Loaded with cotton candy, game booths and a haunted house, Mason’s annual Halloween Hootenanny returned last week for its second year. Even more successful than last year’s event, the Hootenanny raised more than $2,500 for charity.

This year, the event featured a student-run haunted house, complete with fog machine and ghoulishly-dressed Mustangs.

“I thought the haunted house was really fun and good for people of all ages,” said Ally Bloss-Baum, a sophomore at GM. “You could really tell the SCA put in a lot of effort.”

Part of the entertainment for Bloss-Baum was seeing other students she knew working in the haunted house.

Sponsored by the GMHS Student Council Association (SCA), the Hootenanny raised more than $2,500 for the Arlington Food Assistance Center (AFAC).

AFAC is a community-based nonprofit that provides food for those in need in the Arlington area. The group distributes groceries such as meat, canned goods, and bread to those who cannot afford it.

The SCA invited parents, teachers, students, and children of Falls Church to enjoy the fun fall festivities. Activities included a donut-on-a-string eating contest, face-painting, duck-fishing, darts (featuring Mr. Laub and Mr. Whitcomb’s faces as targets), a haunted house, a photo booth, and more, which were all run by members of the SCA.

As a result, the experience seemed to be positive from those who attended.