LION Bash Hopes to Bring Together Penn State Students, State College Community

The Borough of State College once again will host the Living In One Neighborhood (LION) Bash in an effort to build a sense of community and strong neighborhoods among Penn State students and borough residents.

The event will take over the 200 block of Allen Street outside of the State College Municipal Building from 6-8:30 p.m. on Tuesday. There will be a number of booths, activities, and performances for attendees to enjoy as well as free food and an iPad giveaway. Performers also will line the street, including Jackie Brown and Gill Street Band, RAM Squad, and a magician.

“We wanted to focus on getting more involvement from different types of people rather than just the largest orgs at Penn State or the largest orgs downtown,” said Jesse Weber, a Penn State student and intern with the Borough’s Community Engagement and Development department.

“The main point of LION Bash is to establish relationships and dialogues between all aspects of the community: students, family members, children, everyone.”

In its second year, the event’s organizers have heard a lot of feedback about last year and hope to continue to improve upon the progress made. One example of the event’s success in its first year: Members of a fraternity got to meet the family who lives next to them, even though the two have been neighbors for years. Now, their relationship is much more understanding and when the kids are trying to go to bed and the frat house is being a little loud, the family can just shoot over a text and the fraternity will turn things down a notch.

“It’s small things like that that really add up and make it easier on the police and the Borough officials,” Weber said.

There will be representation from various downtown organizations so students can learn a little more about the place they call home and vice versa, as a number of Penn State organizations will also be represented so State College residents can see a little bit of what students do. Student groups including the Interfraternity Council and UPUA will join downtown organizations and companies like Schlow Library and the Highlands Civic Association.

Part of the event will be to inform students about some of the State College ordinances. Many Penn Staters who spend 75 percent of their year living in and interacting with the Borough know little about the specifics of the laws and ordinances that they are required to abide by, and often students getting in trouble can have more to do with misinformation than disrespect or a willful intent to break the law.

IF YOU GO

WHAT: LION Bash 2016

WHEN: 6-8:30 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 30

WHERE: 200 Block of South Allen Street, State College

COST: Attendance, activities and food are all free