by GRACE HILSCHER
This past weekend, Oct. 4-6, marked the class of 2023’s first family weekend. Drake’s Family Weekend is an annual event during which families can visit their students and get a feel for their life at Drake. Family Weekend is open to all families of Drake students, however, first-year-students tend to have the largest turn out because it is their first year off at college.
2019’s family weekend was jam-packed with a multitude of events and activities for students and their parents. On Friday, Oct. 4, students and their families were able to attend Electra at 7:30 p.m. in Coleman Studio, The Mentalist- Sean Bott at 8 p.m. in Parents Hall and the Free Movie Friday, “Toy Story 4,” at 9 p.m. in Sussman Theater.
Sean Bott, the Mentalist, performed a series of mind readings, and illusions for audience members. The event was put on by Drake’s Student Activities Board (SAB). SAB is responsible for many free events on campus including Free Movie Fridays, every Friday in Sussman Theater at 9 p.m. To go along with the Disney Theme, SAB showed Toy Story 4 as the free movie.
Saturday, Oct. 5 offered students and families a variety of events, activities, and panels. The day started with Parents Coffee and Conversations, in Cline Atrium at 9 a.m., allowing parents to mingle with each other as well as President Martin and different faculty. Then, throughout the day, there was a J-Term Forum, a panel on Financial Literacy, and a panel on Academic Achievement.
Due to rain, there was an indoor tailgate cookout held in Hubbell Dining Hall. The football game itself, Drake v. Valparaiso, started at 2 p.m. Drake was victorious, winning 35-6. The night ended with the Drake Neighborhood 40th Anniversary Block Party, Sweetheart Sings, and the performance of Electra.
John Graham directed Electra, the play originally written by Euripides Sophocles, and re-done by John Ward. The play was performed Thursday, Oct 3 through Sunday, Oct. 6. for students, family members and community members. Future plays and musicals put on by Drake’s Theater Department can be found on Drake’s website under the Theater Arts tab.
Sunday, Oct. 6, started off with a bang. The Bulldog Walk/Run allowed participants to walk or run either one mile or a 5k around campus starting at 8 a.m. Afterward, everyone could attend a brunch in Hubbell from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Along with the all-campus events, many residence halls hosted their first program of the year. According to Caroline McLean, a representative from Herriott Hall’s Executive Council, Herriott Hall hosted a Disney-themed Family Feud game on Friday, Oct. 4 from 5:30-6 p.m.
“It went really well. It was super fun seeing the parents and siblings that came down try to guess the answers. Not going to lie some of them were really hard,” McLean said.
Crawford continued their tradition and sold Betta fish. They sold the Betta fish from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 5th in their lobby.
“Stalnaker did a caramel apple event in which the families could pick their favorite toppings and enjoy the treat,” said Caio Westlund, a representative from Stalnaker’s Executive Council. “We had a slow start but by the end, there were no apples left.”
Lastly, Carpenter Hall hosted Carpenter Karaoke from 7-11 p.m. on Saturday night. There were Disney themed snacks while Drake students and family members sang Disney songs. They had a turn out of 65 people, many of which were willing to sing, creating an entertaining event.
The action-packed Family Weekend offered a variety of events. Whether someone was attending with family, friends, a significant other, or just riding solo there was something they were bound to enjoy. This past weekend marks another successful family weekend in the books.
