Have you ever wondered what Penn State was like in the late 1800’s or the early 1900’s? Have you ever wanted to see what Old Main, the oldest building on campus and home of the school’s administrative offices, looks like on the inside?

If you answered “yes” to either of those questions, or you just have nothing to do this Wednesday afternoon, stop by the annual Old Main Open House on April 18th from 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. This year’s open house, themed “History In The Making”, is presented by the Penn State Lion Ambassadors and Penn State Alumni Association.

Those in attendance will be able to take an interactive tour of Old Main that will include former university presidents (but probably not G-Span) and a chance to climb the bell tower, surely on almost every Penn Stater’s bucket list.

You can also honor Penn State’s original mascot if you make it to the open house. Old Coaly was a work mule that was brought to Pennsylvania in 1857 by a worker to help haul limestone for the construction of the original main school building. Old Coaly’s skeleton remains on campus and is currently housed in a showcase located in the HUB. In the spirit of Old Coaly, a mule will be present on Old Main lawn for the duration of the open house. Yes, you read that correctly. All the more reason to attend if you ask me.

Another highlight of this year’s event will be the comeback of Class Scraps, a Penn State tradition that pitted student classes against each other in a variety of challenges, including the tug-of-war scrap, cider scrap, and pushball scrap, before being banned by the university in 1916. Students who attend the Old Main Open House will be able to take part in rotating rounds of scraps that are sure to be much safer than the original events.

There will be performances by Penn State students throughout the afternoon as well as free food and drinks. For more information, you can check out the event’s Facebook page.