Slippery Rock University will be hosting its annual Family and Friends Weekend this weekend as part of Slippery Rock Borough’s annual Village Fest.
The event filled weekend has been going on for “a long time”, said Dr. David Wilmes, associate provost for Student Success at SRU.
Although unaware of the exact number of years that Family and Friends Weekend has been put on in the past, Wilmes said that is safe to say that this fun-filled weekend has been going on for “decades.”
For many years, SRU has collaborated with VillageFest, which is a Slippery Rock Borough event itself, Wilmes explained.
Wilmes also said that there is a real advantage of having both events on the same weekend because they have so much going on.
“It is good for families and for a variety of people,” Wilmes said.
VillageFest itself will include a multitude of events including a 5K run and a two mile walk, face painting, a magic show, and a variety of rides and games for families to enjoy.
Wilmes said that besides VillageFest, the big draw for the day will be the SRU home football game against Lock Haven University. The game will be SRU’s annual “white-out” football game.
“The football game is Saturday evening at 6 p.m.,” Wilmes said. “Prior to the game we do a tailgate outside of the stadium for our parents and family. The tailgate will feature lots of food and non-alcoholic drinks.”
In addition to the football game, Wilmes said one other major event that the university will put on is a basket auction. The basket auction will allow people to purchase a raffle ticket to win different amounts of prizes and baskets, Wilmes explained.Students who live in the Residence Halls will also be given the opportunity to invite a younger sibling to stay with them in their individual dorm for the weekend, with permission from the student’s roommate(s), Wilmes said. Wilmes stressed the importance of having this event every year by saying that the most frequent people who come here are parents and other family members of freshman. Wilmes further explained that because parents dropped off their kids several weeks ago, it is now their time to come back to see how they are doing.
“My hope is that after this weekend, parents will be especially proud that they have sent their kid to Slippery Rock,” Wilmes said. “Slippery Rock is a very welcoming place where there is really a lot to do. We have a great town and a great university.”
