Family Weekend offers activities for paa,ents,siblings

by Jennifer Devereaux staff writer

Family Weekend is almost here. The weekend, which is open to all spouses, siblings and parents of students, will take place from Friday, Oct. 13 to Sunday Oct. 15. There are many events planned for the whole family.

The opening event, a high energy musical performance called "Up With People" is for all ages. It will be held in the Dixon Center Friday evening at 7 p.m. On Saturday, there will be 1·2hours of planned events beginning with a Keynote address given by Dr. James Hedtke, chair of history and political science. The lecture, which will be held from 9 to 10 a.m. in the Grace Hall Boardroom, will also include a mock election and a continental breakfast. The event, which is for parents, will have Family Weekend information available as well.

Following the lecture, a second continental breakfast will be offered for the whole family. It will be free to parents and siblings. However, students will need to use their meal cards.

For people who enjoy sports, there will be two events. The Cabrini Volleyball Classic will take place in the Dixon Center from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and a men's soccer game will be held on the lower athletic field from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

Other afternoon events include the Dean's List Ceremony from 11 a.m. to noon in the Grace Hall Atrium, interactive tours from 10 a.m. to noon, which depart from the Dixon Center and a carnival which is from noon to 4 p.m. The carnival will include food, games, vendors and music. There will also be a Mass held in the Brockmann Chapel of St. Joseph from 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.

There are two more events on Saturday that are especially for parents. The first is an "Open House." Here parents can meet the college president, Dr. Antoinette Iadarola, and her cabinet. It will be held in the president's hospitality suite at the Dixon Center. There will be coffee, tea and desserts offered. The second event is the president's cocktail reception for parents. This will be held in the mansion foyer from 6 p.m to 7 p.m.

A dinner will be held for all in the Mansion dining room at 7 p.m. The cost is $19 per adult and $12 per child (12 years old and younger). However, unlike in the past, students will not have to pay for this dinner. Attire is dressy casual and the menu is an international buffet. It will consist of Italian, soul food, Chinese and Spanish cuisine. Families were to R.S.V.P. by Oct. 1 if they wanted to attend.

Following the dinner, there will be a homecoming dance at 9 p.m. It will take place on the mansion lawn, rain or shine, because it will be under a tent. Here the mock election results will be announced and a king and queen will be crowned. Sunday will start off with a breakfast for parents of first-year students from 9 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. in the Mansion dining room. There will also be a breakfast held for everyone in the dining hall from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. This is called the "Festive Breakfast."

It will be free to family members but students must use their meal cards. The concluding event of the weekend is the "One Sky, One World Kite Festival for World Peace.' This will take place from noon to 4 p.m. on the upper athletic field.

Bridget Baxter, the coordinator of student activities, said, "I really think it's going to be fun this year. The fact that we're covering costs will be good for the students because normally they would have to pay for the dinner."