By CATHERINE GOODYEAR, Staff Writer

Rain (not even an impending hurricane) was not going to stop families from coming from all over to visit their children at Manhattan College–whether they had to travel 20 minutes or six hours.

Family weekend gives students a chance to see their relatives, especially important for those who only make it home during longer breaks from school. Some people simply live too far away to travel home for just a weekend, like Erin Murphy, whose family drove down to campus from Holbrook, Mass.

“I started my travelling Friday night. I drove through the rain, the fog and the dark. I just had to deal with horrible driving conditions the whole way here. I ended up stopping in Connecticut and stayed with my brother after three hours of driving and then the next morning I continued my journey for another hour or more to here,” Murphy’s mother said.

Still, it was worth the trip.

“This was a very memorable family weekend for me especially because of the murder mystery dinner and show. The events gave me the chance to come down because I probably wouldn’t have taken the long drive if it wasn’t for them.”

Those events also included a speed painter, hypnotist, mentalist, fork artist and a performance by Billy Joel band member Mike DelGuidice.

Aside from the on-campus entertainment, Family Weekend is also an opportunity for many parents to learn more about where their sons and daughters are studying and living.

Tim Adrat was a member of the class of 1982 and is the father of current student Alison Adrat.

“Family weekend shows me where all of my money is going and it’s worth it. Having the opportunity to come back to the campus gives me the chance to see how much has changed and it is all for the best. I really loved having the chance to spend quality time with my daughter.”

That quality time can often be hard to come by after most students move away from home and head off to college. The coordination of events such as the Player’s Murder Mystery show also gave some parents a chance to see how their students keep busy with extracurricular activities when not in class.

Kelsey Quartulli’s mother visited for the weekend and watched her daughter perform in the show.

“Having the play on the same weekend as family weekend gave me to chance to see my daughter perform and that was touching,” Quartulli’s mother said.

“My impression of the weekend and going around the college was fantastic.”

Still, she had one area of improvement for next year’s Family Weekend.

“I want to know how the school accommodates people who are physically disabled or relatives who are elderly. It is a lot of walking and a lot of stairs. I would have hoped they could offer at least a golf cart.”