Penn State pride dominated the scene Monday night and it wasn't just because of the streamers and paw prints that covered the walls.

The East Halls Celebration in Findlay Commons served as the university-wide kick off for Homecoming 2008.

The event featured performances -- such as dance routines -- by several Penn State organizations in an effort to make the freshman class aware of and excited for this year's homecoming celebration, said Donavan Hunt, public relations overall chairwoman.

"This event is great for the freshmen who don't understand [homecoming] is a weeklong celebration," Hunt said. "We really want to get everyone psyched for the week."

The night's line-up had performances roughly every 15 minutes and worked to highlight groups that usually don't dominate the spotlight, said Megan Maczonis, university relations overall chairwoman.

"All of the organizations [at the event] are ones that aren't always recognized or don't get as many opportunities to be represented," Maczonis said. "We like to recognize organizations that are so dedicated to what they do and those that are new to homecoming."

The event was held from 4 to 8 p.m. so students could experience the event without having to rearrange their schedules, Maczonis said.

"We didn't take them out of their daily routine; we added to it," she said.

The plan appeared to work, at least for Andy Hoffer.

"It caught my eye when I was going to dinner so I stuck around afterwards to check it out," said Hoffer (freshman-accounting). "It was smart having it in the commons where you can't miss it."

Maczonis agreed that the location was key.

"It was a natural flow of people," she said.

That's not to say that certain performances didn't draw bigger crowds, Hunt said.

Penn State's Orchesis Dance Company and the Penn State International Dance Ensemble both had large audiences, she said.

Several impromptu step-dancing performances also caused students to stop in their tracks.

Members of Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity and Phi Beta Sigma fraternity took to the makeshift stage and entertained the crowd with their fast-paced stepping and synchronicity. Homecoming king nominee Kevin Smith stepped along with his Phi Beta Sigma brothers.

Around 6:45 p.m., Maczonis presented this year's homecoming court to the crowd. The court then had its Penn State knowledge tested by the homecoming captains, an activity that resulted in a spontaneous sing-along.

"That was my favorite part, when the court sang the alma mater," said Sean Fogelman (freshman-division of undergraduate studies).

As part of the grand finale, Penn State cheerleaders and majorettes joined for a performance, followed by a routine by the Lionettes dance team.

Finishing off the event was an appearance by the new morale captains for the 2009 Interfraternity Council/Panhellenic Dance Marathon, who performed the 2008 line dance for the crowd.

"We like to integrate with one another and get Thon involved with homecoming as well," Maczonis said, adding that she hopes the event will inspire new students to get involved with either event during their time at Penn State.