Flings and wings: yearly events to check out

As you unpack your calendar and hang it on the wall, make sure to jot down the following information for the big annual events here at Penn and in Philadelphia:

• Convocation

Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2003

7 p.m., College Green

The first and last time until Commencement that the entire class of 2007 will gather in one place -- though many will no doubt make it to Hill Field on Hey Day at the end of their junior year.

• Homecoming

Nov. 8, 2003

Generations of alumni return to the University to reminisce and relive their glory days at Penn and cheer on the Fighting Quakers once again. It's one of Franklin Field's fullest days of the year.

• Wing Bowl

Jan. 30, 2004

First Union Center

Put this down in the "Only in Philadelphia" category -- as in, only in Philadelphia would nearly 20,000 people brave the predawn January chill to watch a few dozen fat men consume obscene numbers of wings as their scantily-clad "Wingettes" cheer them on in an eating contest of epic proportions.

• Connaissance Speakers

Watch for announcements on upcoming speakers each semester, brought to you by the Social Planning and Events Committee's Connaissance branch. Students have packed Irvine Auditorium in semesters past to hear the likes of director Michael Moore, former mayor of New York Rudolph Giuliani and writer Maya Angelou.

• Spring Fling

April 16-17, 2004

Various food vendors (look for the fried Oreos) take over the Quadrangle, and musical acts -- which in the past have included Busta Rhymes, George Clinton and Ben Harper -- perform as students take a weekend off from the books to let loose before finals set in.

• Penn Relays

April 22-24, 2004

Franklin Field

World-class athletes, students and track fans from around the United States gather at historic Franklin Field for the country's largest amateur track meet and the world's oldest -- and the country's largest -- relay meet.

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