Family Weekend Sept. 27

Registrations for Family Weekend Sept. 27-29 are being accepted at the University of Wyoming.

Each year, Family Weekend offers families an opportunity to share in the UW experience and spend time with their student. Parents, grandparents, siblings and other family members of currently enrolled UW students are invited to visit the UW campus for an event-packed weekend. Cowboy Parents and the UW Division of Student Affairs host the event.

For the first time, Family Weekend is partnering with the Downtown Mash-Up scheduled from 7-11:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 27, at the Laramie Railroad Depot and surrounding area. It is an effort to connect UW students with the city’s vibrant downtown district, along with the rest of the community.

“We are excited to bring that new relationship on board and help families engage with the great folks we have in our downtown,” says Courtney Thomson-Lichty, Family Weekend coordinator in the UW Division of Student Affairs.

To register for Family Weekend, visit www.uwyo.edu/parents/family-weekend/index.html. For more information, call Thomson-Lichty at (307) 766-5127 or email courtney.thomsonlichty@uwyo.edu.

“Overall, the goal for Family Weekend this year is to create more opportunities for parents and students to engage in activities together and share time on campus,” she says.

Family Weekend begins Friday, Sept. 27, with registration beginning at 2 p.m. in the Wyoming Union. Three activities are scheduled that day: the weekly downtown Farmers Market from 3-7 p.m. in the parking lot north of Depot Park on South First Street; UW Cowgirls soccer vs. San Diego State at 4 p.m. at the Madrid Sports Complex; and the Downtown Mash-Up.

UW students and families, and other members of the UW and Laramie communities have an opportunity to enjoy live music and food, compete for a scavenger hunt prize, receive exclusive swag and participate in other activities during the Downtown Mash-Up.

UW Transit and Parking Services buses will transport UW students to and from downtown Friday, with buses running between 6-8 p.m. and 10 p.m.-midnight. A number of food and beverage vendors will set up shop for the Downtown Mash-Up.

Two bands will provide music: The Locals and The Woodpile, both of Laramie. Premier Bone and Joint Centers presents the music. In addition to the concert and street dance, a number of other activities are being planned by UW student organizations. Family-friendly activities will include a bouncy house, and Pistol and Pete, the UW College of Agriculture and Natural Resources’ team of draft horses, will provide wagon rides early in the evening.

Saturday, Sept. 28, will be a busy day for Family Weekend participants:

-- A family 5K fun run/walk at the UW Recreation Fields, northeast of War Memorial Stadium. Registration begins at 7 a.m., and the run/walk begins at 8 a.m.

-- National Public Lands Day from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Participants will meet at Half Acre Recreation and Wellness Center. Family Weekend members will then travel to Vedauwoo Recreation Area to give back to the community and help keep Laramie's surrounding forests thriving.

-- Vedauwoo hike at noon. Participants will gather at Vedauwoo’s Turtle Rock at noon to begin the hike.

-- Tailgate and UW vs. UNLV football game. Tailgate Park opens three hours before kickoff. The football game begins at 6 p.m.

Two events are scheduled Sunday, Sept. 29: The UW President’s Brunch is at 9 a.m. at the Marian H. Rochelle Gateway Center; and Cowgirls soccer vs. New Mexico is at 1 p.m. at the Madrid Sports Complex.