BY ANTHONY DASILVA, CONTRIBUTING WRITER
The Campus Activities Board and Center for Activities, Recreation and Leadership at St. Bonaventure will host three days of family-friendly activities, starting today Friday, Sept. 24 through Sunday, Sept. 26.
Family weekend includes live entertainment, family-oriented games, demonstrations, club sport events, the Family Festival, the wet and wild Polar Spray fundraiser for Special Olympics New York and many other activities.
St. Bonaventure University holds Family Weekend annually, having to cancel the event in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It has been a tradition for years and years, because Family weekend was around before my mom was a student at St. Bonaventure. Family Weekend has been a tradition for a decent amount of time, and it’s sad that we couldn’t have it last year, but it’s a great thing that we will be able to have family this year,” said Mary Frac, Assistant Director of the Center for Activities, Recreation and Leadership.
After last year’s cancellation, Frac is not sure on how big the turnout will be for Family Weekend this year.
“Since families don’t have to RSVP, so as many people can come as they want, so we don’t know if there will be more or less this year,” said Frac.
The family festival will be held from 11a.m.-3p.m. on the outdoor basketball courts between the Richter Center and Reilly Center. There will be live music, food trucks, local vendors and student clubs selling SBU items. Some of the clubs/groups are: Admissions, College Republicans, Black Student Union, Bona Buddies, University Ministries, the Classes of 2022’ and 23’, Student Government, some Division 1 and club sports, WSBU and Gold Bar. Any student who attends the family festival is entered in a raffle to win tickets to the October 3 Bills game against the Houston Texans.
There will also be four club sports games at the time of the family festival. At 11 a.m., St. Bonaventure’s Women’s club rugby team will play Fredonia on the turf at Marra Athletics Fields Complex. At 12:30 p.m., Men’s Club soccer will be playing the University of Rochester at the same location. At 1 p.m., Men’s club rugby is playing in a varsity/JV double header vs. West Point at Marra; varsity at 1p.m., followed by a JV match. At 2:30 p.m., the club hockey team is holding a Brown vs. White scrimmage at the William O. Smith Recreation Center in Olean.
Other activities throughout the weekend include the Polar Spray fundraiser on Friday at 5:30 p.m., organized to benefit the Special Olympics, on the outdoor basketball courts. The Buzz will also be playing music at this event. Faculty and Family can enjoy a social at 6 p.m. in the Fairway View Pavilion, at the St. Bonaventure Golf Course. At 7:30 p.m, Baritone Kenneth Overton and pianist Gregory Thompson will be playing at the Quick Center for the Arts. At 8 p.m, there will be trivia in the Hickey Dining Hall, where teams of up to 6 people can compete, with prizes awarded to the top three teams. At 9 p.m there will be acoustic music at the Café La Verna.
On Saturday: 9 a.m there is a family fun run/walk near the Allegheny River trail, registration begins at 8:15 a.m. At 8 p.m, Hypnotist Sailesh will perform in the Ragas Theater of the Quick Center for the Arts. The show is free, and all are welcome.
On Sunday there will be more club sports played. Beginning at 10 a.m. women’s club softball will play their triple header against SUNY Geneseo at the Marra Athletics Field Complex. Also at 10 a.m. is the Men’s Club soccer match vs. Geneseo which will be at the same location. To close out Family Weekend at 2 p.m. Women’s club soccer will play Brockport which is also on the grass at the Marra Athletics Fields Complex. All students are welcome to Family Weekend events, regardless of whether or not their families are present.
dasilvaf21@bonaventure.edu
