UCA was bustling with visitors Saturday, Oct. 1, for Family Day, Band Day and Bear Facts Day.
The campus’ commotion was hard to miss. Inflatables, tents, games and long lines for vendor booths covered the practice field.
Freshman Katherine Eggebrecht puts freshman Harly Galloway’s T-shirt in a plastic bag.
Students and family members could get their faces painted by Ashley Stanley from Isabell Creek Face Painting, make custom license plate art with Everything But the Mime, Inc. or tie-dye shirts with UCA Bear Den members like freshman art education major Katherine Eggebrecht.
“I think it’s going pretty good. We’ve had a lot of people,” Eggebrecht said while she helped a family put their tie-dye creation in a plastic bag.
Freshman biology major Harly Galloway said Family Day this year had more activities than when she went four years ago with her brother.
“I’m happy for them because there’s a lot of children and it’s more fun for them,” Galloway said. “I’m ready for my niece to get here.”
Ashley Stanley from Isabell Creek Face Painting paints freshman Felicity O’Reilly’s face.
In the middle of the field, Matt Mattingly, owner of Big Poppa Bubbles, used a long bubble wand to create large bubbles and masses of small bubbles.
Mattingly made bubbles for hours while children chased after them and jumped around to pop them.
He said he didn’t mind being called “Big Poppa Bubble.”
“The lines are starting to get blurred between who I really am,” Mattingly said.
UCAPD Captain Chris Bentley walked with a mascot of Chase from the Nickelodeon cartoon “PAW Patrol” who took pictures with attendees, including President Houston Davis.
At noon beside the Alumni Pavilion, “Picnic with the President” started, and families waited in line to serve themselves pulled pork sandwiches while Davis socialized with families.
Across the street, SQRL gas station celebrated its grand opening with a rock climbing station and free hot dogs.
Meanwhile, at Estes Stadium, 15 middle school and high school bands practiced “Sweet Caroline” and “Let’s Get It Started” with the Bear Marching Band, and later that night, they joined the football halftime performance to play the two songs.
“[Band Day]’s going great, considering. A bunch of young minds that wanna learn,” senior Khris Jackson said.
“I thought it was a productive day. The students and the directors all seemed to enjoy themselves,” Brantley Douglas, UCA athletic bands director, said.
At noon, the Bear Fair kicked off in front of the Ronnie Williams Student Center. Prospective students walked the courtyard to learn about student resources, like UCA offices, residential colleges and RSOs.
Benji Norton, the supplemental instruction graduate assistant, manned the Office of Student Success booth and told high school seniors and potential transfers about tutoring, supplemental instruction and peer coaching.
“It’s just a lot of stuff to help students succeed at what they’re doing,” Norton said.
Some departments had booths, like the College of Health and Behavioral Sciences and the College of Communication Sciences and Disorders.
Several Greek life organizations also had tables, along with Chi Alpha.
Honors college ambassadors gave out tickets to tour Farris Honors Hall.
“A lot of stuff here to do, but if y’all want tours of the Farris Honors Hall then you’ll come here and get a ticket,” sophomore political science major Emily Temple said to passersby with a megaphone.
RSOs such as Bear Bait Improv and Pre-Law Society also showed up to tell students about their organizations.
The Office of Admissions and Enrollment Services hosted the Bear Fair as part of Bear Facts Day. At the amphitheater, it gave away a $1,000 non-renewable scholarship to a random high school senior who registered for the day.
Sylvan Hills senior Selina Jones ran up to the stage to claim her $1,000 scholarship provided by the Purple Circle Athletic Foundation.
“I’m interested in majoring in nursing, and once a Bear, always a Bear,” Jones said.
Bryttani Bartlett, associate director of communications and marketing at UCA, said 690 people attended Bear Facts Day, compared to last year’s 494, an almost 40% increase.
