This past weekend, Sept. 16 and 17, you might have noticed many family reunions happening all over campus. Family weekend is a great opportunity to see the ones you love and haven’t seen since school has started. For me specifically, as a freshman, family weekend was very important to me, as I am not used to being away from family just yet.
Thankfully the weekend turned out beautiful and sunny. West Chester had several events planned for all of the families coming to visit. Saturday started off with the family welcome which granted additional information about events occurring and special giveaways at 9 a.m. After, up to 14 events were planned ending with Matthew Schuler’s concert at 7:30 p.m. There were opportunities for those who love science, wanted to picnic, play games or watch sports.
For the science lovers, after the Chemistry of Beer at 10 a.m., an event called Food, Fire and Physics took place in the Schmucker Science Center. Following that, the Mather Planetarium had shows. These shows were $4 per person and allowed you to check out the stars with Professor Marc Gagne from the department of Geology and Astronomy. Also at 10 a.m. the campus garden opened up and following that, the picnic; all were a success. Tours were provided for those who are new or just wanted to see more of our beautiful campus. At noon our very own Rams football team played Edinboro. The first half ended 48-14 with West Chester in the lead. The crowd thinned out because of the intense heat, but the 2017 Incomparable Golden Rams halftime performance caught everyone in the crowd’s attention. The team pushed through and came out with a winning score of 62-28. The day continued with games in the quad and more activities to be indulged in West Chester. Historical walking tours were provided free and taught West Chester’s history with our very own History Department. If you wanted a family photo in front of our Ram on the corner of South Church Street and West Rosedale Ave., they were also being arranged. At 4 p.m. Sykes Student Union Theater presented “Best Variety Artist 2016” Daniel Martin, only $6 a ticket.
On Sunday, another beautiful day, the borough of West Chester had it’s 38th annual Chester County Restaurant Festival from 12-5:30 p.m. Just around the block from campus, more than 65 restaurants and over 100 art and other vendors set up tents and entertained the huge crowd that showed up. This was a great way to get to know the different food places and stores downtown.
I stopped by a well recommended place, Baked Cookies and Dough, to try some delicious cookie dough. If you are craving something sweet, stop by 34 South High St. and try one of their many options.
My friend Emily tried out the Jrs. Soda Shoppe which sold old-fashioned soda flavors. As a bus, it does not have a set location but if you ever spot one, try it out. It was $10 for a mug and you were allowed unlimited refills to try any flavor you wanted as much as you wanted. Lastly, Pure Fire Pizza, which just recently opened, was giving out samples. Located at 30 South High St., I am excited to go back and try more.
Hopefully you were able to attend some of the exciting events that West Chester planned, but if not, look out for more to come! Our campus provides discounted events that college students should most certainly take advantage of. New and exciting things are always happening, so don’t miss out.
Amanda Hearn is a student at West Chester University. She can be reached at AH888217@wcupa.edu.