By Lena LaJoy
The University of Maryland hosted their first ever Family Weekend in 1980. Now, 46 years later, Family Weekend is expected to bring 6,582 registered guests to campus from Friday, Sept. 25, to Sunday, Sept. 27.
Danielle Walker, assistant director in the Office of Family Engagement, said her and her team began preparation for Family Weekend in February by reaching out to campus partners, including the Villanueva Jazz Trio, About Face Entertainment, DJ Boss Player, Lisa Holt (also known as the “Balloon Girl”), FemsterImages and Patty O’Furniture who hosts “Not Your Grandma’s Bingo!”
“It is a lot of reaching out to vendors and suppliers to make sure that they have the materials that we need … it’s a lot of moving pieces for a very small team of people to make it happen,” Walker, who works with 19 others, said.
Some of the events that are being held are “Coffee with a Cop,” a new addition to this year’s agenda, a sock puppet party honoring Jim Henson, President’s Open House, “Not Your Grandma’s Bingo!,” a 0.5k run for Terp Essential Needs, the Maryland vs. UCLA football game and “Paint a Terp.”
Tara Youngborg, the manager of Stamp Gallery and Studio A, said she has been hosting “Paint a Terp” for the past eight years. At the event, families are given paint and a small ceramic terrapin bank that they can decorate. She said this year they are hosting nine sessions for families, with an additional two sessions on Sunday and one on Friday morning to accommodate increased interest.
Youngborg’s team also offers take-away DIY kits for families who were unable to register.
Youngborg said that in the past the event had sold out so quickly that the Office of Family Engagement asked her team to offer more slots.
According to Youngborg, all of the sessions for this year are sold out, but her team buys around 200 extra turtles in case any extra families want to participate.
Youngborg said her favorite part of hosting this event is watching how creative everyone is with their designs, and she loves seeing how UMD’s mascot unites the community.
“It’s really fun for them to get to do something with their whole family, with their parents, with their siblings, with grandma … The turtle itself is this kind of Maryland icon and so they get to connect [with] that,” Youngborg said.
Dan Hairfield, the program manager for residential and community engagement with the Department of Resident Life who has helped with Family Weekend since 2017, said he has seen changes in overall events but the essence of Family Week remains consistent
Hairfield helps run the Terps After Dark movie night and the President’s Open House. During the open house, President Darryll Pines spends time with students and families at the University House.
“He basically opens the doors so students and families can see what the University House looks like … to welcome students and families into the space and talk to them about what it means to be here at Maryland,” Hairfield said.
Additional information on location and times of events can be found at the Office of Student Engagement Family Weekend Schedule of Events.
Hairfield said he loves Family Weekend because he can see firsthand how much people love UMD.
“I just enjoy seeing the kind of glow on people’s faces, being able to experience a little bit of what the magic of Maryland is,” Hairfield said.
Featured Image: The Maryland “M” logo in full bloom off of Campus Drive. Photo by Audrey Bengtson.