Sesquicentennial Games slated for Oct. 1-3

University Park, Pa. -- The Penn State Sesquicentennial Games, which celebrate 150 years of teaching, research and public service, will be held the weekend of Oct. 1 to 3 on the University Park campus.

The games and ceremonies will unite 80,000 students across the commonwealth and more than 400,000 alumni worldwide. The weekend's main goal is to unite students from all commonwealth campuses while commemorating the tagline "Retell. Relive. Remember."

The weekend-long celebration will consist of team athletic competitions, a gala, performances by student organizations, keynote speakers, and opening and closing ceremonies. A service project will be incorporated to benefit The Second Mile through donations, as well as having children from The Second Mile involved in the events.

The schedule follows:

Friday, Oct. 1: The opening ceremony, from 6 to 8 p.m., will include performances by the Glee Club, Blue Band, Nittany Lionettes Dance Team, Essence of Joy, Whiplash and Penn State cheerleaders as well as an address by President Graham B. Spanier.

Saturday, Oct. 2: The Sesquicentennial Benefit Gala, "An Affair to Remember," will be held from 8 p.m. until midnight at the Mount Nittany Club in Beaver Stadium. The semi-formal event will benefit The Second Mile. The gala will feature a 20-minute fireworks show at 9 p.m. outside of Beaver Stadium. Tickets are $15 for students and $30 for alumni, faculty, staff and friends of Penn State. Tickets may be purchased online at http://www.psu150.com/ or at the HUB-Robeson Center during the week of Sept. 20.

Sunday, Oct. 3: A closing ceremony will be held from 2:30 to 4 p.m. at Old Main. The ceremony will honor the winning athletes of the games and highlight the benefiting organization, The Second Mile.

Registration for the athletic competition is online only at http://www.psu150.com/ Both current students and alumni can participate. Anyone interested can register as a team or individually. Teams will be composed of 10 people. Participants can register now through Friday, Sept. 24. Registration is $5 per person for students and $10 per person for alumni. For information regarding registration, e-mail registration@psu150.com or call (814) 222-5114.

For more information on the Sesquicentennial Games, visit http://www.psu150.com