were decked out in paint and glitter for the door competition. One such door featured the ‘drawbridge of Gumdrop Castle,’ where different colored steps led into a room at the end of the hall.

Gloppy’s Swamp was home to greens and browns, and streamers strung from wall to wall to set the scene. These reminded students and parents who were lost in the magic of trick-or-treating that they aren’t really children, as everyone crouched to avoid getting hit in the face with low-strung streamers.

Queen Frostine’s Village was an enchanting world of pink draped as far as the eye could see, shimmering snowflakes and silvery garlands swirled around the banisters on the stairs.

“Happy Halloween, sweetie!” a girl dressed as Tinkerbell said to a shy little Snow White as she filled her bag with treats. Of course, after the kids get candy, students are reminded of another side of their childhood when they hear the parents’ ever-popular phrase, “What do you say?”

Through each “land” in the dorm, Alpha was a buzz of activity, noise and laughter. Students sat outside doors in costumes handing out candy (or collecting it), children exclaimed “trick or treat” excitedly and even President Corey and his wife enjoyed the scenery.

It’s not all one big game, however. It takes a lot of volunteers’ hard work to make Candyland possible. The girls on each floor are responsible for their own decorations, according to senior Nicole Santos, an RA on Alpha third east. Usually the girls will have a contest to see which floor has the best decorations, but this year the contest is all about which door’s adornments are worthy of the grand prize — $100.

Financial support comes from AS, and candy comes from donation boxes in dorms in addition to candy donations from Granada Heights Friends Church in La Mirada, according to Santos.

It’s not just money and candy that needs to be donated. Alpha girls donate their time. Planning starts in September and residents were still hanging final decorations today.

“We spend hours and hours and hours,” said Dawn White, resident director of Alpha west..

This is Alpha’s sixth year putting on Candyland, and it’s historically a big hit. Last year, about 1,000 people turned out on Halloween, according to Santos.

“[Candyland]…creates a safe place for the kids to come on Halloween night, and it’s good community bonding for our dorm,” said junior Samantha Beale, an RA on Alpha first west, as she hung lights earlier today in preparation for the big event.