The final weekend of September saw the return of a group that had largely been absent from campus since move-in week: families.

While incoming freshmen are likely excited to escape the confines of their parents’ homes and get out on their own, it’s only a matter of time before they’re ready to reunite with their loved ones. Beginning on Friday morning and running through Sunday evening, Family Weekend featured a bevy of Wild West-themed activities for Lakers and their relatives to partake in during the much-needed reuniting.

While the Western theme is unique to 2014, the concept of inviting families back to campus to visit is nothing new, as Family Weekend has been a tradition for years – 20 of which LeaAnne Tibbe, assistant director of the Office of Student Life, has been involved in.

“The main goal (of Family Weekend) is for students to bring their families back to Grand Valley and show off their new home,” Tibbe said. “When parents drop their students off in August, those students are a little nervous. First year parents come because the students now feel comfortable showing off: ‘here is where I go to class, this is where I eat, these are my friends.’”

Tibbe, who also works as an advisor to the Traditions Team, felt that this year was a success in terms of turnout and participation. Buses were constantly filled to the brim, transporting families to and from ArtPrize, and campus was buzzing with the energy of visitors roaming about campus.

“On Friday evening we had the dueling pianos, and that was successful,” Tibbe said. “I talked to one family whose daughter is a first-year student and they said that they were very impressed and will be back next year. And of course the weather was perfect – couldn’t have asked for a better day.”

And while the family-oriented gathering typically draws the families of first-year students, a number of upperclassmen also took advantage of this year’s weekend, which featured a handful of events, such as a standup set by comedian P.J. Weber, that were geared toward an older demographic.

“What surprised me is that there are a lot of upperclassmen whose parents come back as well,” Tibbe said. “I think parents enjoy coming back and enjoying the opportunities we have available for them.”

The three-day event included everything from a Renaissance Faire to traditional square dancing to The Shakespeare Festival, meaning that more than just Tibbe and the affiliated student organizations had to put in the necessary work to orchestrate it all. With the help of institutions such as Campus Dining and the University Bookstore, event organizers were able to pull it off.

“The biggest thing is the participation all across campus,” Tibbe said. “I’m really excited to see so many areas on campus coming together to celebrate Family Weekend. To see the whole university come behind it, its been really rewarding.”