UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Hoosier State is about to see a whole lot of blue and white.

After winning three consecutive Big Ten games and earning a national ranking, Penn State will play three of its final five games on the road, including contests at Purdue this Saturday, Oct. 29, and at Indiana on Nov. 12. 

The Nittany Lions will receive plenty of support from fans and alumni for those two games, thanks in part to the Alumni Association’s Indiana Chapter.

On Friday night, Oct. 28, the Indiana Chapter and the Alumni Association will co-host a free alumni mixer at a local West Lafayette hotel before the game against Purdue. The game day pep rally tent will open at 9 a.m. Saturday outside Ross-Ade Stadium, with the program starting at 10 a.m.

Details for both events are available on the Alumni Association’s website. Looking ahead, fans can also read details about what’s planned for Bloomington, when Penn State plays at Indiana. Information for that weekend is also available online, and please note there is an admission fee for the alumni mixer Nov. 11 at Oliver Winery. The cost includes wine tastings and light hors d’oeuvres. The game day pep rally on Nov. 12 is free, as always.

Hosting events in West Lafayette and Bloomington presents challenges and opportunities for the Indiana Chapter, based in Indianapolis. There’s much more planning that’s needed, Chapter Secretary Kelly Hampton said, though they expect the work to pay off.

Hampton, a 1989 Penn State graduate, said the chapter has heard from local alumni they’ve never met who plan on being at the mixer in Bloomington, as well as other alumni who plan on attending events for both games.

The chapter also wanted to offer different events, with the Purdue mixer at a local hotel featuring light refreshments. For Bloomington, Hampton noted that the Oliver Winery is “a beautiful venue.” And while she said she’s not sure which event will do better, having different options will provide the chapter with an opportunity to compare when planning events for the future.

Hampton served as chapter president from 2009 to 2011 and has since stayed involved. She marched as a silk in the Blue Band as a student, and then hosted current students a few years ago when the band was in town for a concert. That’s how she initially became involved. At that time, she met local alumni who were active with the chapter, and joined the board as treasurer.

Treasurer. President. Secretary. It’s all the same, Hampton is a Nittany Lion.

“I love Penn State,” she said. “It’s about representing the school in a positive light. They gave so much to me, and it’s my way to give back.”