Back by popular demand, Wolfieland gave students a break from the monotony of campus life beneath flashing lights on Saturday, Sept. 9.
The outdoor carnival presented by the Undergraduate Student Government lasted from 4-10 p.m. and drew over 6,000 students to the event’s location in the Student Activities Center parking lot, according to USG.
The second-annual Wolfieland included a Ferris Wheel, a swinging pirate ship and a number of spinning and rotating carnival rides. One high speed rotating ride called The Gravitron was straight out of a science fiction writer’s dreams. Riders experienced centrifugal force three times the force of gravity while standing inside of the spinning UFO shaped ride. Some students were left wobbling down the steps as they exited.
Another ride, The Zipper, rotated like a ferris wheel but with a twist. The caged seats spun wildly back and forth a full 360 degrees, keeping students wanting more. Eventually, the line snaked all the way to the end of the SAC parking lot. Lovers of amusement park-induced adrenaline were addicted to the Zipper all night.
“I’m actually very afraid of amusement park rides,” Ayyan Zubair, the president of USG, said. “But I toughed it up and went on the Tornado! It was a thrill, that’s for sure.”
In addition to last year’s attractions, this year’s carnival had food trucks with bubble tea, Puerto Rican cuisine and more. The lines for the trucks as well as for the popcorn and cotton candy machines were as long as some of the rides. The long wait times left students frustrated.
“I wish this was better organized because all the lines I have been on so far are really conglomerated,” Karunya Sabapathy, a senior sociology and psychology double major, said.
Long lines away from all the action seemed to trouble many students.
“The queue times suck,” Derek Wu, a junior biomedical engineering major, said. “They should have an express line, so that if you want to pay, you can get to go on faster.”
Luckily, the boardwalk-style games had the quick play that students were looking for. Arcade basketball with an inflatable hoop, frisbee toss, and cornhole were just some of the games that were scattered about.
Some students found other ways to let loose. On the pirate ship ride, a girl brought her giant stuffed teddy bear with her. During the ride, she decided to share her prize with another student by throwing the bear across the ship as it swung back and forth.
Those who saw the massive stuffed animal prizes from last year’s carnival were pleased to see a wider range of stuffed animals this year. Prizes included giant teddy bears, tigers and pandas. Many, however, were disappointed to see that almost all of the prizes had gone within the first hour. After the stuffed animals were gone, the only prizes left were glow-in-the-dark fidget spinners, sunglasses, shirts and water bottles.
Despite the long wait for rides and the lack of stuffed animals for the late carnival goers, students seemed to enjoy the carnival. They danced in line, caught up with friends walking by and played with fidget spinners.
“Even though I wish they had better music, we created so many memories and won some cool prizes” Beatrice Hyppolite, a sophomore health science major, said.
