Oompa Loompas set up shop in the hallways of Building 430. Building 362 shimmered with holiday lights and glitzy casino décor. Someone pitched a tent in the Scientific Library. For the sixth straight year, the Recreation and Welfare Club’s Holiday Decorating Contest transformed parts of NCI at Frederick and the Frederick National Laboratory into whimsical scenes of festive cheer.

The Recreation and Welfare Club Frederick hosted a Halloween costume contest in the Discovery Café on October 31 that featured bugs, Beanie Babies, and bovines, among other creative costumes. Contestants gathered in the back of the Café and stood, gallery style, while lunch-goers voted on their favorite get-ups.

You probably receive a plethora of ads in your inbox that you delete before giving them a second thought. But if you take a closer look at some of them, you’ll discover that you’re passing up cookies, donuts, yoga, and fun Christmas and other events, among many other opportunities. That’s right—the Recreation and Welfare (R&W) Club, a group dedicated to the health and well-being of NCI at Frederick staff as well as the local community, hosts a variety of entertaining events.

Standing outside of Building 362, there was little to indicate anything out of the ordinary, but inside, a holiday mascot had run over Grandma with a golf cart. Fortunately, there were no fatalities, even though the wrecked cart and the crime-scene outline of Grandma’s body on the floor suggested otherwise. Nearby NCI at Frederick employees offered assurances that it was all in good fun.

Thirty-five costumed participants showed up at the Halloween 5k to burn off some calories from the Recreation and Welfare Club’s Krispy Kreme fundraiser. Characters including Alvin and the Chipmunks, a member of the Incredibles, Rich Uncle Pennybags, Spiderman, Black Panther, a spartan warrior, and a group of runaway brides walked and jogged around the course as the sun set behind the Appalachian Mountains.