When community members walked through the doors of the Layton Hills Mall on Oct. 22, the sound of children filled the hall and ghoulish monsters stalked every store. For the second year, the annual Wildcat Halloween Carnival took place just below the mall’s food court from 2–4 p.m.

This year, however, the line of people waiting to participate was excessive.

The goal of the event was for Weber State University to engage with the residents of Davis, Weber and Morgan counties. Executive Director of Marketing and Communications John Kowalewski said the event was for community members “to have a greater awareness of Weber State and all the programs and resources it has to offer our community. It’s just a wonderful way to give back and engage in our community.”

Attendee Heather Norris posted to the event’s Facebook page that she was “Not very thrilled with this event. It could’ve used more planning and games to entertain the kids while standing in a long line.”

There was an activity in the middle of the line for children to throw a toy into a cup to win a prize. At the end of the line, there was a variety of activities in which children were able to get candy.

Attendee Pierinna Zevallos-Atken posted about the event, “I am completely disappointed in this activity. We waited an hour in line with our three year old and then maybe got four pieces of candy, cups and pencils.”

The booths were all sponsored by the different parts of Weber State University. One booth was from the Davis Campus. The activity it had allowed children to play a game of toss where they tried to toss a ball into a hole in hopes to win a washable tattoo.

With 39 percent of Weber State University’s population being from Davis County, the Layton Hills Mall reached out just over a year ago in hopes to partner with the University. “For the university, it’s important for us to engage with the residents of Davis County,” Kowalewski said.

The Weber State University Alumni Association had a booth as well, which had a fishing pole allowing kids to fish for a beaded necklace or a purple Hawaiian lei.

“This is a wonderful opportunity for us to engage with our audiences in Davis county and make them aware of our Davis campus in Layton as well as our new Farmington Station location,” Kowalewski said. “Also (the event is) to hear from the people who live and populate Davis County about what’s on their mind and their opinions of Weber State University.”