Banners, posters, free candy and  kazoos were just some of the things homecoming candidates tempted students with to get their vote for king or queen. However, there were other events taking place  around campus this week that candidates and their organizations competed in to win more points.

Campus campout

All the royalty candidates came together for the first time Sunday night in the Ojibwe Ballroom of Davies Center to open homecoming week. During the campus campout, candidates played royalty games which helped determine what order organizations placed their banner on the bridge. It was also the time for organizations to finish making posters and chalking the sidewalk to campaign throughout the week.

Senior Jesse Martinez said he loves  when homecoming comes around each year.

“It’s just about getting excited about being on campus and being excited about being a Blugold,” Martinez said. “It’s the first big campus event, so everyone is going to be out and everybody’s going to be excited.”

Window painting

Many organizations showed off some school spirit through window painting. Beginning on Friday, the windows across from the Marketplace in Davies were filled with color as organizations like The Singing Statesmen, Campus Ambassadors and College Republicans showed off their artistic talents.  The theme of the painting was “punish the Pointers, Blugolds unleashed.” Judging took place at 3 p.m. on Monday. The theme, originality and artistic creativity were some of the factors during the judging process.

Sand sculpture competition

Many students got their hands dirty in the sand as they competed to create the best sand sculpture. The competition took place behind Putnam Hall on the sand volleyball courts. Each team had a one hour time limit to complete their sculpture. They could also use nothing except for sand, water, pails and shovels. Judging is based on creativity, size, neatness, details and overall appearance.

Junior Brittany Lebahn said she enjoys all the action going around on campus and having pride for UW-Eau Claire.

“I think to be a Blugold you have to be prideful in your school,” Lebahn said. “Although there’s a lot of changes going on around campus, it’s being proud of that and knowing that people who are here are going to continue the legacy and are just enjoying every minute of it.”

Royalty campaigning

Campaigning for homecoming king and queen started early Sunday morning. Candidates were able to create their own social media campaign pages, chalk the sidewalks with promotions and greet students around campus.

Sophomore Jon Wieser, the homecoming candidate for the College Republicans, said he hoped the freshmen will take everything in this week.

“I remember last year I was just overwhelmed by everything that was going on with the signs everywhere and just everything with homecoming,” Wieser said. “Hopefully, they have the same feeling but that they’re enjoying themselves.”