photo by: John Young

Alicia Cotsoradis, 15, Lawrence, lays bundled in blankets as temperatures approach the freezing mark Sunday Nov. 20, 2011 on the front lawn of Bishop Seabury Academy. Cotsoradis is one of many Seabury students who are spending the night outdoors in the cold while fasting for 24 hours so they can get firsthand experience about what the homeless population goes through every night. Organizer Bill Gollier said that while the event can never emulate what a homeless person goes through, it will give the students some insight. The annual sleep out, in its seventh year, is part of the Seabury food drive. “If one person brings food out, then it’s worth it,” Gollier said.

photo by: John Young

Pat Swanson, Lawrence, looked like a walking Christmas tree for a while Sunday morning as he carried garland to hang from the light posts along Massachusetts Street in downtown Lawrence. Volunteers from Just Food spent a couple of hours volunteering to hang garland in exchange for being adopted by Downtown Lawrence, Inc. as its holiday charity. Downtown Lawrence donated $1,500 to the charity, which will fund about 7,500 meals. Food donation bins will also be placed around downtown Lawrence from Thanksgiving until Christmas and downtown shops will collect monetary donations during that time. Just Food estimates that every dollar donated will create five meals and has a goal of getting $5,000 in donations this holiday season.

photo by: John Young

Deb Elwood, Overland Park, browses through Christmas ornaments created from shotgun shells during the 35th annual Holiday Bazaar held Sunday, Nov. 20, 2011 at the Community Building.

photo by: John Young

Dr. Cool, played by Kansas University freshman Hannah Ceule, Mascoutah, Ill., uses a banana frozen in liquid nitrogen to hammer a nail into a board during the annual Carnival of Chemistry held Sunday, Nov. 20, 2011 at Malott Hall. The carnival features fun and games while teaching kids about the wonders of chemistry.

photo by: John Young

A group of kids get their hands dirty while playing with oobleck during the annual Carnival of Chemistry. Oobleck, named after a fictional green material in the Dr. Seuss book “Bartholomew and the Oobleck,” is a non-Newtonian fluid, meaning it acts as both a liquid and a solid.