The crowd was dead, well perhaps undead for one of this past weekend’s Rowan After Hours (RAH) events in conjunction with their “RAHloween Weekend,” which strove to get students in the Halloween spirit. 

Friday night, the pit transformed into a casino of the undead for “Zombie Casino Night.” Students came dressed in costumes ranging from nerds, witches and even zombies, all in hopes of winning the costume competition. 

RAH is no stranger to casino nights; they have sponsored such events in the past, including last semester’s “Classy Casino Night.”

“Themed casinos are more successful than regular ones; there’s more of a turnout,” said RAH employee and junior accounting major Colin Berry.

Maddi Schille, a sophomore music education major and RAH employee who worked the event, said the night brought a “fun Halloween twist.” 

“It’s original and something people have not done before,” she said.

For the event, High Rollers Casino and D.J. Entertainment set up everything, including tables and chairs. Some of the games that were played included blackjack, roulette, Texas Hold ’em and the “Money Wheel.”

“We just called the company and they got everything together,” said RAH coordinator Tom Marsella.

RAH staff and casino dealers were also dressed for the occasion. Some staff spent over an hour on makeup alone to prepare for the night ahead. 

For some students, casino night was a fun first-hand experience of what actual casinos are like.

One of those students was 18-year-old freshman and accounting major Kendra Owens.

“It is my first casino experience,” Owens said. “There was nothing else to do and I enjoy the competition.”

For others who are familiar with the casino setting, Friday’s casino was a way to hang out with friends.

“It’s not my first time at a casino,” said 22-year-old senior health and physical education major Michal Helmstetter. “My friend brought me out and we’re just in good company, laughing a lot and having a good time.”

The tables were not the only thing students were interested in. Students played video games in the game room and others came out for the raffle, hoping to win one of the prizes.

The program committee spent about $600 dollars in prizes. Some of the prizes up for grabs were a pumpkin stuffed with candy, a bicycle and a “Walking Dead”-themed gift basket.

“I enjoy winning and I won when it counted,” said Alexis Musick, a senior advertising major, very satisfied that she won a few games that night.

For comments/questions about this story, email arts@thewhitonline.com or tweet @TheWhitOnline.