The IM Building transformed into an aquatic wonderland on Sunday for THON’s annual family carnival. Volunteers, families, and THON directors alike came together to partake in games and activities matching this years theme, Out to Sea: Sailing to New Horizons in Pursuit of a Cure.

With December weather being unpredictable and typically cold, the IM Building provided the perfect indoor venue. One hundred families registered for Sundays event and the turnout was nothing short of it. At 11:50, about one hundred kids entered the gymnasium through a human tunnel of committee members, and the fun promptly began.The space was decked from wall to wall in posters dedicated to specific organizations’ THON families, as well as posters of images depicting pirates, sailing, and sandy beaches. The carnival also featured booths and stations for the kids and their families to play games, take photos, and spend time with their organizations and friends.

The booths varied from photo booths, to face painting, to lawn games, and there was even a teen corner for those a little too old for face paint and balloon animals.

Impact’s THON child, Jeremy Hawk, was lucky enough to celebrate his 14th birthday at Family Carnival with his family and friends. “Carnival is the closest thing to actually being on the floor at THON. It gets us looking forward to THON weekend and gives more org members the opportunity to experience ‘the floor,'” said Jeremy’s mother Lynn Hawk.

“I loved painting on my sisters face, I gave her a unibrow and a mustache,” said Jeremy. His sister, Erin Hawk, is a Penn State Brandywine student and THON volunteer. “Jeremy means the world to me and so does THON, so I was totally okay with letting him paint a mustache on me!” she said.

Midway through the carnival,The Lionettes and The Penn State Cheerleading Team came on stage to lead the event in a pep rally. At the conclusion of the event, the THON 2016 Logo was revealed. If you haven’t seen it yet, it illustrates a rocket ship soaring through the stars above the 2016 THON theme, “Believe Beyond Boundaries.”

Alpha Chi Omega THON chair Remy Ward loved seeing the kids be themselves and have fun at the carnival. “THON is such a rewarding experience and to be able to see all the people who came out to family carnival was heartwarming and a perfect prelude to THON 2016. We’re all so excited for the upcoming year,” Ward said.

We dance in 74 days, Penn State!