There were four fires on the Academic Quad on Sept. 19—campfires, that is. Outdoor Education and Leadership partnered up with Activities and Campus Events (ACE) to create an event that has never been done before at the University: The Campus Camp Out. The camp out was complete with a movie playing on an inflatable screen, free food, and tents set up in front of Bertrand Library.

“I wanted to create something that was really original and take advantage of a very special place on campus. Something that Bucknellians could cross out on their bucket list. People have been asking for it for a while, and it was exciting to make it a reality,” Holly Grosholz ’17 said, who came up with the camp-out idea in conjunction with other ACE members.

At 9:30 p.m., students gathered around an inflatable movie screen to watch “Divergent” whilst munching on nachos and popcorn, surrounded by a string of lights that were set out on the grass.

Throughout the event, s’mores were available for roasting in front of campfires, which added to the campsite ambiance. While some students chose to sleep in sleeping bags under the stars, Outdoor Education and Leadership brought additional equipment for students to use, such as tents and flashlights, to try to give the students the full experience of camping.

“Some Buckwild leaders and I didn’t use a tent and instead slept out under the stars in our sleeping bags. It felt surreal to see the quad so quiet and still under the stars because I’m so used to seeing students bustling around with backpacks all day. I really hope we can do this again in the future,” Erin McDowell ’16 said.

More than 100 people showed up for the event, which means there is hope that this event will happen again in the future.

“It took a lot of work to get the permission to do it, and I’m really glad we got the opportunity. If it’s successful, then we can make it a tradition for years to come,” Grosholz said.