Charg-A-Palooza’s Suprise Birthday Brings Students together to Celebrate Their Beloved Mascot

Homecoming this year took place on Saturday, Oct. 19. While the Monday and Tuesday before that was Fall Break, the rest of the week consisted of a series of events leading up to the big day, including Midnight Madness on Thursday, Swimsuit Sprint on Friday and a new event, the Charg-A-Palooza Birthday Party on Wednesday, Oct.16 in the Bixler/Botwinik Quad.

This event was presented by the Undergraduate Student Government Association, and co-sponsored by the UNH Green Team, Hermandad de Sigma Iota Alpha, Inc., UNH Pride, the Serve Club, Chi Kappa Rho, Lambda Psi Delta, Delta Chi, Delta Phi Epsilon and the Chariot Yearbook.

Rather than a typical surprise birthday party where everyone but the one being celebrated knew about the party, no one knew whose birthday they were celebrating until the end. That didn’t stop a long line from forming in the quad long before 5 p.m. when the festivities began. Attendees had the opportunity to enjoy pizza, wings and decorate their own cupcakes, as well as listen to music. A wide variety of games were provided for people to enjoy, including card games and competitions.

Near the end of the festivities, Charlie the Charger appeared in the Quad; it was the mascot’s birthday! Charlie celebrated 30 years. Immediately following the birthday party, attendees still in the Quad had the opportunity to see an airing of Despicable Me 2 sponsored by SCOPE.

UNH has had Charlie the Charger as a mascot for thirty years and, while he may have had a few make-overs since then, which were displayed for the crowd, Charlie has continued to represent the university with pride ever since.