Chocolate tasting, Irish dance performances and chair massages are just a few of the things that students and parents can experience at a new event the Moms Association is hosting for Moms Day Weekend.

The Moms Association is hosting “Explore Illinois,” an event where student and University programs and groups offer interactive exhibits and experiences, Friday from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the Illini Rooms at the Union, said Becki Galardy, program manager for the parents program office.

“We wanted the parents to connect with new things, make it more personal,” Galardy said. “We also wanted to give students a place to show off.”

Previously, the Moms Association held a formal banquet that was open to the public, but attendance had started to decline, Galardy said.

“People just weren’t looking for a formal event that took up so much time on that Friday of Moms Weekend,” Galardy said. “We wanted to make something more like an open house where people can come as they want.”

BodyWork Associates

• Providing visitors with short chair massages
• Giving out general information

UI Pollinatarium and BeeSpotter

• Get information about the Pollinatarium, an interactive place to view and learn about bees and other pollinators, which is opening soon.
• Learn about BeeSpotter, a citizen science program where people can post images of bees and help identify what type of bees are in the area. “We really want to get information out to the public about bees and pollinators because they are so important to agriculture,” said May Berenbaum, professor and head of the entomology department.
• View a demonstration at the BeeSpotter Web site. “Depending on what shape our colonies are in, we might have a colony for people to see and maybe do a honey tasting,” Berenbaum said.

Creating the first Braille diploma

• Meet Bryan McMurray, a blind staff member who created the first Braille diploma
• See the equipment used to make a Braille diploma
• See a sample of a Braille diploma

All you want to know about certified housing

• Learn about housing options for University students
• Learn answers to frequently asked questions
• Receive free giveaways

Science of Chocolate

• Chocolate trivia
• Sensory panel for tasting and evaluating chocolate
• Display and demonstration of lab experiments
• Chocolate fountain. “If people don’t like the science, at least they’ll like the chocolate,” said Nicki Engeseth, food science and human nutrition professor who is putting on the exhibit.

Operation: Military Kids

• University partnership with an organization that creates awareness and provides support for local military children
• Write a note of appreciation to military children
• Help piece together a bear that will be given to a military child

Women’s Resource Center

• Learn about all the work done to get a women’s center on campus
• Get information about events and activities sponsored by the center
• Learn about the support services provided to men and women by the center

Four 10-minute student group performances throughout the night:

• The Xtension chords, a cappella performance
• Cosa Meara Company of Irish Dance, Irish dance performance
• Special Ops, Chinese yo-yo demonstration
• High Energy Chemistry, chemistry demonstrations by students and professors