Homecoming is a time for ISU students to show their school spirit and have an excuse to celebrate a little more and do a little less homework.

For members of the ISU greek community, however, Homecoming includes spending countless hours building their lawn displays.

Dallas Thompson, displays co-chair, said plans have been in the works for months.

“We got the rough details last semester,” he said.

Early this semester, each of the house pairings submitted a rough draft of the design to make sure groups didn’t have similar designs, said Thompson, junior in agricultural studies.

Once the designs got the OK from the displays committee, the groups could get started, he said.

“The official start date [for building the lawn displays] was Sept. 10,” said Amanda Smallridge, displays co-chair. “People will be out working on them 24 hours a day until Friday at 10 a.m., when they are due.”

Generally, there are two fraternities and one sorority that make up a group, said Smallridge, junior in family and consumer sciences education. She said there are 11 lawn displays that are shown on a fraternity’s front lawn.

There are few required guidelines that the houses must follow – but the design must tie into the theme of “Living the Cyclone Moment,” Smallridge said.

“The displays are not to exceed $2,500, and they can’t use anything that represents itself besides water,” she said. “If they wanted to build a brick wall, they couldn’t use bricks. They would have to make the bricks out of something else.”

After the displays are completed, a panel of five judges goes around to each of the lawn displays to judge them on a variety of criteria.

“The judges will get 30 minutes with each display,” Thompson said. “They will be judged on originality, theme compliance, craftsmanship and representing Iowa State with good Cyclone spirit.”

Groups will have an opportunity to give a three-minute presentation about their display, he said.

Smallridge said winners of the lawn display contest will be announced at the football game Saturday.

Trophies will also be handed out then.