Kent State students and siblings bond at Nickelodeon-themed Lil’ Sibs Weekend

Mina Quade, 2, gets her face painted on Saturday April 20, 2013 as part of the events for Little Sibs Weekend. Photo by Rachael Le Goubin.

Kids of all ages took over campus during the annual Lil’ Sibs Weekend from Friday through Sunday.

Kent Interhall Council said they experienced success with Lil’ Sibs Weekend, filled with activities that appealed to both Kent State students and their younger siblings.

“We had right around 2,000 register for Lil’ Sibs this year,” said Chrissy Francisco, senior technology major and member of the KIC executive board.

This year’s theme was “Sibs-a-lodeon” which encompassed all of the popular Nickelodeon TV shows from the 1990s. On Friday evening, students and siblings enjoyed different events such as laser tag, a dive-in movie featuring “The SpongeBob Squarepants Movie” and an evening with PIXAR.

“I watched two videos called Air Mater and Small Fry,” said Troy Francisco, 7-year-old brother of Chrissy Francisco, about the evening with PIXAR event. “It was really cool.”

On Saturday, students and siblings packed the Student Recreation and Wellness Center to enjoy a day full of inflatable jumping, “jelly fishing” for balloons in the racquetball courts, face painting and more. Francisco said lines were usually about a half an hour wait for inflatables because they are one of the more popular attractions during Lil’ Sibs Weekend.

Francisco said laser tag was the most popular event of this year’s Lil’ Sibs Weekend.

“We actually had to turn people away because there were more people than the venue could hold,” she said.

While lots of participants enjoyed the activities of the weekend, some had mixed feelings.

“The one event my brother really wanted to do (laser tag) he didn’t even get to do because they only let the first 150 people in and we got turned away,” said Heather Willard, sophomore public relations major. “But we did get a really cool caricature done at the Rec.”

Students and siblings ended the weekend by taking tours of downtown Kent on Lolly the Trolley Sunday.

Helen Steward is the buildings and grounds reporter for the Daily Kent Stater. Contact her at [email protected].