Athletes, scholars, and musicians are all busy in preparation for Fall Festival weekend. In less than two weeks, family members and alumni will descend on the Lawrence campus for a weekend full of classes, concerts, athletics, celebrations, and presentations.
Fall Festival is the new name for the combination of parents’ weekend and homecoming. It begins Friday, Oct. 24, and ends Sunday, Oct. 26.
The 24th will be an open house-type day, with parents being given the opportunity to attend classes, use the recreation center, or visit the art gallery. That evening, the Lawrence Symphony Orchestra will put on their first concert of the season.
Freshman Taylor Pamperin said that even though her family has already seen the Lawrence campus, she is excited for them to come to “See the campus and to see how I live now and to see the concerts that people have been working really hard for.” She added, however, that her parents would not be attending classes with her on Friday.
Saturday begins with mini-courses and lectures for parents put on by faculty members. There is an 11 a.m. cross country meet, and the homecoming football game is at 1 p.m. Football coach Dave Brown was enthusiastic about the upcoming game with Grinnell College and said, “[We’re] very pleased with the improvement we’ve made from game one to this point. [The team’s] confidence level has risen immensely.” The LU football team is currently 2-2 in the conference and 2-3 overall.
Saturday night, there will be a concert by the Lawrence Chorale, Women’s Choir, and Concert Choir. The concert will be followed by the homecoming dance in Riverview Lounge.