Pennsylvania College of Technology again was a home-field favorite with its community outreach for the start of the Little League Baseball World Series. A college-hosted cookout for the 16 series teams – as well as coaches, team uncles, umpires and other guests – was held on the lawn outside the Bush Campus Center. The college also proved a commanding presence in the Grand Slam Parade, which stepped off at Grier and West Fourth streets for the march east to Market Street. The college's parade entry was themed after a new coloring book developed by College Information & Community Relations, titled “What does the Wildcat want to be when it grows up?” President Davie Jane Gilmour joined students on a float representing the college's academic schools and majors, and parade-watchers saw cars from the Penn College Motorsports Association and the Society of Manufacturing Engineers' Baja competition vehicle. The Wildcat mascot, student ambassadors, athletes, the American Welding Society student chapter and employee volunteers accompanied the float, handing out coloring books, crayons, collectible pins and wristbands to spectators.
Bush Campus Center sign greeted Little League visitors as they arrived by bus.
Air Force Col. Terry Virts, pilot of the Space Shuttle Endeavour and a Little League coach in Houston, talks to the cookout crowd.
The Mexican team from Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, gathers near the picnic tent.
The Penn College mascot offers a double "high five" to series teams upon their arrival on campus.
College President Davie Jane Gilmour offers her best wishes to Little League World Series participants.
Penn College’s own Tom Speicher, video production developer, conducts “man in the crowd” interviews for WVIA’s parade coverage.
Student Ambassador Atlee Eshelman chats with the Great Lakes players.
Ambassadors hold boxes of commemorative Penn College pins for distribution to World Series teams.
Linda J. Miller, hospitality sales manager, and Josephine S. Taylor, advertising/media relations assistant, lead the way for the Penn College parade line-up.
A player for the New England entry, from Fairfield, Conn., playfully tugs on a Wildcat fang.
Josie Drier, a welding technology student, and Laurie Nau, a forest technology student, represent their majors on the college’s “What does the Wildcat want to be when it grows up?” float.
The Latin American team, from Chitre, Panama, alights from a River Valley Transit bus.
Early childhood education student Vanessa Walter shows her craft on the float.
Students Erica Schreffler, in solar house and carrying a wind turbine, and Ashley Beatty add a touch of "green" to the college float, representing the School of Construction and Design Technologies' building science and sustainable design major.
Players from Ramstein Air Force Base in Germany, this year's European team, arrive on campus from South Williamsport.
The series garb might be uniform, but there's still room for personal expression.
The New England team from Fairfield American Little League in Connecticut returns waves at the Grand Slam Parade.
Student Ambassador Megan Pennington leads the Southeast team, from Columbus, Ga., to the parade route.
Penn College’s award-winning Society of Manufacturing Engineers student chapter showcased its Baja vehicle.
A child shows her mom her new Wildcat coloring book.
Caribbean players, representing Manati, Puerto Rico, wear their "game faces" during the cookout.
Little Leaguers move through the food-service, filling their plates with the best in picnic fare.
Penn College students Chad Stevens and Shawn Shannon represent the construction management and surveying technology majors on the college float.
Two U.S. West players from Waipahu, Hawaii, toss a water bottle in a makeshift game.
A parade-goer leafs through his “What does the Wildcat want to be when it grows up?” coloring book.
Tina Miller and Tom Speicher, both from College Information & Community Relations, give ambassadors a rundown of the day's activities and expectations.
Cookout guests intently watch Col. Virts' video presentation of his recent shuttle mission.
A study in stoicism, Japanese team members await their coach's instructions.
Float after float make their way down West Fourth Street.
Wearing sportsmanship on one's sleeve
The Wildcat makes friends along the parade route.
Players from MEA, representing Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, catch a photographer's eye en route to dinner.
The Asia-Pacific team, from Fu-Hsing Little League of Kaohsiung, Chinese Taipei, tips its hats to the parade crowd.
Teams mingle in the afternoon heat.
A photo opportunity
Players fill tables under the tent, as baseball-themed video clips are screened overhead.
Student Ambassador Alyse Poswiatowsky with her Southwest charges.
A group from West Hanover shows off its innovative candy-catcher signs.
The Latin American team surveys its surroundings on the beautiful Penn College campus.
An ice sculpture, created by School of Hospitality faculty member Craig A. Cian and student James Kyle Hanjaras, tempts the August sun.
Freshly nourished, teams move into position for the parade down West Fourth Street as evening shadows lengthen.
Sharing some laughs on the eve of tournament play.
Placard denotes the imminent 100th anniversary of the college, to be celebrated in 2014.
The Toms River, N.J., team – this year's Mid-Altantic representative – enjoys one last moment of calm before the start of the parade (and the coming days' competition).
Ambassador Amelia Wehr greets her assigned team, the Midwest squad from Plymouth, Minn.
The Wildcat checks out a silly band from the daughter of Tarah S. Mileto, grants and contracts specialist.
What teen-ager wouldn't like this menu: A hamburger, root beer, macaroni and cheese, and a chocolate cupcake?
The cross-country journey of the team from Auburn, Wash., representing the U.S. Northwest, makes a stop on Penn College's main campus.
The Wildcat greets a Canadian player as he arrives on campus.
The Aqua String Band of Philadelphia entertains the crowds.
A member of the Southwest team, hailing from Pearland, Texas, savors the moment.
The Mid-Atlantic and Southeast entries exhibit some pregame camaraderie.
The team from Tokyo, Japan, holds a session on the Campus Center lawn.
Latin America temporarily becomes "Team Wildcat."
The Brandon-Lycoming All Stars accept cheers during the parade.
Umpires fill their plates with pre-parade sustenance.
Ambassador Megan Schmid gets ready to lead the Canadian team, from Vancouver, British Columbia, to the campus cookout.
A Southwest player gestures to fans.
The Wildcat gives a thumbs-up to a high-flying new friend.
Parade volunteers Kimberly, part-time instructor of dental hygiene, and Katie Speicher report for duty.
A message from space, courtesy of one of Col. Virts' Japanese crewmates.
The Wildcat and his entourage lead the series umpires to their spot in the Grand Slam Parade.
The Caribbean team recruits a campus passerby for an impromptu photo.
Sam Ranck, Penn College alumnus and Little League's league development manager, right, coordinates the teams' parade escort with Student Ambassador Gregory Miller.
The Wildcat greets parade-goers.
– Photos by Sarah K. Mariano and Michael S. Fischer, student photographers;
Jennifer A. Cline and Tom Wilson, writer-editors;
and Geoffrey M. Campbell, assistant professor of architectural technology
Bush Campus Center sign greeted Little League visitors as they arrived by bus.
Air Force Col. Terry Virts, pilot of the Space Shuttle Endeavour and a Little League coach in Houston, talks to the cookout crowd.
The Mexican team from Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, gathers near the picnic tent.
The Penn College mascot offers a double "high five" to series teams upon their arrival on campus.
College President Davie Jane Gilmour offers her best wishes to Little League World Series participants.
Penn College’s own Tom Speicher, video production developer, conducts “man in the crowd” interviews for WVIA’s parade coverage.
Student Ambassador Atlee Eshelman chats with the Great Lakes players.
Ambassadors hold boxes of commemorative Penn College pins for distribution to World Series teams.
Linda J. Miller, hospitality sales manager, and Josephine S. Taylor, advertising/media relations assistant, lead the way for the Penn College parade line-up.
A player for the New England entry, from Fairfield, Conn., playfully tugs on a Wildcat fang.
Josie Drier, a welding technology student, and Laurie Nau, a forest technology student, represent their majors on the college’s “What does the Wildcat want to be when it grows up?” float.
The Latin American team, from Chitre, Panama, alights from a River Valley Transit bus.
Early childhood education student Vanessa Walter shows her craft on the float.
Students Erica Schreffler, in solar house and carrying a wind turbine, and Ashley Beatty add a touch of "green" to the college float, representing the School of Construction and Design Technologies' building science and sustainable design major.
Players from Ramstein Air Force Base in Germany, this year's European team, arrive on campus from South Williamsport.
The series garb might be uniform, but there's still room for personal expression.
The New England team from Fairfield American Little League in Connecticut returns waves at the Grand Slam Parade.
Student Ambassador Megan Pennington leads the Southeast team, from Columbus, Ga., to the parade route.
Penn College’s award-winning Society of Manufacturing Engineers student chapter showcased its Baja vehicle.
A child shows her mom her new Wildcat coloring book.
Caribbean players, representing Manati, Puerto Rico, wear their "game faces" during the cookout.
Little Leaguers move through the food-service, filling their plates with the best in picnic fare.
Penn College students Chad Stevens and Shawn Shannon represent the construction management and surveying technology majors on the college float.
Two U.S. West players from Waipahu, Hawaii, toss a water bottle in a makeshift game.
A parade-goer leafs through his “What does the Wildcat want to be when it grows up?” coloring book.
Tina Miller and Tom Speicher, both from College Information & Community Relations, give ambassadors a rundown of the day's activities and expectations.
Cookout guests intently watch Col. Virts' video presentation of his recent shuttle mission.
A study in stoicism, Japanese team members await their coach's instructions.
Float after float make their way down West Fourth Street.
Wearing sportsmanship on one's sleeve
The Wildcat makes friends along the parade route.
Players from MEA, representing Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, catch a photographer's eye en route to dinner.
The Asia-Pacific team, from Fu-Hsing Little League of Kaohsiung, Chinese Taipei, tips its hats to the parade crowd.
Teams mingle in the afternoon heat.
A photo opportunity
Players fill tables under the tent, as baseball-themed video clips are screened overhead.
Student Ambassador Alyse Poswiatowsky with her Southwest charges.
A group from West Hanover shows off its innovative candy-catcher signs.
The Latin American team surveys its surroundings on the beautiful Penn College campus.
An ice sculpture, created by School of Hospitality faculty member Craig A. Cian and student James Kyle Hanjaras, tempts the August sun.
Freshly nourished, teams move into position for the parade down West Fourth Street as evening shadows lengthen.
Sharing some laughs on the eve of tournament play.
Placard denotes the imminent 100th anniversary of the college, to be celebrated in 2014.
The Toms River, N.J., team – this year's Mid-Altantic representative – enjoys one last moment of calm before the start of the parade (and the coming days' competition).
Ambassador Amelia Wehr greets her assigned team, the Midwest squad from Plymouth, Minn.
The Wildcat checks out a silly band from the daughter of Tarah S. Mileto, grants and contracts specialist.
What teen-ager wouldn't like this menu: A hamburger, root beer, macaroni and cheese, and a chocolate cupcake?
The cross-country journey of the team from Auburn, Wash., representing the U.S. Northwest, makes a stop on Penn College's main campus.
The Wildcat greets a Canadian player as he arrives on campus.
The Aqua String Band of Philadelphia entertains the crowds.
A member of the Southwest team, hailing from Pearland, Texas, savors the moment.
The Mid-Atlantic and Southeast entries exhibit some pregame camaraderie.
The team from Tokyo, Japan, holds a session on the Campus Center lawn.
Latin America temporarily becomes "Team Wildcat."
The Brandon-Lycoming All Stars accept cheers during the parade.
Umpires fill their plates with pre-parade sustenance.
Ambassador Megan Schmid gets ready to lead the Canadian team, from Vancouver, British Columbia, to the campus cookout.
A Southwest player gestures to fans.
The Wildcat gives a thumbs-up to a high-flying new friend.
Parade volunteers Kimberly, part-time instructor of dental hygiene, and Katie Speicher report for duty.
A message from space, courtesy of one of Col. Virts' Japanese crewmates.
The Wildcat and his entourage lead the series umpires to their spot in the Grand Slam Parade.
The Caribbean team recruits a campus passerby for an impromptu photo.
Sam Ranck, Penn College alumnus and Little League's league development manager, right, coordinates the teams' parade escort with Student Ambassador Gregory Miller.
The Wildcat greets parade-goers.