Thurtene, the oldest and largest student-run carnival in the nation, has taken over the Athletic Complex parking lot this weekend as crowds as large as 120,000 are expected to flock to the rides, games, and shows put together for the enjoyment of the University and surrounding community.

Come carnival weekend, however, Thurtene will only have twelve members. Junior David Garland, a member of the Thurtene Junior Honorary, dropped out to participate in a roller hockey game.

Imitating the unconventional spelling of Thurtene, sophomore Jason Nichols, one of Garland’s brothers in the Beta Theta Pi fraternity, designed a shirt that said “Twulve” on the front. Nichols’ continual use of the shirt prompted some Thurtene members to take offense.

“[He] wore it onto the [Thurtene production] a lot, and some of the people in charge told him to take the shirt off or to leave,” said sophomore Jon Fehr, another member of Beta Theta Pi.

Nichols chose to leave, but was caught in a later attempt to smuggle the shirt onto the lot. He said that the shirt was made in jest, not in malice.

“I designed the shirts as a joke, and it was not meant to be malicious,” said Nichols. “I was not making fun of anyone. I know [David Garland], and he took it as a light situation.” Both Garland and Nichols agree that the shirts are being taken too seriously and that there is no ill will behind them.

One member down, Thurtene will continue as normal with its 2005 theme, “Dream Big: Live the Magic!” The proceeds from the Carnival will benefit Lift for Life, an after-school gym program that helps disadvantaged and at-risk children stay off the streets and out of gangs through individualized and educational recreational programs.

Thurtene will feature the hard work of the Thurtene Junior Honorary, as well as booths, plays and activities organized by fraternities and sororities. The Thurtene committee has also coordinated a charity event with the University City Schools and organized a 5K Road Race in Forest Park.

Sophomore Garrett Eardley, a Thurtene chair for Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity (TKE), can attest to the amount of hard work that goes into the Carnival.

“We started working the week after spring break putting primer paint on the flats,” said Eardley, describing TKE’s Western saloon-style food booth, where carnival-goers can purchase barbecue chicken.

Nick Apperson, a member of the co-ed national service fraternity Alpha Phi Omega, says that his fraternity’ will feature children’s games such as Wheel of Fortune, a duck pond, and a hippo beanbag toss. He says that his group has worked extremely hard and has done over thirty hours of painting.

Thurtene, which first commenced on May 9, 1907, maintains a few traditional events that have become integral to the carnival. Although 1914′s “freshman-powered merry-go-round” has faded from the scene, Phi Delta Theta’s booth will feature a “black box” movie, and Sigma Chi will host a pudding toss, an activity that evolved over the years from its original form, the rotten egg toss.

Thurtene will run Saturday and Sunday from 11:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. in the Athletic Complex parking lot.

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