I feel like I'm showing off my home, and not just my school," fourth-year College student Jade Craig said.
Craig, a Lawn resident, looks forward to this year's Family Weekend even as he looks back to his first Family Weekend at the University.
"In first year, I was more excited about the novelty of my mom seeing where I was going to school for the first time," Craig said. "This year, I'm excited about seeing and meeting tourists, and I love the opportunity to share the room with visitors."
Craig's two older sisters will visit from Chicago and New York City.
Parents and families of students have already begun arriving in Charlottesville this week as the University gears up for a busy weekend.
For student groups, Family Weekend means concerts, special events and exhibitions. Several a cappella and other vocal groups on Grounds hold their fall concerts annually during Family Weekend.
"It's a guaranteed way to sell out a show," third-year College student Nabanjan Maitra said.
Maitra, a member of the Academical Village People, said his group looks forward to welcoming both families and alumni to its two shows this weekend.
Family Weekend not only bolsters crowd numbers but also changes the atmosphere of the concerts, according to Maitra.
"We compensate for not having really good voices by having a lot of energy," he said. "The earlier show is a little tamer because it's mostly parents, but the later [show] gets pretty rowdy with the alumni," he said.
Third-year College student Amanda Bagwill of Hoos in Treble emphasized the unique nature of the weekend's concerts.
"It's family bonding," she joked. "My family isn't coming this year, though. It's probably the only time they'll miss a show. They'll be back next year for my fourth year."
In addition to student performance, the University Guide Service plans to augment its usual schedule of tours to accommodate increased numbers of visitors and family audiences.
The Guide Service's candlelight tours on the Lawn add an aspect of nostalgia for fourth-year Guides, as they are the only ones allowed to lead the tours.
"They're not your traditional tours," said fourth-year College student Amanda Huffman, a member of the Guide Service. "These are made up of whatever the fourth years want to do."
Guides wear Jeffersonian costumes for the tours, giving Charlottesville a Colonial Williamsburg atmosphere.
"They're for the whole family," Huffman said.
This year's Family Weekend will be the first for some of the University's most recently completed construction projects. The new Observatory Hill Dining Hall and the Special Collections Library (which was completed just after Family Weekend last year) are two examples. Parents will be able to sample the new food at the dining hall or visit exhibits and attend lectures in the new library.
The University Libraries are hosting several events on Grounds over the course of the weekend, according to the University's Family Weekend 2005 Web site.
The University will award Intermediate Honors to the top 20 percent of the Class of 2007 today at University Hall. English Prof. Mark Edmundson is scheduled to deliver the keynote address.
Third years also will celebrate the Ring Ceremony on the Lawn Friday afternoon, weather permitting. The forecast calls for cloudy skies, cool temperatures and rain all weekend.
Gov. Mark R. Warner is slated to speak at the Ring Ceremony. University Director of External Communications Virginia Carter mentioned Warner's speech to the third years as one of the highlights of the weekend.
Carter also suggested that Family Weekend is timed to coincide with the end of midterms and the beginning of autumn, just as some students might be feeling homesick.
"The weather is still nice, and midterms are over," Carter said. "It's the perfect time for your parents to come and take you out to dinner -- or maybe do your laundry."
According to Carter, the University has several new programs ready for this year's Family Weekend, including the Society of University Families, which will meet for the first time with University President John T. Casteen, III Saturday.
According to a letter from Casteen addressed to parents of University students, the Society of University Families will coordinate the efforts of various parents groups on Grounds.
"We envision these groups as advisory and support structures for deans and others who have responsibilities related to the quality of education and student life here, and we see parents who choose to affiliate as our partners," Casteen said in the letter.
Even as the University readies itself for festivities, the Charlottesville community at large has been making preparations this week as well.
"We definitely feel the ebb and flow of the University calendar," said Corinne Shamy of OXO Restaurant, a popular restaurant for visiting families. "We are always totally booked, and the reservations usually turn out to be parties of 10 or more."
To handle the crowds, OXO will have to augment its staff for Friday and Saturday nights, Shamy said.
The Cavalier Inn also is preparing for the crowds, though according to manager Larry Tushman Family Weekend resembles most weekends in autumn in terms of the numbers of guests it accommodates.
"Every weekend in the autumn is busy, whether it's football or Family Weekend," Tushman said. "To tell you the truth, there's not that much of a difference in numbers."
Tushman explained one key difference in the pattern of reservations at the Cavalier Inn.
"First-year students and their parents are in a real dilemma because we usually fill up for Family Weekend just after the University releases its calendar," he said.
Tushman added that, before many students even decide to matriculate, hotels in Charlottesville already have no vacancies.
"Students often call in during summer orientation, and we're already booked," he said.
There is good news for dorm-residing first-year students whose parents managed to book a room at the Cavalier Inn: a hot shower that won't require wearing shoes.
Asked if the Cavalier Inn has a policy against allowing the children of guests shower in their hotel rooms, Tushman laughed.
"Not that I know of," he said.
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