MARIETTA - Marietta College is expecting about 100 visitors to campus during the weekend of Sept. 28-30, when it has its annual Family Weekend activities.
The event is open to all family members of current college students and dates back to the first Family Day in 1973.
"The weekend is a great opportunity for parents to reconnect with their student on campus," said Bruce Peterson, dean of students. "Parents and students have opportunities to take part in various campus activities or just enjoy the city of Marietta."
The schedule is packed with fun activities (www.marietta.edu/Parents/family-weekend.html), so as it stands students and parents will have plenty to do.
Registration runs from noon to 7 p.m. Sept. 28 at the front desk in Andrews Hall. Starting at 4 p.m. the College Union Board will hold a kick-off reception that features appetizers and a photo slideshow in the Andrews Hall Great Room. Two events begin at 6 p.m. - an hour-long sternwheeler cruise, tickets for which can be picked up for free upon registration in Andrews, and a two-hour art exhibit titled "Geoff Schenkel and the Art of REsolve Studios." The cruise will depart from 601 Front St., and the exhibit will take place in the Hermann Fine Arts Center.
Students and parents can finish up their Friday night at The Gathering Place, where Disney's "The Rookie" will be shown in honor of the Marietta College baseball team's back-to-back NCAA Division III National Championships.
Registration will continue in Andrews Hall from 9 a.m. to noon, and at 11 a.m. the dedication ceremony for the recently opened Harrison Hall and Dr. J. Michael Harding Center for Health and Wellness will be taking place, with tours of the complex offered from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
The McDonough Leadership program will hold a poster fair and student panel in the Gilman Student Center from 11-11:45 a.m., while Family Weekend photos will be taken on Marietta Field from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.; this event is sponsored by the Office of Alumni Relations and the Student Alumni Association.
At 12:30 p.m. a tailgate event will begin at Marietta Field, where free food and entertainment will be provided. This leads up to the 2 p.m. women's and 4 p.m. men's soccer games, both against Heidelberg University.
"I'm excited to finally show my family what my new life is like away from home," said Jessica Long of Carroll, Ohio, a freshman on the women's soccer team. "They'll get to watch me play the sport I love and experience how I have been living for the past few weeks."
Saturday wraps up with a concert in the Kremer Amphitheatre sponsored by the College Union Board, where band "Gold Motel" will be performing.
The weekend will conclude with brunch at 10 a.m. on Sunday, held in the Gilman Dining Hall. During the meal parents can stop by the table set up by the career center and meet the center's director, as well as learn about different programs and services that help students in planning for their futures.
