After the Schweitzer family received a rain check for a Philadelphia Phillies game, they saw an unexpected video appear on the JumboTron screen at the makeup game.

Robby Schweitzer, a Four Diamonds child, attended at the July 23 Phillies game with his parents, Julie Schweitzer and Craig Schweitzer, and his sister Jordan Schweitzer. Julie said when she and her family arrived to the game, they did not realize that the Interfraternity Council/Panhellenic Dance Marathon (Thon) was being represented that night.

This game was only one of the summer promotions for the dance marathon. Tonight, Thon will be represented at a Pittsburgh Pirates game too. Thon overall chairman Caitlin Zankowski (senior-industrial engineering) said while the Phillies have been supporting the dance marathon for a while, this is the first time the Pirates will be part of the promotions.

"We thought, 'Why not another major city in Pennsylvania?' " she said. "It was a collaborative effort, and I can't wait to see how this turns out."

At the Pirates game, like the Phillies game, a Thon promotional video will play on the JumboTron. Julie Schweitzer said she enjoyed seeing the video.

"It was great because we've never seen that one," she said. "We saw a lot of people we knew and other Thon families, so it was exciting."

Elyse Adams (senior-bioengineering and mechanical engineering), Thon public relations overall, said a portion of the ticket prices will be donated toward the dance marathon. She said the Phillies game raised about $6,000 dollars from the 565 tickets sold, and the event was hosted by the Dance Marathon Alumni Interest Group (DMAIG). She is hoping for a similar turnout at the Pirates game and added these promotional events are not only for major league baseball games. Thon will also be represented Aug. 30 at a State College Spikes game.

Adams said to expect more Thon involvement on campus soon.

A lot of behind-the-scenes work has been happening this summer as well. Adams said the Thon overalls "hit the ground running" once the committee was selected. The first formal meeting happened over Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts weekend, Zankowski said. She said they have a lot of projects underway, such as the Thon 5K run/walk and the updating of the rulebook for this year.

"We're setting up the year for success," Zankowski said. "The overall committee is just incredible."

Adams said they are working hard to set a "strong foundation" for the dance marathon so they will be able to commit to academics during the school year, but this still leaves them with a busy schedule.

"I don't sleep," Adams said, laughing.

Both Adams and Zankowski are excited to see how the year pans out.

"I get so excited. It's incredible to see what came together in the past three months," Zankowski said. "I love it, honestly."