High wind gusts and thunderstorm warnings have a tendency to ruin most outdoor parties and events. However, the weather was no match against last Thursday and Friday night’s Homecoming events. Thursday night Mesa State experienced its third foam party, thrown by the Programming Activities Council in front of the Fine Art’s building.

Instead of canceling the event due to the weather, they instead put up a tent as a precaution.

“We were going to have it rain or shine, a lot of people were looking forward to it,” said junior Patience Kanda.

Kanda has been a part of PAC for three years, and also threw the foam party last year. Kanda learned a lot with her experience in throwing the event for the first time last year.

“We were a lot more organized this year and knew what to expect,” she said.

Students danced inside and outside the foam pit to popular music Katy Perry, California Swag District, and Ke$ha. Attire ranged from shorts with swimsuit tops to flannel shirts with jeans. Regardless, the foam party was a huge hit with both the students and PAC alike.

“I really liked it,” said sophomore Jessica Smith. “I think the school should have some more on-campus events like that.”

Kanda was pleased with the outcome of the foam party. “It’s nice to see that kids don’t want to just go out and get drunk,” she said.

Friday night’s festivities were equally as great, as MSC experienced its first ever carnival and the traditional bonfire. The evening kicked off with a carnival on the Elm Avenue Quad. Students, parents, and families were able to play a variety of games such as Gatorade pong, a dunk tank, and a cake walk. Although the Associated Student Government, (ASG) facilitated the event, it was the collaboration between individual clubs and organizations that really made the carnival a success.

The idea for the carnival came this summer when several leaders from different clubs came together for ideas on how to achieve campus unity. However, the actual planning for the carnival didn’t start until about a month and a half ago. Word of mouth, Facebook, and flyers were key to getting people to the carnival. Countless individuals enjoyed the carnival from start to finish. Freshman Anna Allemang enjoyed the carnival and said her favorite part was, “running into people I haven’t talked to or seen in a while. It was really nice.”

First year graduate student Justin Kwacak, who was a big part in planning the carnival was extremely pleased on how everything turned out, and hopes it will become a tradition. “It was a great experience to see all the creativity from all the different organizations,” he said. Friday evening rounded out with MSC’s homecoming bonfire. Students gathered in Elm Quad to hangout, dance, and listen to music by the Jay Ketcher Band. “My favorite part of the night was the bonfire,” said freshman Casey Tinnin “I really loved the atmosphere and it was just a really fun event to go to with your friends.”