On Friday night, fans and admirers alike celebrated with the Chicken Man as he hosted a "temporary retirement" party.

Gregory Gehl (senior-science) has opted to hang up his top hat in favor of normalcy after running into recent trouble during his daily visits to classrooms, escorted by his pet hen, Henderson. Gehl was cited for disorderly conduct after entering classrooms at the Forum dressed as the Chicken Man.

The decision to retire the costume, which prompted Gehl to throw himself a party, came with some consequences for him personally.

"I expect Chicken Man withdrawal," he said. "I'm really going to miss the support."

The event, held at a friend's apartment, was advertised through the Chicken Man's Facebook profile. According to Gehl, more than 700 people R.S.V.P.ed online to the event. The overwhelming interest in the party caused Gehl to change the location last minute. It originally was going to be held at his apartment.

Attendees of the party were greeted -- and a little startled -- by Gehl's appearance. It for once didn't include a furry yellow mask that hid his face.

Instead, he hung his mask up on the wall, alongside black and white enlarged photos of himself and his mask-toting accomplices.

Many students were surprised to see the famous Chicken Man's true identity and reflected upon the impact the Chicken Man had during their fall semester.

"He is a dreamy stud," Natalie Keener (freshman-industrial engineering) said. "I love a man who can rock the chicken."

Mike Koval (sophomore-supply chain and information systems) said the Chicken Man is a Penn State icon who promoted good will.

Although saddened by the ending of the Chicken Man era at Penn State, Gehl expressed some things he wanted to accomplish now that he is attempting to return to his ordinary self.

"I want to bring my grades back up," he said before adding, "I want to accomplish getting girls by just being a human."

The best part of his reign as the Penn State Chicken Man was the reactions he got by fans, Gehl said, after admitting that his original intention was just to "weird people out."

"The best reaction was a girl coming up to me, ripping off my mask and kissing me," he said. "It takes feathers to get a girl going."

He did, however, promise to attend "random events" dressed as his Chicken Man alter ego. Also, he said he will occasionally wear something from his Chicken Man outfit, either his hat, tie or famous suit.

To those saddened by his decision, he offered words of advice.

"For all chickens and humans to succeed in life, you need passion, consistency and poultry."

As for Chicken Man skeptics, he said that he hoped he woke up students in class, therefore giving them a chance at better grades.

Summing up his brief stint as a celebrity, Gehl provided some final words for his fans as he traded in his Chicken Man persona for a chance to be ordinary. "Always keep a smile on your face, work hard, and there's nothing more important than family," he said. "If you ever think you're getting the short end of the stick, remember every chicken has its day."