SANFORD - Central Carolina Community College students and staff celebrated the "Cougar Spirit" during Fall Activity Day Wednesday at the Lee County Campus.

Each year, towards the middle of the fall term, classes are cancelled from noon to 4 p.m. one day and the afternoon is filled with fun activities, from a giant slide and bounce house to live entertainment.

"Activity Day is great," said Cosmetology student Brittanie Howell, of Carolina Trace. She had just climbed down from a wild upside-down-and-right-side-up trip on a carnival ride appropriately called the Cartwheel. "It's a great opportunity for students to get together, hang out together and have fun. It makes them enjoy school more. They can socialize and see the other side of the school."

Students and staff overflowed the college's cafeteria as they lined up for a delicious - and free - lunch of hamburgers, hot dogs, and barbecue chicken with the fixin's.

Activity Days are sponsored by the Student Government Association at each of the college's campuses. At the Lee Campus, Cougar Cheerleaders turned up the excitement with a great dance routine before an audience of several hundred applauding students on the college's quad. Not far away, screams of laughter were heard as students bounced down a giant inflated slide or were flipped upside down in the Cartwheel. Live and recorded music were provided by the college's broadcast students and its radio station, WDCC-90.5 FM.

At the front of the campus, a line of well-shined customized motorcycles, most owned by students from the college's motorcycle maintenance program, attracted attention. Their owners talked about why they loved their cycles.

"Motorcycles are the greatest," said Jacob Scott, of Sanford, a program student. "When you're riding, you get a sense of freedom, knowing yourself and you have time to reflect."

Activity Day is also a great time for the college clubs to make themselves better known and to promote and raise funds for their projects. Among them, the college's Veterinary Medical Technology students manned a table with information on pet diseases and shots. Face painting was the Lady Cougar volleyball team's sport for Activity Day.

The Ambassadors sponsored a basketball shoot to raise money for promoting domestic violence awareness, giving small pumpkins as prizes. Rotaract sold cookies to raise money for HAVEN's rape victim's program and the Human Service Club sponsored a baked goods auction to raise money for its Alzheimer's Memory Walk.

"Activity Day is cool, a good way to get everyone together on campus to meet everyone and have safe fun," said Kathryn Hamel, an associate's degree student from Sanford.

What was the best part for her?

"The food," she said with a big smile.