Emporia State students are set to experience a “leveled up” Family and Friends Day this year as Hornet Football faces off against MIAA foe Pittsburg State on Saturday, Sept. 27.
Family and Friends Day allows the ESU community to bring together their family members to experience what it’s like to be a Hornet. The annual event has always revolved around a Saturday football game, but this year many departments at ESU have worked together to incorporate both campus and the Emporia community.
Last year, only 50 families signed up to participate in Family and Friends Day. This year, 300 families are already signed up, and that number is expected to grow before Sept. 27, said Taylor Kriley, executive vice president for enrollment management and student success.
“So a priority for us has been to create community,” Kriley said. “Especially with all of the things happening in the world, community and family are at the heart of everything we do, and it’s really important for us to foster that connection and belonging, not not just for the students, but for faculty, staff, students, alumni, and all of the family that are connected to them. And now more than ever, it’s important for us to bring people together around those shared experiences and to cultivate that family environment and atmosphere.”
From 8 a.m. to 10 a.m., families can begin their day with “Donuts and Discounts.” After stopping by the donut table in Memorial Union, they can check out the welcome station to receive shirts, gameday props, downtown resources and a schedule for the day. The Memorial Union Bookstore will be open, offering a storewide 10 percent off discount. The Hornet Express and Starbucks will also be open.
“One of the big things that we push for Family and Friends Day this year is, we want people to go around campus, check it out, but we also want them to be engaged while they do it,” said Craig Turner, director of recreation services.
To keep families engaged, the Student Life lounge will be open offering picture frame and button making crafts, and Staff Senate will be providing activities like mini axe throwing, cornhole and dartboards. Families can also choose to walk around campus to view campus murals and tour campus buildings. The only buildings that will not be open are Visser Hall and HPER.
Game day will kick off at 10 a.m. with the Hornet Walk. Families will be brought out to the sidewalks around 9:45 a.m. to see the Hornets walk to Welch Stadium with the Marching Hornets, colorguard and cheer and dance teams.
Immediately following Hornet Walk, the family tailgate will commence in the Rec Center parking lot until football kick off at 1 p.m. Attendees can grab food from a local food truck, play yard games, pickleball and sand volleyball, try out the inflatable obstacle course or jousting, and do some axe throwing at the Axe Shedd trailer.
The Live at the Hive event will have live music and performances from the ESU Marching Hornets, colorguard, cheer and dance teams.
In addition to the buzz around campus, families can also engage with the Emporia community. The Emporia Farmers Market will be open from 8 a.m. to 10:30 a.m., the annual Chalk Fest will be held at the 800 block of Commercial Street and there will be a Studio Art Quilt Associates exhibition in the Trusler Gallery at the Emporia Arts Council. Emporia Main Street will also offer discounts.
“(The Emporia community has) done a really good job highlighting all the things families can do in the community,” said Kriley. “We have an exceptional community…If (families) are not from here, there’s things downtown– The Arts Council, the Art Center, Imaginarium– just making sure families know everything. And we’ve been working closely with the community on it.
General admission to the ESU football game is free. Families and friends of ESU students can register for Family and Friends Day at https://www.emporia.edu/parents-and-guardians/family-day/.
