Sunday, 12 p.m.
It’s another beautiful afternoon in Champaign, when the early April rain gives way to sun, and the moms are out in full force.
Lillian Prendergast, freshman in Applied Health Sciences and member of Pi Beta Phi sorority, discussed what she and her mom, Gina Prendergast, did over the weekend. Pi Phi hosted numerous events for moms this weekend, including bouquet making, a performance by the acapella group The Other Guys and permanent jewelry making.
“(We were) hanging around doing stuff with the sorority, and then going to places on campus,” Lillian Prendergast said. “Then we’re probably going to go to an Illini softball game.”
“She was a high school and travel softball player,” Gina Prendergast added. “We enjoy going to softball games.”
Gina Prendergast is an alum of the University and recalls her experience with Moms Weekend as a student.
“I was in another sorority and we had Moms Weekend and my mom came from the Chicago area,” Gina Prendergast said. “We did the same things — the sorority had a luncheon or different things for mom. I have fond memories.”
Dean Patterson, assistant manager for the Illini Union Bookstore, observed Moms Weekend is a popular shopping weekend.
“The moms tend to do a little more shopping for their children,” Patterson said. “Dads Weekend seems to be: take (them) to a football game, take them out to eat, give them $100 and go home. But moms tend to go shopping together. So it’s always fun to see.”
Patterson added Moms Weekend is low-pressure and fun compared to other days when the bookstore is popular, such as back-to-school shopping.
Although the bookstore usually carries merchandise directed at parents, the selection of mom-specific items increases during Moms Weekend.
“We tend to have more variety around this time of year,” Patterson said. “We probably won’t restock once we’ve listed what we have.”
