Those who enjoy the marquee bands, vendor stands and carnival atmosphere of Spring Fling won't have to wait until next April to get their fill of food, music and non-alcoholic fun. Fall Fling, better known as Skimmer Day, is coming November 5 to satisfy the wildest flinging appetites, courtesy of the Junior Class Board. The festivities will be held in the Annenberg School Quad off Locust Walk and will culminate with a concert featuring popular bands Tribe Called Quest and DeLaSoul. "Skimmer Day was the old name for Spring Fling," said Junior Class President Jason Diaz. "We're trying to get people to celebrate homecoming a day early by having a Fall Fling." The $40,000 event will be sponsored by the Junior Class Board and the Social Planning and Events Council, Diaz said. In Skimmer Days of the past, students would amble down to the Schuylkill to watch crew races. On their heads would be the familiar "Hey Day" hats, known as skimmers. The tradition died out in the 1960s, partly because things often degenerated into drunken riots. Diaz said many familiar Fling favorites, such as festival booths and sumo wrestling, will be at the event, albeit with an added twist. Every time someone buys a ticket to the concert or wins a prize at one of the carnival games, they will be scoring points for their class. The winning class will get to take home what Diaz describes as "the Stanley Cup for Penn", a 48-inch trophy, modeled on the Skimmer Day Bowl, a large wooden bowl coveted by dueling University classes of yesteryear. "We want to bring together a class coherence," said Skimmer Day Co-Chairperson and College junior Jerome Schneider. "Skimmer Day was class competitive way back when it was Spring Fling." The day's events will have a decidedly anti-Princeton theme. One hundred and forty-four stuffed tigers will be given out and students will be invited to "show their creativity" in mutilating them as preparation for the Penn-Princeton football game the following day. Skimmer Day Co-Chairperson Kiyam Poulson said the location will help make Skimmer Day less racially segregated than Spring Fling. "Spring Fling is usually all white because the Quad is pretty much all white," he said. "But since we'll be on Locust Walk, more people can be involved." The choice of bands also was the object of much deliberation, said Schneider. "There was a concerted effort when we picked the concert to appeal to everyone," he added. "It's not a white fall Fling or black fall Fling – it's for everyone."
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