A huge crowd of students amassed to show their support for the teams that participated in the “Lip Sync and Bonfire” homecoming event at the Marietta campus outdoor amphitheater on Thursday, Oct. 10.
The Knight Owlz, a team consisting of student organizations Delta Phi Epsilon, Theta Chi and Pi Kappa Phi, won the competition.
Caroline Manus, a sophomore early childhood education major, was a member of the Knight Owlz.
“We are so excited because we worked super hard and we felt great when we got off stage,” Manus said. “It wasn’t luck — it was hard work. As soon as they began announcing our team, we stormed the stage.”
This year’s event was accompanied by a theme for the first time. The chosen theme was superheroes, to align with the week’s homecoming events, and the slogan for the event was “Spirit, Tradition and the Owl Way.”
The crowd cheered deafeningly as the first team entered the stage and continued throughout the night for every team’s performance, each of which consisted of a choreographed dance routine in conjunction with lip syncing.
Skylar Gardner, a sophomore communication major, said she lives at the Marietta campus and was excited to have an event near her instead of on the Kennesaw campus.
“It was amazing,” Gardner said. “It really showed what a family Kennesaw State is. It’s a perfect event for fall and a great representation of what our school is about.”
The abundance of school spirit really struck a chord with some members of the audience, like senior mechanical engineering major Dakota Wood.
“I really liked the fact that different organizations came together and put in a lot of hard work to put on a show,” Wood said. “I liked how supportive everyone was of each other. It was nice to watch because there was no rivalry. All in all, it was a great show.”
Kimberly Goler-Stubbs, the assistant director for Student Activities, helped to organize and plan the event alongside Ryan Camon, the coordinator for Fraternity and Sorority Life.
“We love all the people coming out, and we love seeing all the hard work put into the competition,” Goler-Stubbs said.
The homecoming court entered the stage after the show and shared their favorite KSU memories and what they loved about the school, then led the crowd in singing university’s alma mater and fight song.
The amount of people there surprised some of those in attendance, including Jeremy Phillips, a freshman and mechanical engineering major.
“It was pretty interesting,” Phillips said. “I’m a first-year student, so I didn’t think anything this big would be happening.”
Afterward, students were encouraged to attend a bonfire and partake in the food offered from food trucks. Those who used their student IDs to sign in at a tent set up near the bonfire after the competition were given the option of receiving either a free t-shirt, a free cape or a $10 food voucher for the food trucks.