Students celebrate Homecoming at the eleventh annual Sam Jam

Excited shrieks, screams and animated banter could be heard from down the street as hurried feet rushed toward the carnival. The Holleman Field parking lot carried an energized charge that fed off the neon flashing lights from various carnival rides and events that made up the eleventh annual Sam Jam.

Spinning and whirling rides like the Sizzler, the Hurricane and Round-Up were big hits among the brave Bearkats willing to risk their lives and their dinners.

“It was intense,” Blocker Duncan, political science junior, said about the stand up gravity ride the Round-Up. “It feels like your stomach is going through a washer machine. My roommate threw up right at the end.”

LMFAO’s “Party Rock” and PSY’s “Gangnam Style” blasted through the DJ’s speakers, competing with the thrilled conversations and squeals and mechanical noises escaping the amusement rides.

The ever-popular Ferris wheel was a crowd-pleaser, as were the three-seater Fun Slide and the NBA JAM basketball game, water gun races and other tossing games.

“I’ve been on every ride so far except the Ferris wheel,” Terence King, criminal justice sophomore, said. “The Round-Up was the best!”

Aside from the attractions, nearly 2,500 Bearkats and Huntsvillians enjoyed assorted free festival concessions like candied apples, popcorn, caramel apples and cotton candy.

“We like the rides, and free food, and this is bigger than we thought it’d be,” freshmen Cne’ Alverio, Morgan Perry and Holly McIntosh said together. 

The Student Activities sponsored fair also included corn dogs and SHSU decorated cookies for the hungrier appetites.

With lines that went by quickly and enjoyment everywhere, the overall atmosphere of Sam Jam was captivated amusement.

“It’s really lots of fun and the popcorn was good,” Holland Behn, Mass Communication junior, said. “I was terrified [about some of the rides], but the slide was fun.”

During the events, the Homecoming King and Queen finalists were announced. The King finalists are Aston Winfree, Shane Rankin and Jacob Brock. The Queen finalists are Ashley Baker, Risa Mitchell and Ashlyn Voight. 

The Homecoming festivities will continue today with the Homecoming Parade on Sam Houston Ave. at 6:30 p.m. Friday will feature movie night with “The Dark Knight Rises” at 6 p.m. in the LSC Theatre and Saturday is jam-packed with tailgating at Bearkat Alley of Bowers Stadium from 5-7 p.m., followed by the Homecoming game against McNeese State.