Day celebrates students and their families with food, games

Family Fun Day provided games and food to students, parents and children at the West Virginia University Mountainlair Saturday.

Family Fun Day is part of Mountaineer Week and incorporates different aspects of West Virginia heritage and culture. The event is also geared toward children by teaching them state history in a fun way.

Activities included rope making, Native American bead crafts, face painting, air-brush tattoos and Appalachian games.

Paige Merrifield, part of the club softball team, helped run the Appalachian games Saturday.

Merrifield and the women's softball team and women's soccer team oversaw games and activities such as jacks, marbles, checkers, coloring, mask making and sculpting.

"This is the third year we have done this event, and the kids have lots of fun, which is what really matters," Merrifield said.

The "History Hitting the Road" program was also featured. The program demonstrated rope making and beading.

Dean Harman, director of the of the program, said it has traveled to 44 of West Virginia's 55 counties, as well as eight other states, educating people on the state's history.

Jeff Wyne, member of WVU's heritage education program, helped participants understand how rope was made in the past by using a crank to twist the rope and a sandbag to cause tension.

"We teach children about history by using hands on participation," Harman said as he assisted children with bead making, explaining what the different colors meant to Native Americans.

Children also learned about careers such as pharmacy.

Leah Comis, a pharmacy graduate student, along with other pharmacy and

pre-pharmacy students, hosted a puppet show for children, titled "What is a pharmacist?"

Comis said they performed a 10-minute show multiple times throughout the day.

"We used real hand puppets to show children why

pharmacists are important and what they really do," Comis said.

The Mon Valley Railroad Club of West Virginia displayed a handcrafted train, said Richard Henderson, director of publicity for the club.

The club also had a display of two trains running at a time with all the buildings in the display modeled after places in West Virginia, Henderson said.

There were also many food options for those in attendance such as free popcorn and soda. Cotton Candy, roasted peanuts, pepperoni rolls and funnel cakes were also available.

Monica Wamsley and Amadou Toure, of WVU's extension services, helped sell roasted corn to support the Collegiate 4-H Club.

"We've had high sales all day, and it goes to a good cause," said Wamsley.

The Craft Fair, which has been going on throughout the week in the Mountainlair, also added some art for purchase.

The Quilt Show also displayed large and colorful handcrafted quilts.

"It was a great day for our family," said Samantha Galordi, a Morgantown resident. "We were so surprised by the amount of activities, and my kids were very interested in the booths and tables."