Each year, students, alumni, and Penn Staters alike come out to the the Lion Shrine the night before the Homecoming game to make sure that no enemy teams try to deface the statue. The tradition has only grown since a certain football coach’s wife became the first to vandalize the shrine.

The famous tale that brought about the great tradition of Guarding The Lion Shrine occurred in 1966, when Sue Paterno and a friend decided that Penn State needed a little extra firing up for the following day’s Homecoming game against Syracuse. In the spirit of the Syracuse Orangemen, the two doused the shrine in orange latex paint, but had to zoom away after believing they’d been spotted by campus police. The next year, Syracuse fans decided to take the vandalism into their own hands and cover the shrine in orange oil paint. Though the latex paint Sue used came off easily, the oil-based paint did not, driving Penn State fans to take action.

Now every year Penn State students and fans gather at the shrine to both celebrate Homecoming and to carry on one of Penn State’s many beloved traditions of guarding the Lion Shrine against potential rival vandals. Penn State ROTC volunteers their time to stand around the lion and minimize the chance of any opponents defacing it.

This years guarding of the shrine will take place tonight, Friday October 9, from 9 to 11 p.m. immediately following the end of the Homecoming parade. The event will include music, games, activities, and of course everyone’s favorite: food. Additionally there will be a handful of special guests, including Sue Paterno, The Blue Band, Whiplash, Coda Conduct, Ambitions, and Urban Dance Troupe.

Be sure to stop by and support the Penn State community in celebrating Homecoming and protecting the shrine from the Indiana Hoosiers. Besides, you never know who might break it down.