The 7th annual “Escape the Bong” event at the Richard I. Bong Historical Center features a brand-new escape room. The “Missing Mascot” is a fast-paced, sports themed escape room for people of all ages. Your school’s mascot, the Pouncing Panda, has been stolen by the rival school. It’s up to you to get your mascot back before the big game.

“We took input from folks last year and they said, ‘we’d like to see a sports themed room,’ so it’s been a year in the making for this one,” said Tom Atwood, who owns Escape Room Parties with his wife, Barb Atwood.

Even though the goal is to test your puzzle-solving skills, the main focus of the room designs is to maximize the fun, which is perfect for families and kids.

“We don’t pride ourselves on how few people make it through. We pride ourselves on how much fun people have in the rooms. Our emphasis when we build and design all of our rooms, our emphasis is having a good time, and we know that families are an important portion of that market for us,” said Atwood.

There are three other escape rooms featured at this year’s event: Jungle Escape, Mama B’s & Papa T’s Speakeasy, and Escape and Evade. There are still spots open for booking this weekend on the Bong Center’s website.