More than 1,000 students and their families are expected to attend Family Weekend at the University of Mary Washington to be held Thursday, September 23 through Sunday, September 26.
This year the Fredericksburg Forum, featuring celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain, will kick off Family Weekend on Thursday, September 23, at 8 p.m. in George Washington Hall, Dodd Auditorium. The event has been sold out.
On Saturday, September 25, the UMW 5K Run will begin at 7:30 a.m. at the Jepson Science Center fountain. The pre-registration fee is $15, and the on-site registration fee is $20. To register, visit www.umw.edu/familyweekend.
Also on Saturday, three professors will talk about their recently published books. The sessions, held in Lee Hall, are free and open to the public, including:
• Lecture and book signing of “Leonardo’s Universe,” by Bulent Atalay, professor emeritus of physics, from 10 to 11 a.m., in Room 412. An accomplished author and artist, Atalay taught at UMW for four decades and lectures around the world on art, archaeology, astrophysics and atomic physics.
• Reading from the new fantasy book, “The Called,” by Warren Rochelle, associate professor of English, from 11 a.m. to noon in Room 411. Rochelle has received critical acclaim for his third book, which has been described as a “compelling new fantasy.”
• Poetry reading from “Figure Studies: Poems,” by Claudia Emerson, distinguished professor of English, from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in Room 412. Emerson is the Arrington distinguished chair in the Department of English, Linguistics, and Communication. She is a Pulitzer Prize-winning poet and the Poet Laureate of Virginia.
Other public events on tap Saturday are:
• The 21st annual Fredericksburg Welsh Festival from noon to 5 p.m. at the James Monroe Museum, 908 Charles St.
• Performance by the UMW Eagle Pipe Band at 2 p.m. in Ball Circle. Formed in 1997 by professor of chemistry Ray Scott, the Eagle Pipe Band has won awards at the Virginia and Ohio Scottish Games and the Richmond Highland Games.
• The “Music Department Showcase!” at 7:30 p.m. in George Washington Hall, Dodd Auditorium. This concert features the UMW Jazz Ensemble, the Wind and Percussion Ensemble, Encore Show Choir, the Flute Ensemble and the UMW-Community Philharmonic Orchestra.
On Sunday, UMW will host Eastern Mennonite University in a field hockey game at 3 p.m. at the Battlefield Athletic Complex.
For a complete list of events and more information, visit the Family Weekend website at www.umw.edu/familyweekend.