Kaleidoquiz (KQ), one of Iowa State’s oldest traditions, returns to campus on March 7 and 8 with a mix of old events and new surprises for participating teams.

The 26-hour marathon, hosted by KURE 88.5, started in 1967 and has since grown in length from 14 hours to its current format. DJ’s spend their airtime fielding witty, difficult or clever questions for points. Teams, usually consisting of residence halls or departments, answer these questions for points to gain the upper hand in the competition. In addition to the questions, events take place all over campus, providing teams with more opportunity for points.

“Everything is on a tight schedule, and the events are all so different from each other,” said Tabitha Jamerson, a former marketing and underwriting director for KQ. “One hour, you’re hearing people on the air singing karaoke, another hour is simply trivia questions, another hour you’re hearing about the bizarre list of scavenger hunt items, another hour you’re hearing a montage of kazoo covers of pop songs.”

Although the event has been around for nearly 50 years, popularity has been all over the place, notably peaking in the 1970s and losing popularity in recent years. According to Rebecca Park, the current KQ Director, there are specific reasons for that, and she strives to promote the competition regardless.

“I think the hardest part about KQ, as far as promotion goes, is just fact that 26 hours of an event they’ve never heard of before can sound really intimidating,” Park said. “To get participants, I’ve promoted it through Clubfest, I go to a lot of council meetings, and we use our DJ’s and posters to explain Kaleidoquiz.”

Jamerson, who discussed how the event requires a lot out of its committee and volunteer members, believes that more listeners and audiences could make the difference and bring more attention to KQ events.

“KQ has a huge turn out in regards to teams, but there’s always room to grow and get more people involved,” Jamerson said. “Listening is nearly as fun as participating.”

For Emily Knoll, a senior in aerospace engineering, listening could not compare to participating in the events. Knoll, who first participated in KQ her freshman year with her floor and continued into her sophomore and junior years, believes that this is one of those events you’ll never forget.

“You definitely make friends quickly,” Knoll said. “There’s a lot of events you have to team up with people you didn’t even know, so you had to be ready for that.

This year Knoll will work for the event, planning and organizing and “still staying up 26” to help out. Though she will not be participating, there is a small sense of relief in doing so.

“It’s a little exhausting,” Knoll said. “You feel like passing out at the end, but the events keep you awake though.”

The registration deadline for team is Feb. 14, but late registration is available until Feb. 26. However, teams that fail to make the first registration date will be unable to participate in travel questions, costing them valuable points. As for what participants can expect, Park can not give many hints.

“We are going to have our classic KQ events, such as scavenger hunts, montages and traveling questions,” Park said. “Otherwise, who knows? Maybe some singing? Dancing? It’s a surprise.”