Sweet memories were formed at the Kids Mail Call Saturday night at Thon.

Dozens of children lined up on the stage -- decorated like the popular children's game Candy Land -- to receive goody bags from King Kandy.

Dressed in a bright red cape and wearing an enormous crown made of candy, King Kandy handed out bags of gifts to the waiting children. Some of the gifts are small stuffed animals, toys and coloring books, Kaitlyn Wischum, family relations captain, said.

Before walking down a delicious and colorful path, Thon children stopped with a Kids Mail Call worker to have their pictures taken and wave to the cheering crowd. Some of the younger children became confused with the cheering and began to cry, which only evoked a loud sympathetic 'aww' from the audience.

Aside from a few stray tears, though, nearly every child greeted the crowd with an infectious smile.

Eight-year-old Thon child Trent Golden, whose eighth birthday yesterday, the final day of Thon, had a smile on his face as he clutched his bag of goodies.

"I like getting mail. I got cards from Thon and my birthday," he said. "I liked getting my shirt, too."

His mom, Tammy, said Trent was so excited about coming to State College that the family came to town on Thursday, a day before the marathon.

Thon child Kristen Jackson said she liked getting Thon mail, as well as seeing King Kandy. When asked what her favorite part of Thon so far was, Jackson seemed overwhelmed by the thought of choosing just one.

"I just don't know," she said, nodding to affirm the fact.

In addition to providing smiles for the children, Kids Mail Call also gave parents a reason to smile.

"It's my sixth year at Thon. There's a real closeness here," Jean Zanolini said.

Nearby, her daughter, Sabrina, showed off her new Kids Mail Call T-shirt to everyone around her.

It was her favorite gift, she said.