The Bryce Jordan Center remained electric on Saturday throughout the second day of THON 2022. 

The penultimate day of THON 2022 was filled with musical performances, show-stopping routines, and other fun events. Morale was high, and the vibes were just perfect as the BJC continued on through THON 2022. With most of the 46 hours in the past, the end was in sight.

With day three now upon us, here are some of day two’s most memorable moments. 

Penn State Announces 2022 Homecoming Theme

Penn State Homecoming took over the Bryce Jordan Center stage to announce the 2022 theme: “One Community, Forever A Home”. 

Musical Performances

The BJC rocked out to Saturday night’s special performer, singer-songwriter, Bea Miller. Miller kept the crowd energized with performances of her songs “making bad decisions,” “forever is a lie,” “feel something,” and “bored,” among others.

Local pop-punk group SouthPaw took to the stage early Saturday with covers of Bowling for Soup, “Crazy Train” by Ozzy Osbourne,  “Umbrella” by Rihanna, and “I Want It That Way,” by Backstreet Boys, among others. 

Donny Burns & the Third Degree also rocked the stage with renditions of classics including “September” by Earth, Wind, & Fire, “Sweet Emotion” by Aerosmith, “Sweet Child O’Mine” by Guns N’ Roses, and “Valerie” by Amy Winehouse.

Canary made its THON debut opening with a cover of “Forget You” by CeeLo Green. What followed was a handful of crowd-pleasers, like “Riptide” by Vance Joy, “Drops of Jupiter” by Train, “Lonely Boy” by the Black Keys, “Are You Gonna Be My Girl” by Jet, and “Dancing Queen” by ABBA, and others.

50th Anniversary Time Capsule

In honor of THON’s 50th anniversary, students and organizations are encouraged to submit items to be placed in a time capsule. The time capsule, which will include items like THON 5K medals, THON Showcase memorabilia, and a stuffed Winnie the Pooh Bear, won’t be opened for another 50 years. 

You can fill out this form to suggest an item for submission. 

THON Pep Rally

The BJC assumed White Out conditions for the THON Pep Rally, which had numerous special guests in attendance including Pat Freiermuth, James Franklin, Sandy Barbour, Micah Shrewsberry, and Super Bowl LVI champion Nick Scott.

The pep rally included electric performances from the golf teams, fencing teams, soccer teams, women’s lacrosse, women’s volleyball, women’s tennis, field hockey, football, and the Lionettes.

Despite fantastic performances from all, men’s soccer took the crown as the THON 2022 Pep Rally champions.

Kids & Teens’ Talent Show

Saturday was host to one of THON’s most wholesome moments: the Kids’ Talent Show. With a theme of “Hollywood,” the BJC was treated to many performances related to movies, songs, and dances.

From Disney’s “Encanto” to Run-D.M.C., a silk routine, to a lightsaber battle, the performances were chock-full of talent.

Miscellaneous 

Alongside the usual musical performances, games, and events, Saturday was filled with plenty of activities that kept the crowd moving.

THON Showcase winner, Penn State Dance Alliance, took to the stage and showed off a killer kick line. Penn State Thespian Society danced it out to some classics, and the Penn State Sign Language Organization performed the “Girl Meets World” theme song in American Sign Language. Volé performed alongside the Singing Lions to “I Lived” by OneRepublic. 

Other organizations that performed included Coda Conduct, JaDhoom, Island Fever, and Whiplash.

There were plenty of games, including “Color Wars”, and “Family Feud”. Other activities included a dancer pageant and hot sauce-eating in the style of “Hot Ones”. You can’t forget the For The Kids Choice Awards, either.

A car race around the BJC got the crowd going, with the red car ultimately taking first.

A few awards were also presented. The Courtney O’Bryan Outstanding Volunteer Award was presented to Communications volunteer Autumn McDonald, while the Tally Sepot Memorial Scholarship was presented to Emily Laird and Patrick Bradley. Another award honored THON volunteer Ashley Pauls, who passed away last year.