Despite the lack of Oompa Loompas in the Alumni Memorial Union Ballrooms Feb 25th, there was no shortage of chocolate rivers and tasty treats to sample. Night of Chocolate, an annual event hosted by Marquette University Student Government, took on a “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory” theme this year.
The ballrooms were occupied with fountains of delicious milk and dark chocolate and several dishes of delectable food items to dip. Creamy chocolate milk and hot chocolate in dispensers were surrounded by bowls of toppings offered to make beverages even tastier.
When College of Engineering freshman Mia Schunk arrived on the second floor of the AMU a little after 9 p.m., she was surprised to see a long line of people leading to the ballroom entrance. The line led down the stairs to the first floor.
Ballrooms were full at MUSG’s Night of Chocolate, with students pouring into the AMU on Saturday night to sample sweets.
“I wasn’t thinking that it was going to be a big thing, I thought there was just going to be a smaller group,” Schunk said. However, the line moved very quickly and Schunk was too excited for chocolate to be discouraged from waiting.
Schunk said she was impressed with how nicely the event was set up, how great everything looked and the tastiness of the chocolate and other goodies.
No golden ticket was required for entry, as the event was free to students. In years past, MUSG attempted to make the event semi-formal and charged money at the door. The event remains popular since its beginning in 2000, and was met with an outpouring of attendance this past Saturday.
Connor Skelton, a sophomore in the College of Engineering, said MUSG does not hold events like this one often, so he decided it would be fun to stop by.
“Chocolate is one of the finer things of life,” Skelton said. “I think it’s something that should be enjoyed as often as possible, and there’s no (better) place to do it than here.”
He said his experience was top notch and would give it a score of 10 out of 10.
Rose Zetzman, a senior in the College of Arts & Sciences, went to Night of Chocolate her freshman year and it stuck out to her as an evening she would remember for a long time. She said she wanted to keep up the tradition by bookending her senior year with her last Night of Chocolate.
Zetzman said chocolate is one thing that never upsets her stomach and she really enjoys eating it.
She doesn’t indulge in treats every day of the week because she buys her own groceries. However, she said a treat every once in a while is a necessity.
“It’s really nice that this is free so I don’t have to worry about (costs),” Zetzman said. “I can get unlimited chocolate.”
Other students, like Skelton, said he eats chocolate at least three times a week. He wouldn’t know how far he could make it if put in a situation where he couldn’t eat chocolate for the rest of his life.
“(Chocolate) is like fuel, you need it to keep you going,” Skelton said.
