Homecoming Carnival Helps Penn State Celebrate With Pride

Carl Nerthling tumbled around inside an inflatable hamster ball on the Old Main lawn, toppling and whirling as he pushed his way toward the finish line of the small race course.

“It’s entirely disorienting in there,” the Penn State junior says. “Everything is spinning and you don’t know which way is up, but somehow at the end of it you end up where you’re supposed to be – exactly like the college experience!”

The hamster ball racing station was one of numerous giant inflatables set up on the Old Main lawn as part of the Penn State Homecoming Carnival on Wednesday. The event also featured games like egg tosses and polo and (of course) photos with the Nittany Lion.

Not far from the hamster balls, junior Octavio Garcia held on for dear life. Grinning and gripping with all his might, a mechanical bull whipped him back and forth until finally sending him careening off after what seemed like an eternity: 45 seconds.

Garcia came with Evelin Campanor, a sophomore who was determined to “redeem herself” from her short performance on the bull last year. With a sheepish smile, she admits she didn’t stay on any longer this year – but she was glad for the opportunity.

“Having something like this helps us get the stress out,” Campanor says. “It takes your mind off things and helps keep you motivated through the semester.”

The carnival was part of a week-long series of events for the 2014 Penn State Homecoming to “help get the students pumped up and excited,” as recent alumni Brodney Nicol put it.

Nicol just graduated back in August, but made sure to come down from New York City to be in town for homecoming. He says events like Wednesday’s carnival help the student body “celebrate our Penn State pride,” as well as gear the community for Saturday’s big game against Northwestern.

“Homecoming is always a big weekend here, and it’s such a fun place to be,” Nicol says.

Unlike many alumni – who come home each year for Homecoming – Class of 1995 alumni Mike Stout ended up in State College this week by pure accident. The Montana resident hadn’t been back to campus since his graduation, but during a trip around Pennsylvania to see his family, he thought he would be remiss if he didn’t take a pass through Happy Valley.

He stopped in for a dinner at the Tavern, had a drink at Zeno’s, relived good times with old friends in town for the week and took his young children to Wednesday’s carnival to take advantage of the bounce houses.

“Campus has changed a lot,” Stout says, referring to new buildings and construction. “But the overall sense seems the same. It’s seems safe and happy. This is a beautiful place in the world.”

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