Moms had plenty to do whether it was on or off Court Street this weekend.
For one weekend, Amber Green was excited to not act like a college student anymore. When her mom visits, as she did for Moms Weekend, her laundry gets done, and she is well fed.
“I just feel like the baby again, like a little girl again,” Green, a sophomore studying engineering technology and management, said. “It’s a nice feeling instead of having to be on your own all the time — always having to fend for yourself.”
She added that because she misses her mother, she enjoys catching up with her in Athens.
“It’s nice to know that you’re missed as much as you’re missing her,” Wendy Green, Amber’s mother, said.
Jasmyn Pearl, a freshman studying journalism, said she does not get to spend a lot of one-on-one time with her mother, but Moms Weekend gave her the opportunity to do so.
“It’s not just going to Kroger to pick up groceries, it’s spending time with her,” Pearl said.
Many mothers had the chance to bond with their children at the Moms Weekend Expo, hosted by the Black Student Cultural Programming Board on Saturday.
Green and her mother danced, snapped some pictures at the photo booth and got henna tattoos. There were also crafts, massages and raffles that other attendees took part in.
Another event students took their mothers to was the Moms Weekend Ziplining Adventure, which was an unusual experience for some.
“It was really scary, but it was nice because it was like overcoming a fear,” Kristen Soinski, a freshman studying applied nutrition, said. “Once you were up there, you had no choice.”
Nathan Starkey, a junior studying psychology was happy to cheer his mom on when she was getting ready to go down the zip-line.
“I have always wanted to do it,” Karen Norton, Starkey’s mother, said. “It looked like it would be fun.”
For moms who were looking for something sweet, the Chocolate Fest provided candy, coffee, a relay and a photo booth.
The proceeds from Chocolate Fest are going to Blueline Boosters and helps with travel fares for the Ohio Hockey team.
Melody Weary, a LINKS community service volunteer, said she looked forward to helping with the Chocolate Fest because she wanted to see the moms and their kids enjoying the weekend.
“I like that there are events during the day instead of just nightlife,” Weary, an undecided freshman, said. “It’s what I think Moms Weekend should be. It provides a good atmosphere.”
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The Ohio Hockey Skills Competition also gave moms the chance to spend their Friday night off Court Street, Andee Scaife, the chief operations officer at Kokua TRY-Sport, said.
“I feel like Athens ... can sometimes be a little bubble and sometimes it feels like there’s only a limited amount of things to do,” Scaife said. “So this is something fresh and new for people to do and give back.”
The event was raising money for Kokua TRY-Sport, a non-profit organization that gives underprivileged children the opportunity to play sports. The event was organized by Kyle Schussler who is the founder of Kokua TRY-Sport and also an assistant coach for Ohio Hockey.
“It’s nice to have them come,” Schussler said. “They could have probably very easily found something else to do, but no, everybody is very supportive, so it was great to have them.”
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Katie Walters, a freshman studying health administration, said it was good to catch up with her mom and show her all of the “cool spots” around campus.
“It’s a good idea,” Laurie Northrup, Walter’s mother, said. “I didn’t know that universities did that, so it’s great for the university to show off.”
—Jess Umbarger and Georgia Davis contributed to this report.
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