The 2019 Spring Family Weekend, hosted this coming weekend by the Oregon State University Program Council, is a weekend dedicated to students and their families.

Spring Family Weekend kicks off on Friday afternoon and runs through Sunday. A varied slate of activities will be offered, from hot air balloon rides to theatrical acrobatics performances, although many events require purchasing a ticket. 

“I think it’s a really cool opportunity for families to see what life is like for their students. They can get a taste of what it’s like at OSU, to see the beautiful campus, especially in the spring, how beautiful it blooms,” said Connor Grover, a third-year student and member of OSUPC. Grover who partook in planning the course of the weekend. 

 Lizz Duhn, a member of the OSUPC planning committee, enjoys the annual Spring Family Weekends. Duhn said getting to spend quality time with her family is an important source of support for her.

“I think that family weekend is just a fun time to give students the opportunity to take a break,” Duhn said. “My freshman year, I didn’t want to admit that I was home sick. Having my mom and dad come and visit and having a whole weekend of activities on campus for us to do together was so much fun. It was like a nice breath of fresh air to have the support of them being there and getting to take a step back from school.”

The first activity of this year’s Spring Family Weekend is a paint night. As a collaboration between OSUPC and the Craft Center, families can come together in the Memorial Union multipurpose room for a guided painting lesson. For $38 per person, all supplies included and no painting experience is needed. OSUPC recommends advance ticket purchases, as the event usually sells out. There will be two sessions, from 3:30-5:30 p.m., and from 7:30-9:30 p.m., both on Friday.  

On Saturday and Sunday, $10 hot air balloon rides will be offered in the MU quad. This ride will provide the opportunity to see the entire campus from a bird’s eye view. The hot air balloon rides will be offered first-come, first-serve basis beginning at 7 a.m. and will end depending on  weather conditions. Rides can accommodate two to four passengers and each ride will last around five minutes. There will be no tickets sold in advance of this event.

“I believe the hot air balloon will be the biggest event of the weekend,” Grover said. “We have gotten an overwhelming amount of interest in that event, so that’s kind of exciting. We anticipate there to be a long line for that. This is something that has not happened at Oregon State in a couple of years.”

According to Grover, OSUPC is doing hot air balloon rides for a low price, an opportunity that many people don’t get. The man coordinating the balloon rides is an OSU alumni and offered OSUPC a deal, making it possible to get guests up in the air for what they believe to be an affordable price. 

On the Saturday and Sunday morning, family brunch will be offered in the MU main lounge. Dam Fam brunch will have a different menu for Saturday and Sunday. 

Tickets for brunch will be $13 paid in advance, or $15 at the door. Doors open at 9 a.m. with last call at 11:30 a.m. 

On Saturday, vendors and artists from Corvallis and surrounding areas will be on campus to showcase their original handmade or homegrown work at Art Fest. As Duhn puts it, Art Fest is like a mini Saturday market on campus. On Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Student Experience Center Plaza, guests can browse items ranging from art pieces and home and garden designs, to clothing and jewelry. There will be food trucks, as well as games and crafts in the MU Quad while Art Fest is in full swing.

“Personally, what I think will be the most popular event over the weekend is the Art Fest,” said Joshua Ramos, a third-year student, member of OSUPC and organizer of the weekend events. “This year we collaborated with the art and culture team of OSUPC and came together to make a festival called Art Fest. We’re going to have food trucks, a lot of art vendors and even games out in the quad.”

On Saturday, OSUPC presents the Spring Family Weekend Show featuring award-winning Halcyon, a group which does theatrical acrobatics. 

As stated on the OSUPC events website, “Enjoy an evening of adventure and awe told through stunning aerial and acrobatic performances. Established in 2017 with the mission of creating a new genre in theatre known as theatrical acrobatics, Halcyon seamlessly integrates compelling storytelling and characters with world-class acrobatics and aerial.” 

Tickets will be $20 in advance, and $25 at the door.  

Showtimes will begin at 4 p.m. and at 7:30 p.m.  

Additionally, there will be yoga held on Sunday from 10-11 a.m for $5 per ticket. There is no experience necessary, but guests are asked to bring their own mat. 

To buy tickets for any ticketed event, visit the OSU Spring Family Festival website.