Despite the snow outside Sunday, hundreds of students and families were enjoying all four seasons inside the White Building at the Seasonal Sensations Interfraternity Council/Panhellenic Dance Marathon Family Carnival.

More than 80 families attended the event, a number much higher than in the past, said Katie Austin, family relations overall chairwoman. The Family Carnival, which included several booths from Thon-affiliated organizations, is a preview of Thon for the families. Booths at the event had many different activities such as arts and crafts and games for the kids and families.

"The carnival atmosphere is an event the families look forward to. Everyone can be a kid again," said Sam O'Brien, special events overall chairwoman. "We can't have rides, but we try to provide versatile games and activities for the families."

Carla Vicidomini, 40, of Lancaster, said she loves the chance for her and her family to connect with college students at the Family Carnival. Her son, Nick, 9, has a type of lymphoma cancer, and the family has been a part of Thon for three years.

"It's so great to be able to see col-

lege kids being so unselfish and giving so generously," she said. "It's also an opportunity to catch up with the other families and double check on how everyone's doing."

Vicidomini said she and her family continue to come to the event because it's a celebration of all the positive and fun stuff, which is what the kids need.

"Being sick is no fun. This is a great event for them because they get to interact with the students and have fun all day," Austin (junior-biobehavioral health) said.

All the student become an extension of Four Diamonds families, Austin said. Thon families get thousands of extra family members through the students and volunteers who support Thon, she added.

The Lion Ambassadors' booth featured "Whack a Lamb," where students popped out of hole cutouts and the kids could hit them with a fly swatter, similar to the popular carnival game Whack-A-Mole.

The many arts and crafts booths had activities such as rock decorating, face painting and decorating visors and T-shirts. There were 23 booths at the event. Organizations are rewarded with booths at the Family Carnival for overall participation and fundraising in Thon, O'Brien (senior-supply chain and information systems) said.

While students took down their booths to prepare for the last hour of entertainment, DJ Larry Moore played songs and the gym turned into a dance party with kids and students dancing to the "Cupid Shuffle," among other songs.

The Singing Lions performed songs from Hairspray, and members of the Blue Band and Penn State cheerleaders performed to familiar Penn State songs.

The final portion of the Family Carnival was the revealing of the Thon 2009 Dream Forward logo, which is a child dressed in armor and pointing toward a shooting star.

The idea of the child dressed as a knight comes from the story by Christopher Millard, whose parents established the Four Diamonds Fund, said Jason Giles (senior-graphic design), who created the logo. Millard's story about a knight who needs to find the four diamonds -- honesty, courage, strength and wisdom -- to be delivered from the captivity of an evil sorceress reflects the traits he considered necessary to beat cancer.

The entire logo was blue, a color Giles said represents courage and nobility.

"A child takes on that helmet so he or she can think 'I can do it' and so they dream forward for another day," Giles said.