{"id":20406,"date":"2025-10-31T10:00:48","date_gmt":"2025-10-31T17:00:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lbccviking.com\/?p=20406"},"modified":"2025-10-31T10:00:51","modified_gmt":"2025-10-31T17:00:51","slug":"long-beach-community-members-celebrate-halloween-at-ttc-carnival","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lbccviking.com\/?p=20406","title":{"rendered":"Long Beach community members celebrate Halloween at TTC carnival\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Colorful costumes, the smell of fresh popcorn and a plastic skeleton in a modified hearse filled the quad at the TTC Campus for its annual Halloween carnival on Friday. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A skeleton sporting goggles and a Long Beach City College shirt sits inside a modified hearse in the quad of the Trades, Technology, and Community Learning Campus in Long Beach, California on Oct. 24, 2025. The display enhanced the spooky atmosphere of the event, which included trick or treating and Halloween music. (Ryenne Jolliff)<\/sup><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Spooky season hits like Michael Jackson\u2019s \u201cThriller,\u201d Oingo Boingo\u2019s \u201cDead Man\u2019s Party\u201d and Warren Zevon\u2019s \u201cWerewolves of London\u201d could be heard on full blast as kids played games and went trick or treating at different booths set up for the event. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI love Halloween. I love dressing up, going out with my friends, and eating junk food and candy,\u201d LBCC student Jessica Cervantes, who attended the event after her class ended, said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The booths were run by some of Long Beach City College\u2019s clubs and organizations looking to promote their services. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI think this event is special because children can feel connected to their parents\u2019 education, and parents can give their kids a safe Halloween event on campus. We want them to have fun,especially during midterms,\u201d said Joanna Hernandez, assistant director for EOPS and CalWORKS. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The CalWORKS booth was set up with supplies for kids to make their own cat-themed crafts. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another booth at the carnival, run by EOPS, handed out bags for children to collect their trick-or-treat candy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cA lot of our students are parents, and we want to build a sense of belonging and community,\u201d said EOPS staff member Jacky Garcia about the event. \u201cIt\u2019s generational, not just for the students but for the kids as well.\u201d  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Members of the English as a Second Language (ESL) club used their setup as a way to celebrate their Mexican heritage. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The booth was decked out in vibrant Dia de los Muertos decorations including marigolds, sugar skulls, and papel picado, which are traditional paper decorations. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Club members also handed out Mexican candy and glasses of jamaica, a drink made from hibiscus flowers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe wanted to represent our culture today,\u201d said LBCC student and ESL club member Elizabeth Ruiz. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ruiz and her young daughter Jasmine were both dressed up as La Catrina, an iconic character traditionally associated with D\u00eda de los Muertos. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI know that everybody has special customs. Halloween is an American tradition, and Dia de los Muertos is ours, so we wanted to blend it into one,\u201d Ruiz said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The International Students club also sought to blend different cultures and traditions at the event. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cA lot of people see our logo and ask us about the club. It\u2019s all about exchanging culture. I feel like I\u2019m representing my country when I talk to people here,\u201d said LBCC student and club member James Trinh. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Originally from Vietnam, this is Trinh\u2019s second year celebrating Halloween in America. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBeing international students, most of us have never celebrated Halloween before,\u201d Trinh said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Trinh, the most fascinating aspect of Halloween is seeing everyone\u2019s elaborate costumes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s marvelous. It\u2019s amazing to see people go out of their way to put so much time and detail into their costumes,\u201d said Trinh. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once the sun went down, the kids in attendance were able to participate in a costume contest. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Kids line up and prepare for judging at a costume contest held in the quad at the Trades, Technology, and Community Learning Campus in Long Beach, California on Oct. 24, 2025. The contest was won by Grayson Barrett, who was dressed as Huggy Wuggy, a character from the video game “Poppy Playtime”. (Ryenne Jolliff)<\/sup><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Three total awards were given out at the end of the night: Clarity Lee\u2019s Chucky costume won her the funniest costume award; sisters, Scarlett and Valentina Rodriguez, won the scariest costume award for their clown costumes; and Grayson Barrett, dressed as Huggy Wuggy from the video game \u201cPoppy Playtime,\u201d won best overall costume. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Clarity Lee shows off her award after winning funniest costume at a costume contest held at the Trades, Technology, and Community Learning Campus in Long Beach, California on Oct. 24, 2025. Lee was dressed as Chucky from the “Child’s Play” franchise. (Ryenne Jolliff)<\/sub><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Sisters Scarlett Rodriguez, left, and Valentina Rodriguez win the award for scariest costume at a costume contest held at the Trades, Technology, and Community Learning Campus in Long Beach, California on Oct. 24, 2025. The sister duo won 1 of the 3 awards given out for the contest. (Ryenne Jolliff)<\/sup><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The evening\u2019s festivities concluded with a screening of \u201cPooh\u2019s Heffalump Halloween Movie,\u201d which families watched from blankets and lawn chairs spread out across the quad. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy favorite part of Halloween is that everyone gets a day to express themselves and experience a feeling of being someone else,\u201d Cervantes said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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