The annual SUNY Oswego Family and Friends Weekend starts today and will have a variety of events running through Sunday, Oct. 20.
Today students and their families can attend a variety of fun activities including the annual iron pour, a unique movie experience and an improv show.
The annual Festival of Fire iron pour event -- a collaboration between the Department of Technology and the Department of Art and Design -- will take place from 1 to 5 p.m. Friday on the north side of Tyler Hall. Liquified iron will be poured into molds to create new and original sculptures and designs, with audience participation in providing ideas. The Digital Music Association student club will provide music.
An admission-free Get Out the Vote Film Festival from 4 to 6 p.m. Friday, Oct. 18, in the Marano Campus Center auditorium (room 132) will showcase 10 films that were collaborative creations of the English and Creative Writing and Cinema and Screen Studies departments. The event is part of the student-led Vote Oswego non-partisan civic engagement project. Free popcorn will be provided.
An opening reception from 5 to 7 p.m. will welcome attendees to two faculty exhibitions in Tyler Art Gallery, Renqian Yang's "Folding Time Between Worlds" and Cara Brewer Thompson's "Based on Actual Events."
Students can visit Lee Hall and enjoy lounging in the pool while watching the movie “Flushed Away,” starting at 7 p.m. However, if attendees would rather stay dry, they can head to the Marano Campus Center auditorium (room 132) at 8 p.m. to attend Oswego’s Own Improv Comedy Troupe’s show, “The Improv Bunch.”
"The Laramie Project," opening the university's theatre season, will run through the weekend. The production has 7:30 p.m. curtains on Oct. 16 to 20, as well as 2 p.m. weekend matinees on Oct. 19 and 20. Read this preview story for more information on the production and how to get tickets.
Rice Creek Field Station will host an “Inspired By Nature” silent art auction from 2 to 5 p.m. Friday and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday. Proceeds will go towards their accessible hiking trails project. Friday will feature entertainment by Dick Drake, while Saturday will include a leaf printing workshop and live music from Rose and the Amateurs.
On Saturday, families and friends can attend more events such as a concert, nature walk, the Great Pumpkin Run, a Fall Festival, a tailgate between hockey games and a late-night skate opportunity.
The guided nature walk will start at 11 a.m. and explore the Rice Creek Field Station's trails. While the Green Shuttle will not be running Saturday to transport students from campus to Rice Creek, they can still get there from campus through a van shuttle. Students can call the shuttle’s number at (315) 312-6677 between 9:15 a.m. and 10:45 a.m. And regular parking is always available.
The Music Department's Family and Friends Weekend Concert, at 11:30 p.m. in the Sheldon Hall ballroom, is the biggest combined performance of the semester. Acts will include the Oswego State Jazz Ensemble, Oswego State Latin Jazz Ensemble, Oswego State Wind Ensemble, College and Community Orchestra, Oswego State Singers and Laker Chorale.
By noon, Campus Recreation will host their annual Great Pumpkin 5K run and walk to benefit Blessings in a Backpack, a nonprofit organization that provides food on the weekends and breaks for local children in need. Registering for the race is $5, and can either be done online or in-person in the Marano Campus Center food and activity court. Raffle prizes and medals for the top participants will be provided.
At 1 p.m. the Fall Festival in Swetman Gym will include activities where attendees can paint pumpkins, make crafts, have tinsel be put in their hair and more. Visitors can also enjoy free cider and donuts and DJing courtesy of SUNY Oswego’s student-run radio station WNYO.
As the day progresses, family and friends can attend two exhibition hockey games and a tailgate in between. At 3 p.m. the Oswego women’s hockey team will face the Rome Grizzlies, with the men’s hockey team hitting the ice at 7 p.m. to face Kings College. Students can attend via free tickets, while their family and friends can either purchase tickets online or in person at the box office. Both games will take place in the Deborah F. Stanley Arena and Convocation Hall.
Between games, the campus community is invited to a free tailgate in the Marano Campus Center food and activity court at 5 p.m., limited to 175 spots (reservations are available online). Food will include chili, chicken wings/wing dip and cornbread.
Additional Laker athletic contests on Saturday will include men’s soccer vs. Plattsburgh at noon at Laker Turf Stadium and volleyball vs. Plattsburgh at 1 p.m. in Laker Hall's Max Ziel Gymnasium –- both Senior Day games -– as well as the men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams opening their home seasons against Oneonta at 1 p.m. in Laker Hall's pool.
To end the night, the Deborah F. Stanley Arena and Convocation Hall will host a family open skate from 10 p.m. until midnight. Admission is $2, with a $3 cost for those needing to rent skates.
On Sunday, the weekend will close with a family brunch held in Cooper Dining Hall from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The cost will be $13.25 per person and include an all-you-can-eat breakfast buffet.
Reserving space for some events will require filling out the Family and Friends Weekend Google Form.
For more information on these and other events, and a full schedule, visit the Family and Friends Weekend site.
Family and Friends Weekend was made possible by a grant awarded by Auxiliary Services. Student Orientation and Family Engagement thanks the Auxiliary Services Board for their continued consideration and support of this student initiative.
–- Written by Leila LaJoie of the Class of 2024