During the weekend of Oct. 9, families and friends from near and far filled Hamilton’s campus, ready to spend time with loved ones and get a taste of life on College Hill.
Typically an annual tradition, this year’s Family Weekend was the first since Fall 2019 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.The College was ready to greet the over 2,000 guests with Clinton Cider Mill donuts, Utica’s famous half-moon cookies and bags of Utica Coffee.
Students were also excited to see their families and watch them sample what the College and Clinton have to offer. Despite being an upperclassman, Liza Greene ’23 was on campus for Family Weekend for the first time in her academic career. “[Family Weekend] was awesome,” Greene said. “It was actually my first time being here for a family weekend because [Women’s Cross Country] usually has an away race, but we were home and we won, so it was so fun to have the families there.”
Greene and her family thoroughly enjoyed eating plenty of apple cider donuts. “We got cider donuts on campus, and then we also went down to the Clinton Cider Mill so that [my family]could see it and eat fresh donuts.” She added, “my parents are big into the Cider Mill.”
Beyond treating the guests to the local favorites, the College also offered choir, band and dance performances, President Wippman’s State of the College address, a Saranac Brewing Company tasting and numerous on-campus sporting events.
Madeline Petro ’25 and her family took advantage of the great weather, enjoying activities both on- and off-campus. “I showed my family around the campus and Clinton’s downtown. We spend a lot of time outside enjoying the beautiful weather and foliage,” Petro noted.
Petro and her family also went to the pumpkin carving event hosted by First-Year Experience and the Pondapalooza concert. The pumpkin carving event was especially fun for the group as “I love pumpkins,” Petro said. “I was delighted that there was still a way for me to carve a jack-o-lantern this fall.”
Petro felt that it was important for her family to see campus in person, especially since they were not able to visit before she applied. “Applying to college during the pandemic meant that my family did not know much about Hamilton,” she said. “Feeling the environment for themselves and seeing the student body helped them get a better idea of life at Hamilton.”
On the parent side of the weekend, Chrystal Wittcopp, P ’25, made the most of the weekend by going to numerous events offered by the College. “We went to the art show, saw science posters, listened to the presidential lecture, ate at the family lunch, participated in the oak stomp and watched the cross country meet and football game,” Wittcopp said.
While all these events gave Wittcopp a better feel for life on the Hill, she remained eager still for more hands-on experiences with student life. “I really wished [my husband and I] had been able to go to a class. Maybe even go to a college party,” she said jokingly.
While COVID-19 restrictions did prevent parents from entering the classrooms, it is clear that both students and parents enjoyed the sunny weather and time together on-campus.
