Jones’ newest craze is a club unlike anything you have ever seen before: a club where you simply eat chicken and have fun.
Chicken Club is a new club that was started this year by two sophomore students who started out buying chicken for their friends. It blossomed into a club as more and more people joined.
“It started with a small thing with my friends, but now it’s got like 100 people,” said Colton Ogren ‘28.
The club was originally made because of Ogren’s love for chicken and his desire to share it with his friends. He buys all the chicken himself and supplies it to the club members during every meeting. At first, the club was just an idea for Colton, but once he met Tye Nevius ‘28 , the co-founder of the club, she helped Colton get the club off the ground by advertising the club and helping set up at the club fair.
So far, there have only been a handful of meetings for the club, but they have seen nothing but success so far.
“I think it’s just like something totally different than all the other clubs that Jones has to offer. So it’s a nice change of pace,” said Loi Carroll ‘28.
There has also been loads of hype surrounding the club all the way from the club fair, where close to 90 people joined, and so many people attended their first few meetings. The club has picked up a ton of momentum within Jones in only a couple of months.
“I knew when it was the promise of free chicken…there were going to be people like ‘yeah I want some,’” said Ogren.
Colton was right: the promise of free chicken tempted many to join him and his friends at his club, which propelled the club even further.
“I think the club is so popular because students such as myself love chicken,” said Elijah Milsap ‘28.
Students joined the club not only for the free food, but also to make friends and have a place to hang out outside of Jones, showing how this club provides a space outside of school hours.
“It’s gonna be peaceful, just chilling at the park, just eating some chicken… hanging out with your friends,” said Carroll.
At a typical meeting of the chicken club, they first gather on the 5th floor, and then they head outside to Grant Park to socialize. This provides a sense of community and consistency seen at every meeting that is not seen at other clubs.
“It’s not affiliated with the school… We just all go to Jewel Osco, then we go to the park and eat the chicken,” said Ogren. The club, not taking place inside Jones, offers a different type of club. While most clubs usually stay inside for meetings, Chicken Club allows more freedom to hang out, as that is what the club is all about.
Despite Chicken Club being created just to eat chicken and have a good time in a fun and lighthearted way, it’s also used to create spaces for Jones kids to be themselves outside of school. It creates new opportunities for people to make friends.
“I joined Chicken Club to create new friendships, and it’s a good source of protein,” said Carroll.
