Some local bars are taking steps to prepare for the weekend, while others are less concerned.
Students, cops and local bars are all ready for an influx of Bobcat mothers for this year's Moms Weekend.
Though the university is holding several activities throughout the weekend, students and their moms will also likely hit the bars Uptown.
Some local bars are taking steps to prepare for the weekend, while others are less concerned.
Ryan Boyd, a kitchen manager at The Pub, 39 N. Court St., said the bar has been steadily busy since students returned to campus from Spring Semester, so employees are planning for a normal, run-of-the-mill weekend.
Jackie O's Pub and Brewery, however, is planning for a more fast-paced weekend, A.J. Castro, manager at the bar, said.
Employees at the bar have prepared by looking at customer numbers from past years, increasing staffing and ordering and producing more alcohol than normal, Castro said.
Castro added that Jackie O's is also trying to open its Public House this weekend, which would allow the bar to seat an additional 300 people.
Though the Ohio University Police Department is also preparing for this year's Moms Weekend, some officers believe it isn't as big of a weekend compared to others in Athens.
“Moms Weekend sometimes can be busy, but it’s largely another weekend," OUPD Lt. Tim Ryan said. "There’s probably an uptick in some violations.”
Ryan said those violations typically include alcohol-related offenses. He added that some Moms Weekends are busier than others, so it's hard to tell whether violations will be higher this year.
Ohio University students are excited to spend the weekend in Athens with their moms.
Kaitlyn Pacheco, a junior studying journalism, said this is the first time her mom has been able to come up for the weekend, adding that her family is from Maryland.
Pacheco plans to take her mom to Stephen's for dinner and head Uptown with her friends and their moms Saturday night. She also plans to attend the Alpha Gamma Delta Moms Weekend lunch.
“I’ve worked the lunch every year before this, and this is the first time that I am going to be able to go with my mom,” Pacheco said.
Not everyone’s moms are coming down for the weekend, however.
Johanna Ward, a fifth-year senior studying communication science disorders, said that though her mom has come down for Moms Weekend in the past, this year she will not be.
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However, Ward plans on spending the weekend cleaning her apartment and hanging out with her roommate and her roommate’s mom.
–Bailey Gallion contributed to this report.
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