Lil’ Sibs Weekend, run by the University Activities Board, has been a tradition at Michigan State for the past nine years. This is the first year I have attended the event and was surprised by the turn out.
Arriving just a few minutes before registration began, the line for matching T-shirts and meal passes was already creeping down the front stairs of the MSU Union.
Kaitlyn West, UAB Director of Spirit and Traditions, said the shirts and meal passes ran out earlier than they would have like this year, so as a minor change to next years registration, meal passes and T-shirts will be made available for purchase during online registration with a credit card to ensure all attendees will receive those items.
After registration, I tried to attend every event, making sure my sibs had a great weekend.
While the events planned for the weekend seemed great on paper, there were some flaws as the weekend progressed. First, the lines were outrageous. If a group was planning on going to one of the many events, they would need to arrive about 30 minutes early, if not more due to the amount of students and Lil’ Sibs.
Take for example the Henna Tattoos being offered for free. The line filled one hallway of the Union and wrapped around a single room with one tattoo artist expected to create tattoos for about 1,600 attendees.
This was not the only time related issue of the weekend. The laser tag, which was a high demand event, had a line that was about an hour and a half long by the time we got to it. With barely any seating, one would wonder whether waiting with little kids was worth it?
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There was a planned star show at the MSU Planetarium, but after 45 minutes of waiting, the UAB staff informed those of us standing in line, that the show would not be happening.
West said the UAB confirmed the opening of the Planetarium on Feb. 16, but when Saturday came, the man booked to run the event never showed. UAB workers tried their best to get ahold of him through emergency contact information but at that point it was out of their hands.
Students did receive an apologetic email at the end of the weekend, but my sibs were still bummed they missed a cool show.
However, I do have to point out the highlights.
The scavenger hunt put on at the MSU Museum was a way to get out of the dorms and experience new things at MSU. My sibs loved the museum because it was full of interesting facts while giving us things to talk about, like what they are learning in school. This was probably one of my favorite events.
The free movies and ice cream social were also fun because the kids got to have a taste of the MSU Dairy Store ice cream…yum! They also did Fun Photos with props and a green screen, which will give my sibs black mail when they get older, but it was worth it…right?
I cannot forget to mention the Potter Park Zoo animals! While there were not too many animals to see, the owl and opossum were among my sister’s favorites! My least favorite animal on display, you ask? The tarantula. My sister and I agreed he was better off in his carrying case than out in the open!
My sibs favorite event was the magic show featuring Nate Staniforth. The UAB chose a great magician and he put on an unexpectedly wonderful show. I do not want to give away the tricks he performed, but from needles and fire, to mind reading, that magic show had my brothers and sister hoping Lil’ Sibs Weekend would happen more than once a year.
I ended the weekend exhausted but grateful. I loved getting to spend quality time with my little sibs but by Sunday, it was time for them to go home and for me to get back to college life.. It’s probably a good thing this weekend only happens once a year, but I must admit, next years date can’t come soon enough!