News>Families flock to Colorado Springs for Parents' Weekend
Photos
A Class of 2015 cadet greets a family member after the Acceptance Day Parade at the Air Force Academy Aug. 3, 2011. Acceptance marks the formal transition of basic cadets into the Cadet Wing. (U.S. Air Force photo/Sarah Chambers)
by John Van Winkle
Air Force Academy Public Affairs
9/1/2011 - U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -- Approximately 9,500 parents and family members are expected to attend the Air Force Academy during the annual Parents' Weekend Sept. 1-4 to get a peek inside Academy life.
Marquee events include a parade at 10 a.m. Sept. 2, opportunities for parents to shadow their cadets in class, share breakfast or lunch at Mitchell Hall and attend squadron open houses in the evening.
Parents can also attend open houses at the Academy Airfield, meet coaches of the Falcons intercollegiate teams at the Athletics Department and tour the new Holaday Athletic Center.
Sporting events on the schedule for Parents' Weekend include women's soccer versus the University of Northern Colorado Sept. 2 at 5 p.m., men's soccer versus Davidson Sept. 2 at 7:30 p.m. and football against South Dakota Sept. 3 at noon.
The visitors will generate an estimated $7.5 million in direct revenue within the Pikes Peak Region and an additional $500,000 in sales tax revenue over the long weekend. The Academy contributes an estimated $850 million in total annual economic impact for Colorado Springs and the surrounding communities.
"We look forward to (parents) joining us and hope we can make (them) feel at home," said Dave Csintyan, president and CEO of the Greater Colorado Springs Chamber of Commerce.
