The University of Mary Washington will welcome hundreds of family members and friends today through Sunday for Family Weekend 2019. The annual fall event brings students’ loved ones to campus to experience a slice of Eagle life and spend quality time together.
Games on Ball Circle, open class sessions, peeks at UMW’s Simpson Library and new Barnes & Noble bookstore, and plenty of entertainment round out the weekend. The event typically draws 800 to 900 visitors, said University Events and Conferencing’s Marissa DiMeo.
Rocktoberfest, a free outdoor concert with live music, games, food and a beer garden, kicks things off this evening. Then the weekend continues with a satirical performance by the Capitol Steps, a deliciously mathematical game called Chocolate Chomp Challenge, and the Chemistry Magic Show, with awe-inspiring demonstrations by students in the newly renovated Jepson Science Center.
All of this plus “the tours of President Paino’s home at Brompton that are a consistently popular activity that families are eager to participate in,” DiMeo said.
UMW’s art galleries, museums and athletics – including field hockey, men’s and women’s tennis, and women’s rugby – will take center stage all weekend long, as will academics. The UMW Study Abroad Fair showcases all sorts of international opportunities. The College of Business welcomes successful alumni to discuss their career paths and the Historic Preservation Club hosts student-led Campus Civil War Walking Tours.
The Office of Alumni Relations will host tomorrow a Legacy Lunch for UMW alumni, students and families with historic UMW generational connections. And free trolley tours that depart from the bell tower take the celebration into downtown Fredericksburg, for dining, antiques and boutiques, and signature events like the 30th annual Little Welsh Festival.
DiMeo’s assessment: “Family Weekend offers the chance for families to make lasting memories with their students at their ‘home away from home.’ ”