UPDATE: Due to inclement weather, carnival activities scheduled for Friday (April 19) have been canceled. Activities around the stadium will resume at 9 a.m. Saturday, with parking lots opening at 8 a.m.
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Blue-White Weekend presented by AAA will kick off Friday, April 19, with food, music, a carnival and fireworks to launch three days of events surrounding Penn State's spring football game.
The Blue-White Game will kick at noon Saturday, April 20, as the centerpiece event for numerous activities throughout the weekend in and around Beaver Stadium. As in previous years, there will be no admission or parking fee for the Blue-White Game. Stadium parking lots will open at 8 a.m. and stadium Gates A, B, C and E will open for fans at 10:30 a.m. The contest will air on BTN, the Penn State Sports Network and http://www.GoPSUsports.com.
Except for authorized personnel, no one entering Beaver Stadium on Saturday will be permitted to bring in any bags, backpacks, umbrellas, footballs, strollers, purses or diaper bags. Anyone with a medical need to carry a bag should place their medical supplies in a clear, 1-gallon, zip-close style plastic bag. Parents with a need to carry diapers and wipes also may place their supplies in a clear, 1-gallon zip-close style plastic bag so the contents are visible.
In addition, these items have been banned from all other venues on campus that are hosting events this week and through Sunday, April 21, including the NCAA Men’s Gymnastics Championships in Rec Hall, being held Friday-Sunday.
Many fan favorites are returning for Blue-White Weekend presented by AAA, including Friday’s Wingfest (6-8 p.m.), food and carnival (6-10 p.m.) west of Beaver Stadium. Fireworks are scheduled to take place near the stadium at approximately 9 p.m. on Friday. The Carnival and food vendors continue Saturday (10 a.m.-10 p.m.) and Sunday (10 a.m.-3 p.m.).
The event stage west of the stadium will include performances by popular local music groups Velveeta (6-8 p.m. Friday) and JR and Natalie Band (2:30-4:30 p.m. Saturday).
The Nittany Lion Club’s Blue-White breakfast event on Saturday will feature coach Bill O’Brien and the 2013 Nittany Lion seniors. The event will be held in the Bryce Jordan Center and is open to the public. The doors open at 8 a.m. and the program begins at 8:30 a.m. Tickets are $20 and on sale. To purchase tickets to the Nittany Lion Club Blue-White Event, call 814-865-5555, from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday through Friday.
A new event during Blue-White Weekend is the OneTeam autograph session from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Saturday featuring student-athletes from at least 11 Penn State teams, including men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s hockey, men’s and women’s soccer, men’s and women’s swimming and diving and women’s gymnastics. The autograph session will be held in the area west of Beaver Stadium near the event stage and a OneTeam poster will be available for fans to have signed by the student-athletes.
The Penn State chapter of Uplifting Athletes will be selling “Iron Lion” T-Shirts in the area west of the stadium throughout Blue-White Weekend, with proceeds going toward the football team’s Penn State Lift For Life for the Kidney Cancer Association. The 2013 Lift For Life event will be held Friday, July 12, at the Penn State Lacrosse Field. Members of the Nittany Lion football team have raised more than $700,000 for kidney cancer awareness and assistance since 2003.
Ten Penn State teams are competing at home during Blue-White Weekend presented by AAA, including the No. 1 Nittany Lions hosting NCAA Men’s Gymnastics Championships in Rec Hall. The sessions are Friday (1 and 7 p.m.), Saturday (7 p.m.) and Sunday (2 p.m.). Penn State will be seeking its 13th NCAA Men’s Gymnastics championship when it hosts the national championship. Tickets for the event can be purchased at the Bryce Jordan Center ticket office or by calling 800-NITTANY.
Also on Sunday, the fourth annual Beaver Stadium 5K Run/Family Fun Walk to benefit Special Olympics Pennsylvania begins at 11 a.m. at the stadium, with the finish inside the stadium.
The Penn State All-Sports Museum at the Southwest Corner of Beaver Stadium will be open Friday (10 a.m.-6 p.m.) and Sunday (10 a.m-4 p.m.) during Blue-White Weekend.
Athletics Customer Relations representatives will be available to Blue-White gameday fans beginning at 8 a.m. on Saturday through one hour after the game ends. For assistance, fans can call 800-NITTANY (800-648-8269).
For more information on Blue-White Weekend, go to www.GoPSUsports.com.
Penn State Athletic Event Schedule for Blue-White Weekend, April 19-21:
Friday, April 19
NCAA Men’s Gymnastics Championship team qualifying session No. 1, 1 p.m.
Men’s Tennis vs. Michigan, 3 p.m.
Men’s Volleyball vs. Rutgers-Newark, 5:30 p.m.
Baseball vs. Iowa, 6 p.m.
Softball vs. Northwestern, 6 p.m.
Women’s Soccer vs. Syracuse, 6 p.m. (exhibition)
NCAA Men’s Gymnastics Championships team qualifying session No. 2, 7 p.m.
(Penn State competes in qualifying session No. 2)
Saturday, April 20
Men’s Golf hosts Rutherford Intercollegiate, 7:30 a.m.
Blue-White Football Game, 12 p.m.
Men’s Soccer vs. Navy, 4:30 p.m. (exhibition)
Men’s Volleyball vs. NJIT, 5:30 p.m.
Baseball vs. Iowa, 2 p.m.
Softball vs. Northwestern, 4 p.m.
NCAA Men’s Gymnastics Championships team finals, 7 p.m.
Sunday, April 21
Men’s Golf hosts Rutherford Intercollegiate, 7:30 a.m.
Women’s Tennis vs. Michigan State, 11 a.m.
Baseball vs. Iowa, noon
Softball vs. Northwestern, 1 p.m.
NCAA Men’s Gymnastics Championship individual finals, 2 p.m.
Penn State returns 16 starters and 38 letterwinners for the upcoming season. The Nittany Lions are in the midst of spring drills, with the 15 practices culminating in the Blue-White Game.
Season tickets are available for the 2013 campaign. The Nittany Lions will host five bowl teams from 2012, including three teams that finished in the BCS Top 25: Michigan (Oct. 12-Homecoming), Nebraska (Nov. 23) and Kent State (Sept. 21). Purdue, Illinois, UCF and Eastern Michigan also will visit Beaver Stadium this fall. Penn State opens the season Aug. 31 vs. Syracuse at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J.
For information on joining the Nittany Lion Club and purchasing season tickets, as well as club seating in Beaver Stadium, fans can visit www.GoPSUsports.com or call 800-NITTANY from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. weekdays.
Penn State Athletics is on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/pennstatenittanylions) and Twitter (http://www.gopsusports.com/ot/socialmedia.html).