Photo courtesy of the IUB Department of Folklore and Ethnomusicology IUB Department of Folklore and Ethnomusicology doctoral student Daniel Peretti (left) and John Johnson, associate professor of folklore, ponder the legend associated with the artwork titled Halloween. The painting by O.O. Haig hangs in the Tudor Room of the Indiana Memorial Union in Bloomington.

They tell of white linens flung about and table services all akimbo when they arrive at their posts before luncheon on a given day. Just the afternoon before, these very waiters had left their posts with table settings all tip top.

But things go bump in the night at the IMU.

And at the Tudor Room, they blame those bumps on Jacob.

He may look like an angel, but, well, apparently he is not.

Over the years, as collegiate legend would have it, one of the many canvases that adorn that venerable and very staid dining area is a painting by O.O. Haig, titled Halloween. A child depicted on the canvas is holding a jack-o’-lantern.

It is the child, IMU staff believe, that comes alive after hours. He is often blamed for vases of flowers overturned and other mischief too naughty to mention. When the 15th-century tapestries were removed some years ago to be cleaned, Jacob put up quite a fuss that is still remembered.

But that’s all you get to know for now.

The IU Bloomington Department of Folklore and Ethnomusicology is sponsoring its third annual campus ghost walk Friday, Oct. 24. It isn’t a walk for the faint of heart, says administrative services co-ordinator Ruth Aten. There will be ghosts and goblins and screams and story-telling and…well, you get the idea. (Okay, it’s meant to be scary, so consider well if it’s appropriate to bring young children along.) The fun begins at 7 p.m.

Reservations are limited and may be made by calling 812-855-1027; cost is $5 a head (bodies are free). The fun begins on the steps of 504 N. Dunn St., the department’s very own haunt.

http://www.indiana.edu/~folklore/