Counselor Corner: Lyla Wood

During the academic year, Western Kentucky University’s campus is home to a multitude of food options and various restaurants, but summer hours are more limited—since the majority of students are no longer on campus. During VAMPY, campers typically enjoy their three meals per day at Fresh Food Company, WKU’s buffet-style dining hall, but sometimes we switch things up. Today was one of those days. Occurring on campus was orientation for incoming college students at WKU, which meant that Fresh was packed with activity and eager students. 

RedZone—the sports themed restaurant on campus—occasionally serves as overflow seating for VAMPY. It is equipped with multiple televisions, hanging jerseys, and murals. Today, campers got to have the full RedZone experience for lunch. Relocating to this area of DSU meant that campers did not have to brave the long lines or eager crowd at our usual spot, Fresh. RedZone staff prepared chicken and burgers for our campers. There were also alternatives available for those with other dietary needs.

I was curious what our campers thought of this change to their lunch routine, so I interviewed them. “RedZone is an interesting new environment,” Connor Sage told me. Tallen Haag also seemed pleased with the experience. “Sometimes, change is good,” she informed me. Some campers said that the mural of Big Red was impressive, while others commented on the high quality of the food. Charlotte Rodocker was a fan of the french fries in particular. She called them “extra good” and said that they were more crunchy than the ones we usually have at Fresh. 

While I was speaking to campers and enjoying my own lunch, a special guest made an appearance in RedZone. Big Red, who had been interacting with the orientation students, stopped by to greet our campers and take photos with some of them. As the mascot of the WKU sports teams since 1979, Big Red is iconic amongst campers. They each sport an enamel pin of the mascot on their name tags. Overall, having lunch at RedZone was a new and unique experience—one that I think VAMPY campers will remember for a long time!