Penn State Military Appreciation - Lions Vs. Hawkeyes Game (and More)

Penn State University continues to demonstrate its commitment to serving the military and veteran community. For the past several years the Penn State University has given special recognition for our service members, veterans, and their families by offering free admission to sporting events including an annual tailgate party and tickets to Penn State football games. This year Penn State and the city of State College will be holding a week of Military Appreciation activities honoring area service members, veterans, and their families. This year the military appreciation events will take place from Nov. 4 through Nov. 13. The most popular event is the free tailgate party honoring service members, veterans, their families and the families of fallen warriors. The tailgate is part of the Penn State-Iowa pre-game celebration and will be open to all area veterans, service members and their families. This year's tailgate entertainment includes the 28th Division Band and USO troupe. (The calendar of the week’s activities is below) The week's other events include special movie showings, a BBQ, veterans day breakfast and ceremony, guest lecturers, a 5k run. The week wraps up on Sunday, Nov. 13 with a Military Appreciation Night at a Penn State Basketball game, which will be held at the Bryce Jordan Center. Penn State's formal Military Appreciation program began in 2011 when Penn State fans and season ticket holders sponsored or donated a few hundred tickets for military service members for the Penn State-Navy game at Beaver Stadium. Since then, 'Seats for Service Members' has distributed more than 23,000 football tickets to military members and their families from 29 different states across the country. Volunteers begin planning the tailgate ten months out and spend countless hours coordinating and soliciting for donations. The week's events are supported by hundreds of volunteers and made possible by generous donations from local businesses like State College Dairy Queen, Walmart, and Sam’s Club. The Tailgate and Veteran Ceremony will begin at 3:00 p.m. Saturday, November 5. The university is expecting to host more than 7500 active duty military, veterans, Blue Star and Gold Star families. Those interested in attending the events simply need to show up at the tailgate event on Saturday Nov. 5. You can get more details by visiting http://military.psu.edu.