Courtnay and the Chocolate Factory

Anyone who knows our beloved Program Director, Courtnay, knows that she loves chocolate. Actually, “loves” might even be an understatement. So, what could be more perfect for a birthday celebration than to get a Golden Ticket to Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory? We had so little to see and so much time! Wait. Strike that… reverse it…

As we gathered at the gates in front of the Convent… erm, chocolate factory… Courtnay was joined by a hodgepodge of characters from the 1971 movie, including all four bedridden grandparents (Perry Isley, Messiah '13; Chloe Sellers, Westmont '13; Rebecca Penner, Bethel '12; Tyler, Student Life Coordinator), Augustus Gloop (Ben Hepler, Messiah '13), Violet Beauregard (Lauren Lorentz, Bethel '12; Karleigh Vroman, Westmont '13; Samantha, Kitchen Assistant), Veruca Salt (Caitlin Crowley, Bethel '11: Emma, Kitchen Manager), Mike TeeVee (Allie Oberholtzer, Eastern '11), Slugworth the recipe stealer (Kendra Wise, Biola '12), some oompa loompas (Kayla Jones, Biola '12; Erica Lieuwen, Dordt '12; Ashley Sensenich, Messiah '13; Jada Vance, Messiah '13), Charlie’s mother (Krista Stephens, Westmont '12), and even living lickable wallpaper (Hannah '13) and a shnozberry (Allie, Program Administrator)!

Willy Wonka (Jess, Student Life Coordinator) greeted the guests with a somersault and some lickable wallpaper that Emma and Sam made. Then the crew, led by Courtnay and Willy Wonka, filed into the beautiful candyland at the heart of the factory. Gumdrops and peppermints and marshmallow flowers decorated the backyard along with the ferryboat—Courtnay’s kayak—in a “chocolate river”. Even Agatha the concrete nun decided to dress up like an oompa loompa for the occasion.

We divided into teams at the behest of Willy Wonka and had to perform three separate tasks in order to prove our worth to win a Lifetime Supply of Chocolate. The first task was a messy affair as teams had to fish in a flower filled with cream to find chocolate fish. In the second task, teams had to consume various items dipped in the chocolate river without knowing what was what—an oompa loompa must have accidentally rerouted the garbage chute to the river because not only were there bananas, apples and marshmallows dipped in chocolate, but also carrots, zucchini, and mushrooms!

The third task required teams to perform a Tim Tam Slam in a step-by-step relay race! After a flurry of running, stirring, biting, sloppy slamming, and milo-chugging, Courtnay’s group came out first with chocolatey grins. We all celebrated with a large basket of chocolate treats for the birthday girl, a dolphin-shaped no-bake cake, and chocolate pudding. It was a day of great fun and although we nearly collapsed in sugar-comas after consuming so much sweet stuff. Happy Birthday Courtnay!