Spring Family Weekend Guide: What to do with your family

Oregon State University’s Spring Family Weekend is coming up fast, lasting from Friday, May 3, to Sunday, May 5, 2019. The weekend is filled with numerous events and activities for students and their families, from hot air balloon rides and rafting trips, to family Zumba and a petting zoo. There is something for everyone this special weekend, no matter your budget. Here, you can find information on different events organized by how much money you’re willing to spend.

Free Events:

Run or walk a 5K! Attend this event to break a sweat and race your siblings, or go on a nice, leisurely stroll at your own pace with your family. Don’t forget to bring water!

Zumba Party! On Saturday, May 4, students and their families can experience a free hour-long Zumba session in Dixon Recreation Center’s Lower Gym Court 1. Make sure to dress in athletic wear, as attendees will be moving all over during this intense workout.

Lonesome Pottery Sale: From 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., stop by the Memorial Union’s Trysting Tree Lounge and browse the selection of pottery. You can even buy some pottery if you fancy! Save the lonely pottery and give them a nice place to go in your home. Pick some colorful flowers to fill a beautiful vase.

Tour the Orange Media Network! Join us on the fourth floor of the Student Experience Center from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Friday, May 3. Not only will attendees get to learn about their options to get involved with our newspaper, fashion magazine, lifestyle magazine, art journal, TV stations, and radio station, but you also can take part in a photoshoot and other activities. I may be biased since I am a writer for Beaver’s Digest, the lifestyle magazine, but I would recommend anyone in any major to attend this event! There’s something for everyone at the Orange Media Network, whether that includes wanting to be a photographer, a DJ, or more.

For those of you who love art museums, try attending the Art Festival! Come support local artists in the Student Experience Center Plaza from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Saturday the 4th. There will be food trucks nearby in the Memorial Union Quad so you don’t want to miss this!

Music a la Carte! On Friday in the Memorial Union from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m., stop by the main lounge to witness flutist Abigail Sperling serenade audience members with the smooth sound of the flute.

Pet Day! Catch up on your animal therapy at the petting zoo, try performing surgery on teddy bears and relive your days at Build-a-Bear, and experience so much more at Dryden Hall on Saturday the 4th from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Costly Events:

Hitch a ride on a hot air balloon! See Corvallis from the sky for $10.00 at the earliest time being 7:00 a.m., check-in being in the Memorial Union Quad. Hot air balloon rides are available both Saturday and Sunday of Spring Family Weekend. If you’re interested in attending, you can pre-register at sli.oregonstate.edu/sfw.

If you’d rather be near the water, try the rafting trip on the North Santiam River. On Saturday, May 4, you can raft down seven miles of the river from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The event costs $60.00 for students and for the general public.

Go see the Spring Show featuring Halcyon, the acrobatic and aerial show happening on Saturday. For $20.00 in advance, or $25.00 at the door, you can witness the incredible athletes show you a performance of a lifetime. There are showtimes at 4:00 p.m. and at 7:30 p.m. in the LaSells Stewart Center and each show lasts an hour and a half. You can buy tickets online, or buy any leftover tickets at the Welcome Table.

Devour your brunch at the DAM FAM Brunch on Sunday from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. in the Memorial Union Main Lounge. You will find waffles, tofu veggie scramble, bacon, turkey sausage, tofu sausage, and more for $13.00 in advance and $15.00 at the door.

Watch Sorority and Fraternity members dance and sing their hearts out at the All-University Sing event. On Friday, May 3, from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. in the Gill Coliseum, students compete and perform hit songs from the 2000s, belting out the lyrics while they dance the choreography they’ve been practicing for months. The event costs $25.00 and you may be shimmying in your seat at the end!

To celebrate “Star Wars” Day, you can run a 5K with your pets at this Star Wars-themed event! It takes place at Dryden Hall from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m., and costs $20.00 in advance and $25.00 at the door. You can buy tickets online or in person. Be sure to bring all your “Star Wars” gear and your dogs!

Take a painting lesson for $38.00 per person on Friday from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., or 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., in the Memorial Union Multipurpose Room. Attendees should buy tickets online, but you may be able to snag a few tickets at the door if you’re lucky.

For more information…

You can visit the Hospitality and Welcome Table in the Memorial Union Concourse to find the answers to your questions about Spring Family Weekend. The station is open from 2:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, or from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. on Sunday the 5th.

For more information on the events listed as well as even more events, you can visit events.oregonstate.edu/family_weekend.