POCATELLO - No child walked away from any game booth at the Bengal Boo-tacular Halloween Carnival without a prize, said Diana Lamb, coordinator of the event.

Lamb, chair of family events for Idaho State University's Student Activities Board, said she expected between 600 and 800 children to file through the ballroom in ISU's Pond Student Union Building on Thursday.

The event, known in the past at the Halloween Festival, has been a seasonal fixture for about 15 years.

"ISU has a high percentage of non-traditional students," Lamb said. "It's hard for them to find things to do when they have children."

As family events chair, it's Lamb's job to provide ISU students with children some opportunities for entertainment.

On Nov. 11, Magician Peter Boie will perform in the ballroom and she is planning a "Bowling with Santa" event for the first week of December.

On Thursday, however, it was games, treats, prizes and activities for the children, and the "Haunted Laboratory" exhibits presented by the ISU Physics Department and Society of Physics Students.

Idara Akpan, a 7-year-old second-grader at Washington Elementary School, was stopping at all the games.

"It's really good," she said about the carnival, pulling out the prizes she had already won.

Her favorite was the paddle ball.

Idara's mother, Tina Akpan, with 8-month-old Jaden in her arms, said she organized the carnival three years ago. She thought this year's event went well.

"It's fun," Tina said. "They really did a good job."

In addition to the games and exhibits, there were crafts for the children, a costume contest, free cotton candy and a giant pumpkin that could be won by correctly guessing its weight.

By Jimmy Hancock

jhancock@journalnet.com