Family Weekend

Our Family & Trailblazer Team Member Weekend is an opportunity for our Trailblazer Team Members to join their students for a weekend of quality family time, activities, and fun.

Enjoy time with your student, explore their home away from home, and make some trailblazer memories!

 

 

Family and Trailblazer Team Weekend 

We are excited to welcome families and Trailblazer Team Members to campus!

Check back next year for the 2024 Family and Trailblazer Weekend Date!

By October you will have heard a lot about MCLA from your student. Family and Trailblazer Team Weekend is a chance to see for yourself what its all about! You will be able to enjoy the MCLA campus through your students eyes and maybe even meet one of their friends or two!

 

Family and Trailblazer Team Weekend is not only for families or Trailblazer Team Members of our first-year students. Everyone is welcome to attend!

This weekend is also in partnership with our Alumni Office who host Homecoming Weekend for our MCLA Alumni! Many of our programs are in partnership with this office.

Students are typically eager for a visit from a trusted love one by this time in the semester. Please keep in mind your student may also be tired, overwhelmed, and or stressed. Spending time with someone who cares for them might be well needed.

By this time of the semester, students are generally settled into a  regular routine. During this weekend you could ask them to take you to their favorite spots on campus or to a place in the local community that they explored or have wanted to explore.

Before attending the weekend, make sure you discuss your students schedule and what you expect out of the weekend in regards to spending time with you students. Remember they may still need to study for an exam or write a paper. They may even have a club event that they are wishing to attend. Use this time to learn about their life at MCLA.

The majority of the Family and Trailblazer Team Member programming will happen on Saturday, October 21st. Activities on Friday, October 20th will likely occur in the later afternoon/evening. Activities on Sunday, October, 22nd will be limited and will likely occur in the morning.

Consider what works best for you and your student as you make plans. Some families and Trailblazer Team Member chose to visit for the entire weekend, while other may just attend for just the day.

Whether you attend all or just one of our offered events, we are excited for you to join us!

As you are making travel arrangements, do what works best for you! October is the Berkshires is a lovely time to explore North Adams and the surrounding areas!

Please use the link below for a list of local Hotel Accomodations

Accomodations In or Around North Adams

Ashuwillticook Rail Trail
Lanesborough, MA 01224 

Cascade Waterfall
Marion Ave, North Adams, MA 01247

Gallery 51
51 Main St., North Adams, MA 01247

Hoosac Valley Train Ride
3 Hoosac Street, Adams, MA 01220

Ioka Valley Farms
3475 Hancock Rd, Hancock, Massachusetts  01237

Jaeschke’s Orchard
23 Gould Road, Adams, Massachusetts 01220  

Lakeview Orchard
94 Old Cheshire Road, Lanesborough, MA 01237 

Mt. Greylock State Reservation
Visitors Center/Park Headquarters
30 Rockwell Road, Lanesborough, MA 01237

Natural Bridge State Park
McAuley Road, North Adams, MA 01247 

Whitney’s Farm Market
1775 S. State Rd. - Rt.8, Cheshire, MA 01225  

Below is the schedule used for Family and Trailblazer Team Weekend 2023.

A schedule for October 2024 will be publised closer to the event. In anticipation for Family and Trailblazer Weekend 2024, most of the programming will take place on the Saturday.

Family and Trailblazer Team Weekend 2023


Friday, October 20th

9:30 a.m. -3:30 p.m.

Campus Bookstore Open

 

Marketplace
      Campus Center, 1st floor

3 p.m.

Corn Hole & Chill

Join Townhouse RA JC Innocent for a couple rounds of cornhole and some relaxation!

Montana Street, fire lane

6 p.m.

Men’s Soccer Game

Cheer on the men’s soccer team as they compete against Fitchburg State

Athletic Complex
       776 West Shaft Road

 

Saturday, October 21st

9 a.m. -
5 p.m.

MCLA Bookstore Open

Visit the bookstore to pick up the newest MCLA gear!

Campus Center, 1st floor

9 a.m.

Hoosac Pop Up Café

Join members of the Hoosac Hall community for some yummy treats.

Sponsored by Residence Life and the Hoosac Hall Staff.

Hoosac Hall, lobby

9:30  –

11 a.m.

Family Check-in

Check-in for the weekend here and enjoy a cup of coffee or visit the bookstore.

*Registration for the weekend is not required

Marketplace
   Campus Center, 1st floor

12 noon –
2 p.m.

Chowder Fest

Enjoy a complimentary cup of clam or corn chowder!

Sponsored by the Student Government Association

Marketplace
   Campus Center, 1st floor

12 noon -
4 p.m.

Family Fest

Join this fun-filled event of games, bounce houses, and more.

Sponsored by the Student Activities Council

Venable Hall, gym

1 p.m.

Women’s Volleyball Game

Cheer on the women’s volleyball team!
Salem State

Campus Center, gym

1 -2:15 p.m.

Reflecting Ecologies: Artists in Nature

Panel discussion regarding art & ecology with participating exhibition artists moderated by Katherine Abbott.

Gallery 51
    51 Main Street

2 p.m.

Alpha Lambda Delta and Alpha Chi Honor Societies induction Ceremony

Join our students as they are inducted into two nationally recognized honor societies.

Church Street Center, Auditorium

3 p.m.

Faculty Recital

Megan Buness, our newest voice teacher will sing a solo voice recital with piano accompaniment. Megan comes to the MCLA music faculty and our new Music, Industry and Production degree from Metropolitan State University of Denver in Colorado. She has also performed extensively in Helena, Montana. 

Church Street Center, Auditorium

3:30 -
4:30 p.m.

Look Great at the Gates: Photo Booth

Get your family together for a picture at the iconic MCLA Gates. These gates have been a tradition at MCLA for years. They open twice a year: as first-year students enter the College and again when they graduate.

The Gates, across from Berkshire Towers

rain location: Marketplace, Campus Center 1st floor

6- 8 p.m.

SAC Event: Board Games and Pizza

 

Campus Center, Sullivan Lounge

7 p.m.

Women’s Ice Hockey Game

Cheer on the Women’s Hockey team as we celebrate the opening of their season with an exhibition game against the Westfield State Club Team.

Peter W. Foote Vietnam Veterans Memorial Rink
     1267 S Church St
     North  Adams, MA 01247

 

Sunday, October 22nd

Enjoy the day with your student out in the Berkshires!

9:30 a.m. -
1:30 p.m.

Mini Maker Market

A synergistic + rotating array of Local Artisan Vendors.

Greylock Works
     508 State Road,
    North Adams, MA 01247

Various Times

ArtWeek Berkshires

Explore many different throughout the Berkshires. Visit their website to find an activity that interests you!

Various Locations

11 a.m. –
2 p.m.

MCLA Brunch

Join your student for a lovely brunch in the Centennial Room.

Campus Center, 1st floor

 

 

Questions? Just Ask!

Email us at TrailblazerTeam@mcla.edu

Jenn Labbance
Director of New Student Programs and Family Engagement