Friday

UB students were able to let their inner child free this past Friday as the homecoming carnival made up for a less-than-enthusiastic Spirit Week.

The carnival was held outdoors on Parcel lot B near the bookstore. Food, music, rides, games, and prizes, as well as a bonfire and fireworks rounded out the evening.

"There seems to be a great turnout and a lot of different things to do. It is not oriented toward what just one set of people want to do," said Thomas Seary, a sophomore media study major.

Under a large tent, a DJ and then a live band accented the festivities as students lined up for burgers, hot dogs, curly fries and beverages and then began playing games to collect as many prizes as they could.

Carnival games included darts, whack-a-mole, water gun races and ring tosses where students could win stuffed animals, posters and goldfish. It did not take long for students to acquire a multitude of goodies. With all the games being free of charge, there were crowds around the game stands all night long.

Yaritza Javier, a junior biomedical science major, won several teddy bears, posters and two goldfish.

"(The carnival) is very diverse and different from last year," she said.

Matthew Barrow, a junior business management and education major, collected so many prizes that he had to get a plastic bag to carry them all.

"I think the carnival is a good way to get the university's students together," he said.

Many of the games at the carnival, such as rock climbing, jousting and the bunji run were also apart of Spirit Week activities throughout the week. Since many students were busy with mid semester exams and term papers, turnout for those events were low.

The homecoming carnival, however, more than made up for the week's attendance. Many students found the carnival to be a pleasant reprieve from their schoolwork.

"The carnival is so nice. It's a great way to relieve the stress of exams," said Peggy Kayumba, a senior nursing major.

Still, many students just came to the carnival to enjoy some good clean fun.

"I definitely think it's a good alternative to something like drinking," Seary said. "It brings to whole university together and it's free."

For some, this homecoming carnival was a last chance to participate in UB tradition.

"This is my senior year and it's the first time I've come to the carnival," said Chris Jackson, a senior political science and psychology major. "I kind of wish I would have come to the other three, its definitely a breath of fresh air."

For others, the carnival was just another event to add to a plethora of memories at UB.

"I think this year has been better because there's more to do," said Rene Rivera, a junior exercise science major.

Some of the longest lines were seen at the three spinning carnival rides: the tilt-a-whirl, the down draft and the loop-o-place, from which several students exercised their vocal cords.

Joe Herman, a freshman aerospace and mechanical engineering major, rode the down draft, which spun around while gusts of air shot the cars up and down.

"I need one of these for my dorm room," he said. "It's pretty cool so far. I wasn't expecting it."

Students enjoying the carnival were not the only ones busy that evening. Several members of the volunteer staff, which consisted of students fulfilling community service for their SA clubs, did not stop working until they ran out of prizes.

Alison Levine, a junior psychology and English major who was volunteering on behalf of the Undergraduate Psychology Association, helped out at a stand where patrons won goldfish for tossing plastic balls into fishbowls filled with water.

"It seems to be pretty successful," she said, "We ran out of fish so no one is coming over, but I guess that's a good thing.

Students were not the only ones present at the carnival. Several local families brought their children to enjoy the homecoming fun. Even the university police indulged in a few burgers while on patrol.

Brad Bauer brought his son to the carnival and they had fun riding the loop-o-place.

"It's awesome. It's like a taste of heaven," Bauer said.

Many students felt that implementing aspects of this year's homecoming carnival into future carnivals would insure their success.

"I think they should continue doing carnivals like this," said Olakunle Ola, a junior accounting major. "I guarantee more people will come next year."