Just before the start of THON 2026 on Friday, State College Mayor Ezra Nanes, along with Borough Manager Tom Fountaine and his wife, Tamara, took the stage at the Bryce Jordan Center to offer support for the Penn State student-run philanthropy’s 54th annual dance marathon.
Nanes once again declared State College as the “City of THON” for the entire 46 hours that the dancers will stand in their efforts to raise money and awareness for pediatric cancer patients through the Four Diamonds at Penn State Health Golisano Children’s Hospital.
Dancers began filing in around 4 p.m., filling the arena floor and preparing for a weekend of no sleeping and no sitting. Shortly after their arrival, Nanes stepped onto the stage with the Fountaines to share words of encouragement with THON dancers and volunteers.
The Fountaines introduced Nanes and shared their family’s experience fighting pediatric cancer. The couple’s oldest son, Tommy, is a childhood cancer survivor who was diagnosed in 1998. Tommy graduated from Penn State and the Penn State College of Medicine, and is now a pediatric oncologist.
“It is the entire family that goes through that journey,” Tom Fountaine said.
Nanes then addressed the crowd, ceremonially renaming State College for the weekend.
“I can feel the energy. It’s really an incredible moment when you walk into this building for the first time,” Nanes said. “I have a very important announcement to make right now: as the duly elected mayor of State College, Pennsylvania, I do hereby proclaim that henceforth, from this moment until the end of the dance marathon, that State College shall be renamed the City of THON.
“We do this because we are so proud of each and every one of you, every one of the dancers, the supporters, the volunteers, the organizers, the tech team and our Four Diamond families and kids. And we want you to know that this whole community outside of this building is out there cheering you on.”
Nanes then led a chant that he created, asking the Bryce Jordan Center “Where do we dance?,” to which they replied, “City of THON.”
This year marks the 12th time State College has issued the proclamation in honor of THON, a tradition started in 2015 by former Mayor Elizabeth Goreham.
