By Katie RessmeyerThe Daily Northwestern

Screams spilled out of the Louis Room Monday while witches, princesses and hip-hop divas raced through the hall.

Norris University Center was overrun with costume-clad elementary school students Thursday for Northwestern Community Development Corps’ annual Project Pumpkin.

Project Pumpkin is a Halloween carnival held each year for elementary-age children from the Chicago area. This year, more than 800 students attended the NCDC-sponsored event.

Project Pumpkin gives children who are unable to trick-or-treat in their neighborhoods, either for safety reasons or because it is not permitted by the city, the chance to dress up, play games and win candy.

The children were split into small groups and each paired with one of about 150 Northwestern student chaperones who led them through the carnival, which took place mainly on the second floor of Norris. The Louis Room was transformed into a Haunted House, while the Iowa Room was decorated like a bat cave.

The event featured more than 50 booths with activities ranging from slime-making to candy fishing. Student organizations were responsible for choosing activities and running their booths.

Claire Ruberg, NCDC Special Events co-chair and co-director of Project Pumpkin, said a number of new groups participated this year, but fewer sororities organized booths because of overlap with Greek philanthropy events.

But no matter which group was sponsoring a booth, they all had one thing in common: lots of candy.

“They’ll get a sugar high,” Ruberg said. “We’ll jazz them up and send them home.”

Virginia Guzman said she definitely had received a lot of candy. An 11-year-old student at Jordan Elementary Community School, Guzman came to Project Pumpkin with her school.

“I liked going to the brain game,” Guzman said, referring to a booth where kids fished for candy in a bowl of spaghetti.

Tewdros Tedla agreed that the event was fun for the kids. Tedla’s two daughters were invited to Project Pumpkin by his sister-in-law, an NU employee.

“She is having fun,” Tedla said of his 3-year-old who dressed up as a princess. “She has been running around everywhere.”

Project Pumpkin kept the NU students who volunteered on their feet, as well.

“I had never really been to this Project Pumpkin,” said Communication junior Crystal Ruiz. “It is very inviting, very interesting and fun.”

Dressed in a Pebbles Flintstone costume, Ruiz said she liked interacting with the kids.

“I’m having a lot of fun, it’s so nice to see so many kids come out,” Ruiz said.

Reach Katie Ressmeyer at [email protected].