Fright Fest

As my friends and I walked through the Centennial Forum Student Union (CSFU), we noticed a poster offering students tickets to the 2012 Six Flag’s Fright Fest. I walk through the CSFU countless times a day, usually in a rush and not paying any attention to all of the advertisements. Loyola often receives discounted student tickets to various events around the city.

It was the last night of Fright Fest, which meant that Six Flags would be closing soon for the winter. We got the tickets for $20, which included admission and transportation via school bus to Gurnee, Il.

We bundled up, had breakfast and met up around 9 a.m. to catch the bus. The weather was beautiful and we were ready for a fun filled day at Six Flags. It’s always nice to get off of campus for a day every once in a while.

The park was decked out with headstones, pumpkins and other various scary decorations. There were also designated “scare zones” where employees in costumes jumped out at guests. There was even a 10 minute long “Haunted Trail” that included zombies following you through a forest of electronic skeletons moving around in the bushes.

Aside from the Fright Fest events, we made the most of the array of rides and roller coasters. Because of the long lines, we were forced to pick the Raging Bull, Batman and Superman over the other coasters. We developed a system of reserving spots in line and taking turns to get food, go to the bathroom and do whatever else we needed to make the time go by faster.

Of course, we also ate way too much. Hot chocolate was a favorite of the day, along with Johnny Rockets hot dogs, Six Flag’s nachos and funnel cakes.

By the time the busses were ready to leave, we were beat, had sore feet and runny noses. After sleeping the whole way home, we finally arrived back at Loyola. I took a warm shower and got right to bed.

Saying I slept good that night would be an understatement, but it was a good sleep – the kind you get after a full, successful day. I attribute the day as one of my favorite this semester and I will definitely pay closer attention to the off-campus events in the future.