A&M-Victoria ready to welcome families to weekend of fun
Texas A&M University-Victoria is excited to welcome students and their families to campus during the first weekend of October for the university’s annual Family Weekend.
On Friday, Oct. 2, and Saturday, Oct. 3, the university will host a selection of events that will allow students and their families to socialize on campus and spend time together while enjoying good food and fun activities. In addition, the Family Weekend events will coincide with the City of Victoria’s Tejas Fest held in downtown Victoria. The university will provide shuttles to and from the festival throughout the event.
“We are so proud of our students, and we can’t wait to welcome their families to campus,” A&M-Victoria President Christian Hardigree said. “Families have shown an amazing amount of trust by sending their students to study with us, and we are looking forward to thanking them for that trust. Our students are the highlight of our campus, and this promises to be a fun, exciting event for all.”
Family Weekend will open that Friday with check-in from noon to 5 p.m. in the lobby of University Commons, 3006 N. Ben Wilson St. Families will receive a schedule of activities, a campus map and meal tickets for a student and up to two family members. In addition, the Jag Station Bookstore will be open for those who want to purchase A&M-Victoria merchandise.
From 5 to 8 p.m., the university will host a Family Dinner event in Jaguar Hall Dining, 2705 Houston Hwy. The university is covering the cost for each student and up to two of their family members to eat at the dinner. Additional family members are welcome to attend but will need to pay for their meals. In addition to the Family Dinner, the university will be providing shuttles to and from Tejas Fest in downtown Victoria from 5:30 to 11:30 p.m. The festival will feature local vendors, food trucks and live music performances.
On Saturday, students and their families can begin the day by participating in the Walk to End Alzheimer’s, which is organized by the Alzheimer’s Association and will be hosted on campus from 8 to 10 a.m. The one-mile walk will be held in Kay’s Grove with registration beginning at 7:45 a.m. There is no fee to register, but participants are encouraged to make a donation or commit to raising funds for Alzheimer’s research. To register for the walk and learn more about the event, go to https://act.alz.org/site/TR?fr_id=19960&pg=entry.
From noon to 2 p.m. Saturday, the real fun begins with the Family Festival at University Commons. The festival will feature free food, music, booths and games both inside the Commons lobby and outside in the adjacent parking lot. The games will include a dunking booth, lawn games and carnival games. There also will be henna tattoos, balloon art, face painting, a climbing wall and an inflatable axe-throwing booth. During the festival, students and one parent will receive a free event T-shirt.
“Family Weekend is always such a fun time, and the festival is the highlight of the weekend,” said Freddie Cantu. “It’s great to see families come and visit their students. They have the chance to meet faculty, their students’ friends and explore the campus where their students have been living and studying.”
After the festival, the university will host a Students vs. Parents Dodgeball game from 2-3:30 p.m. on the Health & Wellness Center court. Afterward, the Jaguar Volleyball Club will have a men’s vs. women’s volleyball game from 4 to 5:30, if families want to stay and watch.
The day will end with another opportunity for students and their families to attend Tejas Fest with shuttles running from 6 to 11:30 p.m. Attendees also can sign up to volunteer for the festival, if they are interested. For more information about the festival and a link to sign up to volunteer, go to https://www.discovervictoriatexas.com/p/events/tejas-fest.
Families are asked to register for Family Weekend. The link to the registration form can be found at https://www.tamuv.edu/family-weekend/.
Texas A&M University-Victoria, located in the heart of the Coastal Bend region since 1973 in Victoria, Texas, offers courses leading to more than 50 academic programs in the colleges of Business, Education & Health Professions, Liberal Arts & Social Sciences, and Natural & Applied Science. A&M-Victoria provides face-to-face classes at its Victoria campus, as well as online classes that students can take from anywhere. The university supports the American Association of State Colleges and Universities Opportunities for All initiative to increase awareness about state colleges and universities and the important role they have in providing a high-quality and accessible education to an increasingly diverse student population, as well as contributing to regional and state economic development.