Just like most college towns, Kutztown knows how to have a good time. Of course, students can scurry off into the bars and dance the night away with a cup or can in hand, but this university took partying to the next level. The weekend of January 22 started off with a blizzard Friday night and into Saturday, all day. Most people already planned for Snowmageddon 2016 by stocking up on food, water, rock salt, shovels, etc. Students, on the other hand, spent their days differently.
Instead of stocking up on the necessities, college students stocked up on beer, liquor and snack foods. Most of these individuals disregarded the two feet of snow outside and still celebrated the weekend the best way college students know how, drunk and chaotic.
From inside my home Saturday night, I could hear the streets of Kutztown roaring with snowmobiles and people racing with enjoyment. Naturally, the curiosity within my household grew to a point where venturing off into the tundra only seemed necessary. Three hooded sweatshirts, four pairs of pants, two pairs of socks and two pairs of gloves later, I stepped out into a world where anarchy ruled the streets of Kutztown. Almost immediately, I got stuck in the snow attempting to walk through it and fell down. It wasn’t until a friend helped pick me up, that a stranger swooped over, scooped me up and threw my largely padded body back into a snow pile all because, “he had to.”
Just moments later, a low, black Volkswagen swerved around the corner, fishtailing their back end and skimming a snow bank on the side of the car. There was no reason for these people to drive through Kutztown in those conditions, but some individuals just like an edgy lifestyle. What originally was a trip into the tundra for fun, turned into buying supplies because we wouldn’t be able to the next day. Pushing through the snow, we finally ended up on Main Street. Aside from that one Volkswagen, there were no cars in sight, just college kids running a muck. Some people were sledding down the sidewalks, while others pelted passing individuals with snowballs.
There wasn’t a single police officer on the streets keeping the peace. Instead, people were throwing others into the snow banks to fend for themselves before running off. Even if an officer was nearby, chances are they wouldn’t be able to stop whatever chaos was unfolding. In fear of being run over, people quickly dispersed off the streets anytime there was rumbling in the distance. Snowmobiles flew through the town and paid no attention to the people meandering around trying to hitch a ride.
Students roamed the snowy streets with bottles and beer cans in hand, stumbling through the two feet of snow. Girls were dressed in heels and leggings on their way to one of the many house parties going on. Their linked arms were meant to keep them from falling over, however it ended up being more of a domino effect. Guys were dragging kegs down the road on sleds just to make it back to their house party. People threw bottles in the middle of the road and didn’t care who saw because it wasn’t like anyone could stop what was happening.
After a man riding a snowboard hitched to the back of a jeep sped past my roommates, we decided it was time to head home. Even in a State of Emergency, Kutztown’s students made a party out of a dangerous night. No one took into account how an ambulance would get to Kutztown, if medical attention were needed. Instead, students drank until their bodies said it was warm enough to go out. These students ransacked a small town and took advantage of having no rules for a night. Their drunken bodies staggered through the snow to the closest house party of the night. Kutztown is known for its variety of students; that Saturday night these students couldn’t be stopped, but instead embraced whatever anarchy they caused during Snowmageddon 2016.
