Iowa State welcomed nearly 800 families to campus and provided a variety of activities for families to participate in Cyclone Family Weekend.

The event’s purpose was to provide an opportunity for parents and siblings to explore campus and get a feel for their student’s experiences thus far, and, of course, to simply spend some quality time with their college student.

Kickoff for the weekend took place at the Memorial Union, where tickets and information were picked up.

For some families, the trip to campus was only a matter of minutes, or perhaps a couple of short hours. Others, however, traveled a long distance to come spend time with their ISU student.

The Dahmm family, for example, traveled about five hours from Chicago to spend time with their son Logan, freshman in environmental science.

 “We’re going to go tour Sigma Pi, the fraternity where Logan pledged,” said Rick Dahmm, Logan’s dad.

In addition to its fraternity tour, the Dahmm family was looking forward to the tailgate and football game that took place Saturday afternoon and were hoping to make their way to see comedian Michael Palascak, who performed at the Memorial Union on Friday night. The Dahmm parents, who brought along their two other children Jake and Lauren, also looked forward to enjoying campus and seeing their son.

Cyclone Family Weekend is organized and planned mostly by ISU students. The events the participating families experienced wouldn’t have been possible without the efforts of the students who staffed the events, as well as student volunteers.

 “This seemed like a good opportunity to get involved,” said Katie McDonald, junior in psychology, who volunteered her time as a weekend family aide.

Students and families who attended the tailgate and football game Saturday were in for a treat as well. At the tailgate, Cy made a brief appearance and was quite the attraction, posing for pictures with the younger crowd and getting football fans excited for the big game.

Of course, those who attended the football game against Texas Tech were able to watch the Cyclones score more points in a game against a Big 12 opponent than ever before — perhaps a tribute to the many families cheering on the team in the stands.

For those who stayed the entire weekend, a brunch was available in the Great Hall of the Memorial Union, concluding the weekend at the same place where it started off.

Student volunteers were helping out once again, making sure students and families were enjoying themselves and asking how everything was as they were on their way out. As Family Weekend drew to a close, it seemed to come far too soon for families and students who enjoyed their time together.