The Pep Band — comprised of members of the Blue Band — performs during Friday night’s welcome event in Bloomington. The Alumni Association funds the Pep Band’s travel expenses for away football games, helping to bring Penn State spirit to alumni and fans across the country.

Felt good to return to Bloomington. It had been a while, you see.

Not for the football team. The Nittany Lions visited two years ago to play the Hoosiers. Though since COVID restrictions were securely in place, we (the Alumni Association) didn’t have the opportunity to travel and catch up with our Indiana Chapter. Friday night, for the first time in four years, that changed, as about 50 alumni and fans packed a reserved space in one of downtown Bloomington’s popular gathering spots. For anyone familiar with Bloomington, it was Crazy Horse, on Kirkwood Avenue, right through the heart of downtown.

You can see the archived livestream of the Pep Band and cheer squad performing on Facebook, and members will see and hear more from the band and cheerleaders in Monday’s email. The students will appear during Saturday’s Roar Tour, the premier pregame pep rally we host at away games. And as a perk, we’ll also send the email to non-members who attend the Roar Tour stop.

Earlier, we walked around Indiana football’s Memorial Stadium, sharing the customary photos we always aim to get on the road. Mainly, Penn State football’s massive equipment truck and a few stadium images. You can’t miss the equipment truck, though we almost did this evening, not seeing it until we finished our lap, tucked beneath the stadium’s lower concourse.

For the rest of the weekend, stay tuned to our Facebook page and Twitter channels for the Alumni Association and The Football Letter.

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