{"id":99257,"date":"2026-09-21T15:14:57","date_gmt":"2026-09-21T20:14:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/?p=99257"},"modified":"2026-09-22T09:34:23","modified_gmt":"2026-09-22T14:34:23","slug":"fhsu-hosts-family-and-friends-activities","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/?p=99257","title":{"rendered":"FHSU hosts Family and Friends activities"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Story by CLARE THOLSTRUP Photos by BREANNA HOY and EDEN STAPLES<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tiger Media Network<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fort Hays State University hosted its Family and Friends Day on Saturday. Throughout the day, Student Engagement hosted activities on the quad and around town for students’ families and friends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe purpose of Family and Friends Weekend is to support students, families, friends, and the University by creating opportunities for connection, engagement, and shared experiences across campus,\u201d said Rhyann Powers, assistant director of strategy and operations for Student Engagement. \u201cThe weekend celebrates the importance of a student’s support network while helping families and friends become more connected to the FHSU community.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Family and Friends Day began with the Downtown Hays Market to connect the campus with the community. The market is open 7:30-11 a.m. on Saturdays with a variety of vendors selling fresh produce, crafts, flowers, and more.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many family members noted the different activities and made plans to attend as many as possible. Pat McCarthy, parent of a freshman at FHSU, said their family went to the market before going to the quad for games and button-making.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The crafts-on-the-lawn event allowed families to make game-day buttons or customized hats. Alongside those activities, lawn games such as volleyball were set up, and a cornhole tournament took place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s good to spend time with family, have fun and make new connections and meet more people this way,\u201d FHSU student Kennadi Dreiling said. \u201cI get to show my parents what I\u2019m doing here and what it\u2019s like here (at FHSU).\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One part of student life at FHSU is attending football games. FHSU Athletics sold discounted tickets in the quad for Saturday\u2019s game. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jack Hileman, who worked the ticket table, said that Family and Friends Day brought in many people, not only purchasing tickets for the game that day but also showing interest in FHSU athletics overall. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFamily and Friends Day is a wonderful opportunity to highlight the vibrant campus community at FHSU,\u201d Powers said. \u201cIt allows families and friends to experience firsthand the people, programs, and activities that contribute to student success.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Story submitted as part of Convergent Media Lab, a course within the Department of Computer Science and Informatics at Fort Hays State University<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Movie on the Lawn<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n