BY CHRISTINA V. MORSE
OURTOWN.COM

WEST LAFAYETTE -- There is a crisp smell of autumn in the air, with leaves starting to turn and the weather getting just a little chillier -- which means it is time for college football.

Purdue students celebrate many great traditions, but the one that seems to be the most entertaining for students is Breakfast Club.

During Purdue home games, students line up as early at 4:30 a.m. just so they can be one of the first to enter the bars at 7 a.m.

Typically, bars like Where Else, Jakes, and Brothers will all open its doors for enthusiastic Purdue students as they model their array of costumes. Aside from Halloween, you can see some of the most creative costumes. From handmade to store bought, no two costumes are alike.

Many students will come out despite the weather, which was evident this past Saturday (Sept. 11) with the rain.

Aside from it being socially acceptable to drink so early in the morning, why else would students go out so early?

“I think it’s just a total tradition at Purdue,” Kristen Parrel said. “You know if you’re 21 you just have to go at least once. You just have to do it to experience it.”

It really is all about the experience, being all dressed up with your friends at your side and preparing sometimes days ahead of time to have a perfect costume, other students have said.

“It’s a lot of fun,” William Doyle said. “It’s like Halloween every week.”

“School spirit! It’s all about school spirit,” said Ann Stone enthusiastically.

Students see it as supporting Purdue for the big game. Many a time there will be students who simply sport their Purdue gear at Breakfast Club, just to show that they are Boilermakers and are proud of that fact.

Breakfast Club is a place where students can make many more friends while out and about. By simply being at Breakfast Club, all dressed up like the other students, there is a sense of togetherness.

No one is a stranger, and someone will usually help you if you have a mishap. It is because students are all there for the same reason; they are Boilermakers and they are proud to be going to Purdue University.

Chad James summed it up this way: “There are just so many awesome people. It doesn’t even matter who you are, if you have a costume you can talk to anybody. It’s that comradery.”