By Madelyn Taliaferro · Staff Writer
Photos by Peter Hasse · Staff Photographer
Grove City College, a relatively calm and tame campus, has its own haunted trail.
Wolf Creep, an immersive spooky experience that Alpha Beta Tau and the Tri-Rhos host, has its own intriguing history. Wolf Creep started in 2020 when groups needed events and fundraisers that could occur outdoors to align with COVID-19 protocols.
The inaugural event was a huge hit and has taken place every year since. What began as a COVID-19 workaround has become a much-anticipated campus occasion and is now in its sixth year.
This year’s trail featured a zombie theme — a tour guide escorted small groups through the Wolf Creek trails on lower campus, where various ABTs and Rhos, dressed as zombies, greeted visitors in scenes including a haunted wedding, electric chair, a chainsaw chase scene and more.
Sixty-one people between the two groups worked to sell tickets, set up and run the event and bonfire, scare people on the trail and tear down and clean up.
Freshman Ephesian Wang attended the event and said he “liked the decorations and the makeup that the ABTs and PPPs were wearing,” and the groups were “very creative with the scares along the haunted trail,” especially the chainsaw scare at the end of the trail.
The event also catered for those who did not necessarily enjoy being spooked. A bonfire glowed throughout the night, and hot apple cider and candy served almost 300 attendees.
Violet Krummel, ABT fundraising chair and Wolf Creep organizer, said what the groups like most about Wolf Creep was “that it is a fun way to encourage community on campus.
“It’s so fun to see everyone show up, drink cider and chat with their friends around the bonfire. There are a lot of ways to celebrate Halloween, and we love that we get to offer a safe and fun option that still is glorifying to God.”
Wolf Creep has a philanthropic element as well. The event cost $3 to attend, and all proceeds went to WIN Victim Services, a non-profit in Franklin and Fulton Counties that helps domestic abuse survivors rebuild their lives through counseling and shelter services.
This year, Wolf Creep raised almost $900 for WIN Victim Services.
“It is so rewarding to hand-deliver the check with all of the event’s proceeds to such a great organization and to hear about the impact our fundraiser has made in our community,” Krummel said.
