Elizabethtown College’s first Homecoming Weekend since the start of the coronavirus pandemic was Oct. 16-18, and it was jam-packed with events.

Friday alone had people shuffling from one place to the next, and one of the most attended events was by Etown’s very own improv group, Mad Cow Show.

Mad Cow had been a staple group at Etown since the late 80s to early 90s. They perform at many major events on campus, including Homecoming and also some Open House events. Even last year, they managed to put on three shows on the Dell. However, as junior history major Gavin McCabe explains, nothing compares to the experience of an inside show.

“It was amazing to perform indoors again with a live audience,” McCabe said. “I’m looking forward to a great year.”

When someone joins Mad Cow and thus becomes a cow, they are given a name unique to them. Sometimes this name is chosen from a list of already curated names, but most of the time, they come from an inside joke.

One such instance is Slides, also known as junior Alex Petroceli. His name comes from the fact that he wore slide shoes to his audition, practices and other various Mad Cow meetings. By getting these nicknames, the cows are transformed from college students to comedians, and it gives them a level of confidence they did not have otherwise.

“It felt really good going in. I was confident and had a great time,” Petroceli said.

One of the most unique parts of a Mad Cow show is its reliance on audience participation. Each show is made interesting by what the audience offers in terms of suggestions. It is incredible to see the cows take the slightest idea and turn into a full blown bit.

For example, one of the games played at Homecoming, called “This is Your Life,” which was based on an audience member’s life experience and aspirations. To show just how weird these shows can get, this game featured a goldfish-humanoid that ended up being dissected.

The best part of the Mad Cow shows, besides the fact that they will have you dying from laughter, is that they are completely free! In order to raise money, the group will often do fundraisers in the form of raffles at their shows. At the Homecoming show, Mad Cow raffled off the chance to pie their members.

Hilariously, out of the three people who were the ones pieing the cows, two were roommates of their respective cows. Needless to say, the stage was decorated with pie.

The funniest game at the show could be made by your suggestion! Mad Cow typically puts on nine shows each academic year, so you still have about eight opportunities to see the improv group in action.