Step Right Up to Saturday's Carnival!

Set aside those Saturday errands and spend a day outside at the 63rd annual Sigma Sigma Carnival at the University of Cincinnati, open to students, faculty and staff and the entire Greater Cincinnati community from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m., Saturday May 18.

A mechanical bull from Nashville, an inflatable jousting game, dunking and car-smashing booths are among the more than 30 booths and activities that will be featured, according to carnival chair Jay Hummel.

The carnival, a once a year event that attempts to bring the entire university community together, will take place rain or shine at the Football Practice Field next to Shoemaker Center. The inflatable joust is a giant plastic pillow structure that places two competitors on 5-foot stands, where each tries to knock the other off their perch with inflated jousts. In addition to booths organized by dozens of student organizations, there will be music provided by a DJ service, Ryan Neuman Entertainment Company.

Previous Sigma Sigma carnivals have benefited a campus veteran's memorial, Sigma Sigma Commons and trophy cases. For the third time, the carnival will raise money toward a Rock of Truth complex. The complex, slated for inclusion in the new MainStreet renovations under construction through the heart of West Campus, takes its name from the UC Alma Mater. Two lines in the first verse refer to a fountain, a tower of strength and a rock of truth. Already, the campus has a fountain (on Budig Commons) and a tower of strength (the Ronald Walker Light Tower on Sigma Sigma Commons). Sigma Sigma's goal is to add a Rock of Truth to the list.

"Carnival Goes Country" is the theme of this year's festivities. Admission is free. For more information, call Jay Hummel at (513) 295-6777.