AFTER HOURS: Greek houses give out plenty of treats to local children

Even Batman and Pee Wee Herman costumes couldn't mask the excitement of West Philadelphia children as they paraded down Locust Walk yesterday, collecting candy from various fraternities and sororities as part of the Panhellenic Council trick-or-treat party yesterday. Over 50 children from the West Philadelphia Community Center and the Community Kids Shelter visited eight Greek houses, filling their bags with all kinds of junk food. But the children weren't the only ones who had a good time. "It's fun for them, but it's fun for us too," said party organizer Ann Mcgowan, a Delta Delta Delta sister. Costumes ranged from witches and vampires to clowns and superheros. Joshua, age four, was a full-fledged cowboy, down to his spurs. Alpha Phi sister Kirsten Eriksen chose to be a red M & M. Others, like Robert, age 10, used gobs of facepaint to transform himself into his favorite wrestler. Anita Hsueh, Panhellenic Council Chairperson, took a more subdued approach as "thing #1," a character from a Dr. Seuss book. One highlight of the tour was a haunted house in the basement of the Phi Kappa Sigma house. But for Raheem, the best part of the party was "candy, candy, and more candy." Some children liked the haunted house so much they went through twice, but Raheem admitted that the real reason to go through again was "to get more candy." Greg Shufro, a College senior and founder of the Community Kids Shelter, said this is the only chance the children will have to trick-or-treat this year. "Most of the kids we have are from the projects where it's not safe to trick-or-treat," he said. "In general, we try to let these kids do things they wouldn't otherwise get to do." Some of the houses found unique ways to distribute the candy. Phi Sigma Kappa greeted children with a red lobster and blue octopus holding shopping bags filled to the brim with candy. At Alpha Tau Omega, the children caught a few seconds of "The Mad Monster Bash" as they hurriedly grabbed as much candy as possible. The West Philadelphia Community Center children had to leave at 5 p.m., but the kids from the Community Kids Shelter, most of whom are mentally handicapped, continued on to a Halloween pizza party at Kappa Alpha Theta, where they made Halloween cards and masks and a Halloween mural. "We've run this party for the past four years," said Mikal Shechter, Theta service chairperson. "They're really incredible and fun kids and we have a really good time with them. We're giving them attention that they wouldn't necessarily get anywhere else." Most of the young participants said they looked forward to next Hallowen, when they can again dress up and stock up on their favorite sweets. "I had a really great time," said Darnell, 11, who was dressed up as Doogie Howser. "I hope we get to do this again next year."

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.