Brightly colored balloons and character sketches attracted more than 100 Pitt students… Brightly colored balloons and character sketches attracted more than 100 Pitt students yesterday afternoon in the William Pitt Union.

As a “thank you” for student support, the Pitt Program Council arranged free balloon animals and free caricatures for all Pitt students as part of their Pitt Program Days, PPC coordinator Mary Zoller said. The table was set up outside of the WPU ballroom, catching the eyes of those who passed by.

According to Zoller, about 45 students stopped by the PPC table to get caricatures, and about 60 students wanted balloon animals.

“It was something fun and gave us all a chance to be a little goofy,” Zoller said. “It was almost a carnival-type atmosphere.”

Freshman Natalie Ocapozzolo was on her way back from an interview when she saw the event taking place. She decided to get a balloon creation of a monkey in a palm tree.

“I saw the colorfulness of it and had time to kill before class, so I stopped by,” Ocapozzolo said. “There is just something about balloons, ya know.”

Vanessa Weber from the Talent Network Inc. was creating the balloon animals for students.

“Being here at Pitt today gives me the opportunity to make things for different age groups than the norm,” Weber said. “The students get so excited, it makes them feel like a little kid again.”

The event was organized by senior PPC member Andrea Youngo.