Every August, parents of college students bid the common farewell – the type of acknowledgment signifying an acceptance of independence. Both parents and students indulge in such freedom. However on the same token, familial separation can bring unwanted stress and hardship, which is why Grand Valley State University hosts its annual Family Weekend to serve as a much-needed reunion.

An opportunity for students to spend quality time with parents, siblings and other relatives, Family Weekend boasts a packed-full schedule of events designed with family bonding in mind.

No stranger to Family Weekend will be the reappearance of The Shakespeare Festival, Dueling Pianos, the Farmers Market and Renaissance Faire. Newly integrated events may catch newcomers off guard, as they will be featured with a slight twist with the theme of “Wild, Wild West Michigan.”

With the establishment of new off-campus housing complexes, there’s no better way to kick off Family Weekend than with a celebratory Greek housing ribbon-cutting event unveiling the completion of phase one of the Grand Village. The event will feature a dedication ceremony to welcome sorority and fraternity members, followed by tours of the homes afterward.

“Now that students are settled in, it’s a great opportunity for family to come back and visit,” said LeaAnn Tibbe, assistant director of the Office of Student Life. “It’s the perfect time for them to show GVSU off to their families.”

Friday will also serve as the start of the Social Media Challenge, a veteran to last year’s Family Weekend in which students upload pictures to Facebook, Twitter or Instagram with the tag #GVSUFW14 to win a prize for the most pictures uploaded by Sunday.

Younger attendees will have many opportunities to participate in a variety of games and activities also, as Family Weekend events aim to cater to both the young and young at heart.

“There will be a wide variety of activities available for children,” said Caitlin Perlotto, Family Weekend coordinator. “For example, there will be a carnival style duck pluck, a craft room with multiple crafts, photo booths for fun western red themed memories and many more carnivals games that will have a variety of prizes.”

For the older crowd, Family Weekend will welcome comedian P.J. Weber who is tailoring the content of his comedic show to fit in with the western theme. There will also be games of Texas Hold ‘em and Saturday night square dancing if the western vibe still hasn’t quite caught on.

On Saturday, students and family members can find a blend of activities that appeal to all ages at the Kirkhof Center during one of the weekend’s main events called the Kirkhof Roundup. The event will feature cookie decorating, custom bags, bandannas and over 20 organizations on campus to show families the western side of GVSU.

For those looking to explore the community outside of campus, families can wander downtown Grand Rapids to check out ArtPrize.

For GVSU sophomore, Mary Burtkis, Family Weekend couldn’t come at a more perfect time of the month with its correlation to ArtPrize.

“It’s going to be a jam-packed weekend for my family and I,” said Burtkis. “Between the two events, I’m really hoping we’ll have enough time to squeeze everything in.”

Students going downtown to ArtPrize with their families can show their GVSU ID at the PNC Building to get hot dogs, popcorn and bottled water in addition to a PNC Cinch Sak if they are one of the first 150 guests to stop by between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. on Saturday.

On campus, students can pick up two free meal tickets for their families through the campus dining office. Tickets can be used at Fresh Food Company for a barbecued western-themed meal, but tickets can only be picked up until Friday.

Throughout the weekend, various events will be integrated throughout campus in hopes of showing what GVSU has to offer beyond its academics.

“We hope that the families take home a sense of the Grand Valley Spirit with them and see that Grand Valley is not only a great place of education, but also community and togetherness,” Perlotto said.

For more information and a list of scheduled events, visit http://www.gvsu.edu/familyweekend/.