Every Penn Stater’s favorite time of the year has finally approached—THON! For those who haven’t had the chance to experience the excitement and magic of THON, here are some of the most anticipated events that happen during the best weekend on campus.
Pep Rally
Prior to the start of Pep Rally, Four Diamonds children are given the opportunity to spend time with those involved with Penn State athletics. Athletes of the various sports teams boost the spirits of the children and hype them up for Pep Rally. Pep Rally involves the athletes of each sports’ team putting on a performance to compete against each other. At the end, one team is chosen as the winner.
Kid’s Fashion & Talent Show
Both the Kid’s Fashion Show and the Kid’s Talent Show are opportunities for Four Diamonds children to be on stage during the weekend. Kid’s Fashion Show gives the children the chance to model Penn State inspired clothes on stage and bask in the glory of the crowd cheering them on. Kid’s Talent Show gives the children the chance to show of their skills and impress the crowd at THON with their ability to sing, dance or anything else they are good at.
The Line Dance
Every year, captains of the Dancer Relations committee create the anticipated line dance. The line dance consists of popular songs, events and people from the previous year. In other words, this year’s line dance will be inspired by things from 2017 leading up to things that have happened so far in 2018. The purpose of the line dance is to keep everyone in the crowd during THON, especially dancers, awake and energized to push through the 46 hours of standing.
Organization Performances
Various Penn State organizations are given the opportunity to perform on stage during THON weekend. Dance organizations and musical-driven organizations are among the most popular groups to give a performance during the weekend to also keep everyone’s spirits high. Outside performers may also be brought in throughout the duration of the weekend.
Final Four
The Final Four is the remaining four hours of THON weekend. Included in the Final Four is Family Hour. During Family Hour, Four Diamonds families are brought on stage to share their stories and appreciation with what Penn State has done for them over the years. The final hour of THON consists of a concert put on by Go Go Gadjet, which is always a crowd pleaser.
These various events that are put on during THON during the weekend make the time go by much faster. Everyone looks forward to these highlights that make the weekend itself even better than it already is.
