By Megan Finnerty
Asst. Campus Editor

More than 15,000 people are expected to pass through the gates of Purdue’s 10th annual Bug Bowl from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday.

What started as a class project in Tom Turpin’s ENTM 105, "Insects Friend and Foe," class has now grown into a nationally known and anticipated event that regularly gains media coverage from CNN, ESPN, the New York Times and even David Letterman and Jay Leno.

"It doesn’t surprise me that we have people coming out to see us race cockroaches," said Turpin, a professor of entomology and founder of the event. "They are fascinating creatures, and everyone has an opinion about them either because they are amazing and have survived for so long or because they think they are disgusting. But it does surprise me at how large it’s grown."

Turpin attributes the amount of growth to the packaging of the event. The cockroach race, one of the most popular events, is conducted like a horse race at Churchill Downs. The roaches have names, numbers and lineage. There is a big track, in which the roaches race, with scenes of a roach's day at the races painted on it.

Other events at the Bug Bowl will include cricket spitting, a competition between the current world-record holder for cricket distance and all challengers, an insect petting zoo, a farm animal petting zoo, displays about types of bugs and their benefits, and a "Bugs as Food" tent.

These events, in addition to many others, will be held Saturday and Sunday around Entomology Hall. The information tent will be on the lawn of Entomology Hall, the cricket spitting will be on the Memorial Mall, and the displays and events will be scattered on the lawns and inside of Smith Hall and the Agricultural Administration Building.

The day is geared toward both children and adults, with different types of events for each. And as Nate Renie, a recent graduate of the department of entomology, said, the day offers children the opportunity to explore nature and see a side of it that they might miss otherwise.

"It is a good chance for young kids to explore the world around them and look at insects and bugs in a new way," he said from his home in Hawaii where he studies bugs professionally.

But one of the things that both children and adults look forward to the most is the cricket spitting contest, although in the beginning, Turpin and his class had no idea what to expect.

"I thought we would have to stand on the sidewalk and beg them to spit," said Turpin. "But we ran out of crickets because we had so many people who wanted to spit. The next year we had 10,000 crickets and we were ready."

And, according to Turpin, they’ll be ready again this year.