The Campus Recreation Center at Northern Kentucky University is gearing up for the one night only extravaganza – Norse Nights – with prizes, games, music and free food.

Norse Nights, scheduled for Oct. 10, is a get-together for students to come in and experience the recreation center, whether they exercise or not. The event has happened periodically over the last few years, but staff members want to make it into an annual event.

“I think that Norse Nights is going to become one of the bigger events on campus,” said Beth Volpenhein, graduate assistant for facilities in the recreation center. “It is going to be a night of fun, activities, prizes and competition.”

The event is still in the works, but it will feature activities such as sports, dancing, cornhole, a bungee run, a Velcro wall, inflatable obstacle courses, and kayaking and volleyball in the pool.

Norse Nights will also serve food, offer prizes, provide music and supply a limited amount of free T-shirts. In the past, Norse Nights has featured such things as a mechanical bull, blow up horses and giant tricycles.

Volpenhein said the staff is hoping to have an airbrush activity, where students can bring items in to be airbrushed, and a TRX exercise demo, which were popular features at this year’s FreshFusion.

The theme of this year’s event is “The Return of Norse Nights” and will be a newer, better version, according to Volpenhein.

“We are bringing it back full force and even better than we have ever had it,” Volpenhein said. “It is important that we get a good showing this year to show we can keep up interests. We want at least a thousand people to come, but the more the merrier.”

Jennifer Hilvert, assistant director for facilities, said that some people are intimidated to enter the recreation center.

“People think they have to already be in shape to come in here and work out,” Hilvert said. “We just need to get them in the door to see what we have.”

Hilvert also said that Norse Nights will show people that the recreation center can be used for more than just exercising.

“People come here all the time to work out, take fitness classes, participate in intramurals and swim,” Hilvert said. “This is more of a fun event. We can do fun things, too. It’s not just a workout area; it’s a night to come and hang out.”