On Wednesday evening, Homecoming held its first annual Best of Penn State Celebration, a carnival on the HUB lawn.  Starting at 5PM, the event lasted three hours with free entertainment for all of Penn State to enjoy.  Although, temperatures were low and the sun went down early, that didn’t stop the carnival and the students in attendance from having a great time.  Blocked off by a black fence and lit with giant lights, the carnival area was filled with free food, including carnival favorites popcorn and cotton candy, games, and tables decorated by independent organizations, athletic teams and Greek life.

Each table displayed their Homecoming theme and offered a different carnival-like game for students to participate in, as they all were competing for the best booth of the night.  At the triangle and A.W.I.S. table students could decorate their own cookies, at a table for the N.I.T. Basketball Champions students could give a try at making a basket with the 2-point and 3-point baskets set up, and the majorettes were even giving anyone a baton twirling lesson in hopes that maybe they could be the next Blue Sapphire.  Clubs for events such as State Patty’s Day and Arts Fest were also there promoting for whats to come in 2010.

Some students went as far as dressing up to represent their theme, in which one student in a full body panda suit stole the show by greeting students and dancing to the music provided by a DJ throughout the event.  At one point in the night, the panda and our very own Nittany Lion were seen jousting.  Also there, was a mechanical bull, sumo wrestling, and a velcro wall that students and faculty lined up to do as their friends cheered them on.

Homecoming’s first annual Best of Penn State Celebration proved to be a perfect fit for celebrating Penn State tradition.  While showing school spirit and feeling the Homecoming pride, every student there was like a kid again at a carnival.

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Student organizations big and small took center stage Tuesday evening at the annual Homecoming event , Airbands.  The event, which took place in a packed Eisenhower Auditorium, ran from 7-9pm.  The crowd loved the event’s surprise guest host, Bronne from the Real World: Cancun.  He entertained the crowd between the acts and also created some excitement by throwing Homecoming t-shirts into the crowd. 

Performances kept the audience entertained the whole with song choices ranging from childhood movies such as Toy Story and Beauty and the Beast, to TV show classics like Sesame Street and Fresh Prince of Bel Aire.  Performers added to their performances with elaborate costumes and props to go along with their chosen theme. 

The event ran smoothly with the exception of one small hiccup; during ATLAS  Thon’s performance featuring boy bands and pop stars the sound system failed and the music cut out.  There was some confusion at first, but then in true Penn State fashion, the crowd picked up where the music left off and ATLAS finished their dance to the audience singing their songs. 

There were ten stars of the evening that shone especially bright, the members of the 2009 Homecoming Court.  They dazzled the crowd throughout the evening with humorous skits in-between organizations performances, and in a Homecoming first, the court also performed their own dance as part of Airbands.

Although, everyone put on an entertaining performance, only two groups could go home with the title of the 2009 Airbands Champions.  Lion Ambassadors won for Best Independent Organization as they traveled through time, giving the audience a glimpse of Penn State history through song and dance.  As for the Best Greek performance, that went to Theta Chi Omega and Phi Sigma Rho with their own musical rendition of the “Toy Story.” 

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On Tuesday, the HUB was decorated with a “Past to Present” theme honoring Penn State’s Homecoming tradition, dating back to when the school’s colors were pink and black.  On the first level of the HUB, where Homecoming merchandise and Homecoming Court tables were set up, the floor traveled back in time and was decorated with pink and black streamers, paw prints, and pictures showing what Penn State student life was like at the time.  As you traveled down the stairs to the ground level, a huge balloon display hung above student’s head reading “Past to Present”.  As students reached the bottom of the steps, they were greeted with free popcorn, music, and pictures of recent Penn State events and pop culture figures, some of which who have visited campus over the past few years. The theme for the floor was everything blue and white, with streamers and balloons decorating the walls.  Throughout the event, which took place from 10AM TO 4PM, various clubs performed on stage and the Homecoming Court made appearances, even putting on a fashion show to show off the Homecoming merchandise that was being sold upstairs.  Whether students were eating lunch at the tables or passing through the HUB on their way to class, they couldn’t ignore the Penn State pride being displayed for Homecoming Week 2009!

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On Monday, at East Halls a celebration was held from 4-8 p.m. for all freshmen.  It was an event that was attempting to acquaint all new students to the Penn State Homecoming tradition.  The Homecoming court made an appearance and got introduced to all students.  Entertaining bios were read off describing the involvement of each candidate while students considered who is vote worthy.  A lot of them also talked with the freshmen to give them a better idea of who they were as a person and why they should be chosen for the Homecoming court. 

The dynamic brothers of Alpha Kappa Psi stepped danced at the event, along with a performance by the Orchesis dance company.  Smooth moves put on by these parties helped to catch the eye of passerby, and make students stop and pay attention to the event.  Voting booths were open during the entire time so someone could vote at any given moment.  Along with easy access to voting, there was free food given out as an incentive for students to stop by.  A wide variety of Insomnia cookies were served and this helped put a smile on the faces of many voters.

 This event helped to spark interest in Homecoming for a lot of students, and increased the voter turnout because of easy access to voting booths.  The East Halls commons was decorated with glittering posters of the themes of various Homecoming floats.  This was good because it allowed the students to see the ideas behind each float, and understand all the work certain organizations put into all of this.  Overall, the celebration turned out to be a great success!  Many students left with a better understanding of Homecoming tradition and what it really means to a Penn Stater.

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Homecoming Week 2009 kicked off yesterday with the first annual 5k.  Students, alumni and members of the community all came out for a run to celebrate the start of Homecoming Week. The race began at 12 PM at the IM building, but the event started around 11 AM with an entertainment hour and free food.  The Nittany Lion, Penn State cheerleaders, members of the Blue Band, RAM squad and Kappa Alpha Psi were all there to perform and cheer on the runners. There was a great turn out for the 5k and it was a lot of fun for everyone involved.  At night, the dance competition for  ”Penn State’s Best Dance Crew” and the Jack’s Mannequin concert took over Rec Hall in honor of the first night of Homecoming 2009. So many students came early to watch fellow Penn State students rock the stage for the dance competition. There were many unique performances and jaw dropping moves from various dance clubs.  Following the dance performances, the audience voted for their favorite by cheering.  The Urban Dance Team won and will be performing at the pep rally in Rec Hall on Friday night.  After the dance competition wrapped up, the Jack’s Mannequin concert sponsored by SPA and Penn State Homecoming began. Students went crazy for the band and leader singer Andrew McMahon put on a great show for Penn State. The band entertained the crowd with a set that lasted about an hour and half.  Jack’s Mannequin closed with a cover of Tom Petty’s song “American Girl”. There was such a positive response and good turnout. Homecoming week has officially begun! Be sure to come out to the rest of the events throughout this week!

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Thank you to everyone who attended the Homecoming Fundraiser at Cold Stone Creamery on Wednesday, the 23rd. The event was a huge success. Special thanks to Cold Stone for sponsoring! Turnout was better than expected. Organizations that participated were eligible to receive up to 50 spirit points! Look for more events in the coming weeks.

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Stop by the Homecoming tent on Allen Street from 10am - 4pm Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Chances to win FREE Vintage Homecoming gear! You can also purchase merchandise for the upcoming football season. Items sold include: Long sleeve t’s, hoodies, hats, shorts, coozies, and water bottles (aluminum). Don’t miss this oppurtunity to get exclusive Penn State Merchandise. See you at the Art’s Festival!

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On April 21st and April 24th from 10-4 in the HUB, and April 24th from 10-4 at the Creamery, Homecoming will be selling merchandise for the 2009 Homecoming year! Look out for new and different logos as well as apparel. This sale will feature baseball hats, men’s and women’s shorts as well as t-shirts. Become a part of the tradition and get excited to Remember The Lion Within!

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Nominate your favorite Penn State senior to become the 2009 Homecoming King or Queen! All students who will be seniors during the Fall 2009 semester at University Park are eligible. Anyone can nominate. Nominations can be submitted starting April 13th until April 26th.

You can also nominate outstanding Penn State faculty and staff members for Homecoming Faculty Court! Organizations that nominate a faculty/staff member will receive 5 spirit points (maximum of 5 nominations)

To submit a nomination go to homecoming.psu.edu and click on the “Court Nominations” link on the left side of the website. Log in using your PSU ID and password. Then fill out the necessary information.

Any questions can be emailed to Angie Schlosser at abs5064@gmail.com

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The spring info session for organizations both new and old to Homecoming will be held on Wednesday April 1st in 105 Forum.  The event will begin with all organizations arriving at 8 p.m.  All organizations are encouraged to come out to discuss pre-registration and events for Homecoming 2009!  If you have any questions about your organization or the event, you can contact the Competition Director at lnp5019@gmail.com

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