By Jessica Dillon
The Operation Spirit Seeker Masquerade Ball took place Oct. 25 at the Spencer-Penn Center, where masked attendees enjoyed food, music, dancing, and giveaways. Guests also competed in a costume contest and posed for pictures at a photo booth to commemorate the evening.
The event sold out with all 50 tickets purchased, and 40 attendees participated. “Everybody enjoyed themselves, they all had a good time—the contestants, the winners,” said event organizer Rachel Kirchner.
Costume contest winners included Samantha Spence for most original costume, Aaron Elmore for scariest and coolest; Tim Benfield for best costume; Candy Brewer for funniest; and Wendy for sparkliest. Two couples — Joey and Rebecca Littles, and Mathew and Melissa Fulcher — won best couples costume.
Door prizes and giveaways from the paranormal team and Jason Fest were handed out until supplies ran out. “My favorite part of the night was just being able to float around and talk to everybody, making sure they were having a good time. It was the smiles on their faces when they were getting their prizes” that helped make the event fun, Kirchner said.
Food was prepared and served by Kirchner, including a variety of dishes and novelty “blood bags” for guests to drink. Despite some delivery issues, she said the setup went smoothly. “Make sure you have enough time to get set up,” she advised. “I worked all day Friday, half the night, and then all day Saturday up until right before 6:00 when I got dressed.”
Operation Spirit Seeker is already planning its next event, a pajama-themed holiday gathering on Dec. 19 at the Spencer-Penn Center from 5:30 to 10:30 p.m. Guests will watch a Christmas movie, and the Grinch will make an appearance. A possibly adoptable dog, “Max,” may also be on site for photo opportunities.
Kirchner said she enjoys organizing events and learning from each experience.
“It’s a learning experience when you do an event like that (ball) for the first time,” Kirchner said, adding that she wants to bring the event back next year, using what she learned to make it even better. “It will probably become something that we try to do on an annual basis.”
