The campus was alive for Homecoming weekend with several activities. One of the most anticipated events was the Pizza Pizza Pizza Fan Fest.

This event is a tailgate that involves giving away pizza from different pizza chains around campus. There was also cotton candy, inflatables and crafts at the event.

Everyone was invited, and current students, family members of scholars and Ashland alumni attended the event. The spirit of the occasion could be seen with all the purple and gold being worn at the event.

“It’s a great way to get our Ashland spirit before the game,” senior Lindsey VanSparrentak said.

The purpose of the event is to cultivate spirit on campus. It is also a time for alumni to have an opportunity to socialize with their old friends and to enjoy the campus.

“It’s kind of a meeting place, that is meant to get people excited and to remember the memories they had at Ashland,” Jennifer Washock, director of student affairs, said.

Pizza Pizza Pizza Fan Fest is a tradition that started in 2009 to celebrate the new Jack Miller Stadium.

“We wanted to change the Saturday of Homecoming a little bit with the stadium being so close,” Washock said.

Seven Ashland-area pizza vendors supplied pizza for the tailgating event. This gave an opportunity for people to try vendors that they had never tried before.

“[It]’s a unique aspect of Ashland; we have so many home town pizzerias that you don’t have chains of,” Washock said.

The idea of a pizza tailgate came from the impression that most people like pizza.

“Pizza is something that every single person usually likes,” Washock said.

The tailgate has a reputation for being a successful event. The crowd is usually very eager to support the event.

“It is a fun event…we have over 1,000 people come between an hour and a half,” Washock said. “It is a very fast paced event.”

The pizza is all-you-can-eat, but Washock warned that the pizza has gone fast in the past.

“We have such a small space and so many people to get through,” she said. “The lines do get long, so it’s as much as you can pile on your plate.”

Every pizza chain decides how many boxes of pizza they are willing to contribute. The university has an agreement with all the pizza chains that participate.

“We buy half of the pizzas and the pizzerias donate the other half,” Washock said. “It is a joint effort.”

The event was very successful; students and alumni had a great time.

Junior Faith Gruber loved the pizza tailgate.

“I love Pizza Pizza because you can’t beat free pizza,” she said. “It’s good to get out with the rest of the community and campus and have a good time before the game.”

The Pizza Pizza Pizza tailgate brings spirit and excitement to the campus and it seems to be a tradition that is not going away anytime soon.