Family Weekend 2000 promises to be filled with activities for both parents and siblings, said officials in the Office of Parent Services.

Family Weekend is an opportunity for families to visit students and to get to know the University, Katrina Campbell, executive assistant of the Office of Parent Services said.

The schedule for the weekend is tightly packed, highlighted by a sold-out Beach Boys performance Saturday night and Midnight Madness Friday night.

Academic departments will host open houses throughout the weekend for parents to meet University staff members and professors.

GW will also host a University-wide reception for parents to mingle with staff members from departments ranging from the University Police Department to the History Department.

Students are encouraged to check in with their parents at the registration table in the Marvin Center Friday afternoon or Saturday morning, Campbell said.

At registration parents will receive a gift and free tickets to many activities, including monument and trolley tours, Campbell said.

The Smith Center doors will open at 10:45 p.m. Friday for a night of Midnight Madness, which will begin with carnival acts.

Midnight Madness is a chance for parents, students and alumni to join the Colonial basketball teams in kicking off the 2000-01 season. Both the men and women’s basketball teams begin practice Saturday morning.

The theme for this year’s celebration is Taking GW by Storm. Organizers will create a mini storm in the Smith Center with fireworks and lasers followed by an illuminated rainbow, said Mike Gargano, assistant vice president of Student Activities.

Of course, when the rainbow is followed to the end, a pot of gold will be waiting, Gargano said.

Gargano said the event will be the most incredible pyro-technique firework, laser-light and special-acts show that this campus has ever seen.

The cheerleading squad and dance team will also perform at the event.

Midnight Madness offers standing room only, and organizers expect nearly 5,000 people in attendance, Gargano said.

The Office of Parent Services is hosting its first annual Family Weekend Silent Auction Saturday. Parents and students can bid on a weekend for two at some of the District’s top hotels, according to the Parent Services Web site.

Proceeds will be donated to GW Parent Fund, an organization that raises money from parents to support various projects around GW, Johnson said.

The cheerleading squad, dance team and the Student Activities Center will host a raffle to win a trip for two to Hawaii, a palm pilot, an IMB laptop and a television.

Because entire families, not just parents, are welcome to participate in Family Weekend, the University also plans events just for siblings, Campbell said.

Siblings are invited to an evening at the Hippodrome, complete with free bowling and a character artist, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday.

But some event planners said they believe the most important part of Family Weekend is simply spending time with visitors.

Family Weekend is an important occasion at the University for families to visit with their students, especially for those who are new to GW, said Rodney Johnson, director of the Office of Parent Services.

For us it is a label of love to see parents up and front and very excited, like they were during the Four Tops concert last year, he said.

When the Office of Parents Services took over responsibility for scheduling the weekend’s events three years ago, the office changed the name from Parents Weekend to Family Weekend.

It is an event that includes everyone, not just the parents, Campbell said. The family is such an important part of the students lives.

Gargano said his favorite part of Family Weekend is when parents see their son or daughter for the first time in months.

There is just so much friendship and brotherhood that everyone feels a part of the GW community, Gargano said. And everyone has the opportunity to feel a part of the unique aspects here at GW.