Lounging by the river: Sun, fun and relaxation

The warm weather, free food and music attracted a thousand Penn students to Saturday's Skimmer. In the balmy 65-degree weather, tank tops and shorts were the clothes of choice at Saturday's Skimmer day along the banks of the Schuylkill River. A crowd of more than 1,000 Penn students spent the afternoon lounging on the grass in Fairmount Park, listening to the sounds of cover band Burnt Sienna and Penn a cappella groups Penny Loafers, Dischord and Counterparts. Meanwhile, crew teams rowed by on the adjacent Schuylkill and students munched on barbecued hot dogs, hamburgers and chicken. The food was provided free of charge to the students by the Undergraduate Assembly and the event itself was organized by the Sophomore Class Board. Sophomore Class President Alex Tolbert estimated a total attendance of about 1,250 students, which he said was about what he expected. "I feel like I just got really lucky with the weather, and everyone [involved] did really well," the Wharton sophomore said. A special guest at this year's Skimmer was Stephen White, the evangelist preacher known for proselytizing to students on College Green. White appeared in a dunk tank during the last hour of the event. After several students failed to hit the bull's-eye with a tennis ball and dunk him, one ran forward and punched the target by hand, sending White into the tank of water. For some of the several hundred students who attended Skimmer, Saturday afternoon marked their inaugural visit to the Penn tradition. For others, it was their third consecutive year there. The members of the current senior class were sophomores when Skimmer was brought back to campus two years ago after a 26-year hiatus forced by University and city officials because of rowdy, drunken behavior. Since its return, Skimmer has been -- at least in name -- an alcohol-free event. "[We came] because we are seniors," Wharton senior Matt Sandler said. "It is our last chance." A far cry from the reputed debauchery of Skimmers of yesteryear, the atmosphere was mellow, with some students playing Frisbee and football, and most just lounging on the lawn. And this year's Skimmer also lacked the problems that plagued Skimmer in the past two years. In 1998, about 5,000 students came -- twice as many as expected -- causing a food and transportation shortage. Last year, by contrast, Skimmer suffered a sophomore jinx of sorts when only about 500 students showed up. The overall opinion seemed to be that this year's Skimmer was far better than the Skimmers of the past two years. "The music is better this time," College senior John Wilson said. "And there is much more food." "I came to get away from Penn for a little bit," Nursing junior Van Luong said. "It is a different atmosphere." "It's a good way to stall from doing work," Sandler added.