With colorful, flashing lights and screams of joy, the centerpiece of EIU’s Welcome Weekend kicked off officially in the Tarble Arts Center Field Friday evening. 

The Panther Fall Fair, a carnival with many attractions, games and food stands, was open Friday through Saturday from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m., attracting the interest of community members and students alike. 

While originally starting Thursday evening, the fair was prevented from opening due to the grounds being too muddy from on-and-off showers that day. Alongside the mud, the fair was called off preemptively because heavier storms were projected to begin early in the evening. 

To keep spirits high, the Martin Luther King Jr. University Union hosted a bingo night instead at 8 p.m. that Thursday. Free snacks like popcorn and mocktails were available to those in attendance. Prizes were also given out to the bingo winners as a reward for their victories. 

At the fair Friday, many were in attendance, forming winding lines for the vibrant rides. Snippets of pop music and laughter echoed from the event as the carnival rides whirled.  

Most of the fair attendees near the event’s start were community members and faculty members with their families. Students began rolling in later, around 8 p.m., to join in on all the rides and attractions the fair had to offer.

University President Jay Gatrell was present that evening and shared a slide or two down a carpet slide attraction with student and local attendees.  

“It’s a great community event,” said Gatrell. “It’s wonderful to see our neighbors and colleagues from across campus with their families here as well as our students.” 

Gatrell said fraternities and sororities came in full force to help with Welcome Weekend. Many students active in Greek life volunteered to help with not just the fair, but also assisted during Move In Day and aided in organizing volunteer opportunities in JumpStart, he said. 

In addition to Gatrell appearing, University Board members were also present at the carnival selling Homecoming T-shirts to help advertise Homecoming’s upcoming events, happening from September 30 to October 5. 

About 20 Homecoming shirts were sold that night, said Homecoming chair Ella Aly, a sophomore hospitality and tourism major. 

Fair attendees were also able to spin a pinwheel and answer various trivia questions to win yellow fair T-shirts. This proved to be a worthwhile method of advertising, as the yellow University Board shirts began to run out of sizes quickly that night. 

When students finished visiting everything at the fair, they could take a short walk away to the South Quad where GLOW Laser Tag was being hosted at 8 p.m. and lasting late into the night. Participants had to strategically utilize inflatable cover items both defensively and offensively to emerge victorious each round. 

While not seeing the large turnout found at the fair, laser tag did have a steady flow of students throughout the night.