Some 5,000 parents and family members are expected to flock to Morgantown for Fall Family Weekend (Sept. 17-19) at West Virginia University.

The three-day eventincluding the Saturday noon match-up with the Maryland Terrapins at Mountaineer Fieldwill feature a game-watching party in the Mountainlair since the game is a sellout.

The festivities kick off at 11 a.m., with televisions set up in the ballrooms, Games Area and Side Pocket Pub, said Mike Ellington of Student Affairs. Free sodas and popcorn will be provided; other food items will be available for purchase in theLair Food Court.

The game-watching party, along with the other special fall activities WVU has planned, are designed to appeal to younger siblings as well as older family members,said Sabrina Cave, director of the Mountaineer Parents Club.Fall Family Weekend is always well attended and reflects the success of our Parents Club, which was initiated 10 years ago by Susan Hardesty, the wife of WVU President David C. Hardesty Jr.

Other activities include a Friday evening Fall Family Weekend Registration and Welcome Center at the Creative Arts Center, where families can hear gallery talks presented by Bernard Schultz, dean of the College of Creative Arts, and his wife,CookieSoldo Schultz, of the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences. Families can also purchase an official WVU class ring there and mingle with representatives of the Parents Club. No registration is needed.

The Welcome Center is open from 5 to 8 p.m.; afterwards families can attend a comedy show featuring the stand-up comic Sinbad in the CAC s Clay Concert Theatre at 8:30 p.m. For tickets, call 304-293-SHOW (7469).

During halftime of Saturdays game, the Hardestys and Cave will present two outstanding Mountaineer Parents clubsone from Harrison County and the other from Northern Virginiawith banners as part of a special ceremony.

While all of our clubs are excellent, these two groups have been exceptional in their level of activity in support of students,Cave said.

Criteria evaluated in the selection process included participation in Parents Club University, Summer Send-Offs, regular club meetings, club newsletter development and student support projects.

The Mountaineer Parents Club was started by the Hardestys in 1995 to connect families to their WVU students and the college experience. It now boasts the largest enrollment ever of more than 12,000 families involved in 66 clubs across the United States.

The halftime event is only part of WVU s Fall Family Weekend line-up. Also on tap: the annual Mountaineer Parents Club meeting at 8:30 a.m. at Erickson Alumni Center; a pre-game family tailgate at 10 a.m. at Mountaineer Fields Tent City III ; and a post-game dinner buffet at the adjacent Milan Puskar Center, immediately following the game.

Registration is required for the tailgate and dinner buffet. For more information, go to http://www.wvu.edu/ffw/Registration/.

WVUp All Night activitieson-campus late night options for those who want to bowl, shoot pool, watch movies (Shrek 2andSpider-Man 2; $3 WVU students, $5 non-students), take in a comedy show or enjoy free food (barbecued pork sandwiches and nachos)will be going on in the Mountainlair.

For questions regarding events, registration or general information, write to ffw@mail.wvu.edu or contactEloise Tomei, Universitycoordinator of events, at 304-293-8021.

Fall Family Weekend on the Net:http://www.wvu.edu/ffw/