KRTCabrini College will celebrate this year’s Family Weekend on Friday, Oct. 1, and Saturday, Oct. 2. With an expected turnout of over 500 people not including students, Family Weekend is easily one of Cabrini’s most highly anticipated annual events. This solid tradition dates back as far as 1957 and has consistently been a successful way that both the students and faculty can say thank you to the students’ families in a formal, yet highly entertaining way.
On Friday, Oct. 1, student’s and their families can enjoy the city of Philadelphia without having to worry about finding a parking spot. A bus will depart from Cabrini College, outside of Founder’s Hall at 5 p.m. For families that would rather stay on campus, they will be far from disappointed. Cabrini has planned a special, before home release, viewing of the brand new Harry Potter flick, “Harry Potter and the Prisoners of Azakaban.” Families should expect to show up at the Widener Lecture Hall at 8 p.m. to begin viewing.
On Saturday, families will start the day with a faculty lecture entitled, “Road to the White House,” by Dr. James Hedtke. All families attending should be at the Grace Hall Board Room by 10 a.m. This lecture is expected to run roughly 45 minutes and will be immediately followed by the Fall Honors Convocation at the Grace Hall Atrium. The ceremony will run until noon.
The Cav Fest starts at noon with an array of activities for the whole family. This festival will take place on the commons at the center of campus. Running approximately three hours, Cav Fest will include many different games and activities for everyone in the family. In case of rain, families will be rerouted to the Dixon Center for the fun and games.
The Exotic Animal Show will begin in the Grace Hall Atrium at 1 p.m. There will be a one hour demonstration of all the animals, and then an additional two hours will be left for students and their families to handle the animals. The exotic animal show is a first for Cabrini College, but visitors can be sure to expect many cute and cuddly mammals such as monkeys, chimps, and koala bears, and many creepy crawly animals such as snakes, and tarantulas.
During the animal show, there will also be a reception held with the President of Cabrini, Dr. Antoinette Iadarola, and all the Cabinet Members.
At 3 p.m., Lynn Trefzger will be providing the entertainment, incorporating a unique blend of college-level humor and ventriloquism into her act. If you were to run a simple internet search on Trefzger, it would reveal that she is much more than your average comedian. Trefzger uses her unique talent to “throw” her voice to imitate everything from a baby crying to a telephone being dialed. Trefzger has been performing her unique comedy routines for over 25 years, and has worked with countless other entertainers, from Tanya Tucker to Sinbad. This will be Lynn Trefzger’s first time performing for Cabrini College. The location of this event is left to be announced.
Trolleys will depart from Cabrini at 5 p.m. for dinner on the Main Line. Choose from any of the Main Line’s many fine restaurants, and diners. Anyone interested in more information or details can contact the information center for more information.
At 5:30 p.m., a bus will depart from Cabrini for the Spirit of Philadelphia Dinner Cruise. All interested in attending must reserve tickets in advance by sending an e-mail to Familyweekend@cabrini.edu, and paying $30 per person. For all the value conscious families wanting to attend this event but finding it just a tab bit expensive, the discount on the ticket prices can be seen quite clearly when going to the Spirit of Philadelphia’s website. The very same Dinner Cruise package costs $55 per person, and does not include transportation to and from the dock.
Families that tend to get seasick, or simply prefer the land loving action of Major League Baseball can attend the Philadelphia Phillies vs. Florida Marlins baseball game. The game is set to begin at 7 p.m., and should continue well into the night. Families interested in attending must purchase advance tickets for $10 by emailing Familyweekend@cabrini.edu.
Among other surprises that Cabrini has in store for its visitors during family weekend, the Cabrini Blue Knights will be making a highly anticipated guest appearance. Bringing there usual school spirit, they will also be giving away free gifts to the families.
Although many freshmen admitted to having some previously tense times with mom and dad, a majority of this year’s first year students seemed more than delighted to have them come for the weekend. When asked if she was looking forward to her weekend with the family, Jillian Middleton, a freshman graphic design major said, “My family and I
