THON has some pretty strict rules for spectators, and one of them is you can’t bring any food or beverage into the BJC with you (actually a BJC rule, according to THON). However, you shouldn’t go without hydration, as many students spend hours in the stands, and on their feet, supporting the dancers on the floor.

So your options for hydration are pretty limited. You can bring in an empty water bottle and fill it at one of the several water fountains around the concourse, or you can purchase a drink from the concession stand. Or you can try one of these alternative options.

While walking around the main concourse, I couldn’t help but notice the lines that extended from every water fountain. Granted, there aren’t many water fountains to choose from. I only noticed a handful on my trip around. But the lines always appeared to be slowly moving and were regularly 20+ spectators deep.

On this walk, I noted one water fountain that was a bit out of view. It was located along the inside of the concourse instead of the outside like all the other water fountains I had seen. Now, here’s the catch: There was no line. Not a single person. I duly noted its location and kept on walking, figuring this might be useful information for the future.

I happened to walk by the same fountain several hours later and I noted once again, there was no line. I had just walked by at least two other water fountains with lines that were quite long. I figured this was too good to be true and cautiously approached the water fountain, waiting for some committee member to stop me and tell me I couldn’t use it for some reason

Lo and behold, that never happened. I was able to fill up my water and keep moving without a second spent standing in line or waiting around. Another spectator did the same thing behind me and preceded on with her night. And, if you’re curious, the water was decently cold and tasted fresh, so that can’t be the reason people are steering clear. All signs point to a great water fountain.

So, the best kept secret of the BJC is a water fountain. But, when times are tough and water is sparse, this is an impactful discovery. The fountain is located just under pictures of Jen Bednarek and Maddie Lucas, both former Nittany Lion basketball starts, and is directly to the left of the entrance for Section 114.

Drink up!