Men of the Skull Chapter 149: Arts Fest 1988

As this weekend is the 2018 Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts, know simply as Arts Fest.  Arts Fest is a HUGE event, almost like a football weekend- but in the middle of summer.  Many alumni flock to the town, as do current students who miss being with their friends at PSU.  God knows I did.

As a student, I attended two of these: 1987 and 1988.  I wrote about 1987 HERE- it was one of the best weekends of my life, and easily the best weekend of my college years. 

By 1988, lots had changed.  I stayed at PSU for the summer to complete two summer courses that I couldn't get in the other semesters (Philosophy of Education; Victorian Literature.)  Virginia and I had broken up.  I was living in Armenara Plaza for the summer in a room whose windows opened on the McDonalds.  (I literally had dreams of Big Macs.)  In fact, I was barely eating.  My summer bartending job wasn't paying much, so I had to go back to work at Burger King.  In any case- no money meant no food.  At 6'1", I weighed 136 pounds. 

The only pic of me that summer.  Arts fest.  I'm on the far right.

Across the hall lived an absolutely stunning redhead, who in the book I call Deb.  She and I were good friends, as she was dating a linebacker on the football team, and was FAR out of my league anyway. 

Skull house was supposedly closed, but a few guys lived there anyway.  Nudge wink.  I'm sure that the chapter advisor knew, but didn't care. 


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Chapter 149: Arts Fest 1988

Friday, July 8, 1988 Pa declares a drought watch

Arts Fest sorta sneaked up on everyone.  Suddenly Allen Street was closed and full of booths.  Those of us up there all week had plenty of time to enjoy all the artists’ work, even if we couldn’t afford it.

Arts Fest '88

The previous year’s Arts Fest was the best weekend of my life to the point.  Fun, music, sex, love, and just being back at Penn State made it so fucking magical.  It was like choruses of topless female angels were singing in my memory as I thought of it.

This year it was just hot.  Really fucking hot.  We were in the middle of a heat wave at PSU.  Grass was brown and water restrictions were in place.

Skulls watching people walk on Beaver Ave as the sun set from the front porch.

So come Friday, the Lion blinked back to life.  Tons of brothers returned.  Hot women everywhere.  Skull was open for business.

Jack Straw from Wichita
Cut his buddy down
Dug for him a shallow grave
And layed his body down

So- did we party?  Nope.  Brothers went to everyone else’s parties.

See without pledges, the guys didn’t want to bother running a party by themselves.

Never mind all the new hot women who would come, never having been to Skull.  Never mind all the new freshman guys, potential rushees all, that could come.  Nah.  We’ll go to Phi Who and Alpha Sig.

I had dinner with Sandi from class- y’know, my toga date?  Yeah, then we went to see Stolyn Hours out at Alpha Sig.  She’d never seen them before. 

Fun time.  She left after giving me just a hug.

Stolyn Hours at Alpha Sig.  Arts Fest '88

Sunday, the brothers jumped back into their cars, leaving the house totally trashed with beer bottles and plastic cups everywhere.  (We had a keg at the house for guys who wanted to hang out and for alumni.)  I spent a lot of time the rest of the summer cleaning.

Deb was with her football player and the rest of the team.

Sunday night we hung out on her balcony as the sun set and the Lion settled back into summer hibernation.  We drank rum and cokes and didn’t talk much.  The moment was enough.            

Armenara Plaza, August 1988