However, these traditionally events failed to satisfy everyone's idea of fun.

Still in the spirit of Family Weekend, but not a huge fan of the Marquette-planned events, College of Communication senior Tim Liston and his friends decided to enjoy family time a bit differently.,”Marquette sponsored many events throughout its annual Family Weekend, Oct. 5 through Oct. 7, for which it expected more than 2,000 students.

However, these traditionally events failed to satisfy everyone's idea of fun.

Still in the spirit of Family Weekend, but not a huge fan of the Marquette-planned events, College of Communication senior Tim Liston and his friends decided to enjoy family time a bit differently.

"It's more fun now that we're 21 and 22," Liston said, "We're more mature, and we can just have fun with it."

The day began with a cookout at 2 p.m. complete with a father-son beanbag game (the sons lost).

But the main event began downtown at 8 p.m. For $10 per person, Liston and his friends (about 45 students and around 90 parents) rented out a back room of John Hawk's Pub, 100 E. Wisconsin Ave, a British-themed pub overlooking the Milwaukee River.

Senior in the College of Arts & Sciences Nora Kaitis, a friend of Liston's, was excited for the tradition to continue. Kaitis went out to dinner with her roommates and family before heading to John Hawk's.

"It's a classier bar, so it was good for the parents," Kaitis said.

The evening's event gave students a chance to relax with their parents in an atmosphere they enjoy, and gave parents a walk down memory lane, back to their own college days.

"It was really great for my dad, who is a Marquette graduate," Kaitis said. "He loved being back in the college atmosphere and hanging out with Marquette students. It brought back good memories and he started telling lots of stories."

"It was a blast," said Beth Hemann, also a senior in the College of Arts & Sciences. "It was a little strange being in a bar with all those parent at first, but once people started mingling and everyone kind of found their element, things loosened up."

The parent's reaction?

"They love this," said Liston. "The have been looking forward to it for weeks.I think the parents really liked John Hawks. It was a great day to be outside, and there was a jazz band, which added to the atmosphere."

Liston was very enthusiastic about his plans, which were inspired by his brother who graduated four years ago.

"It was a lot of fun then, and we wanted to keep it a tradition," Liston said.

Therese Liston, Tim Liston's mother, was very enthusiastic as well.

"We started this with his older brother, and his friends were all people we knew, and we would see around the neighborhood," she said. "But Tim's group is more diverse, with people from all over. It has been great because we have gotten to know and meet more of a range of students and parents over the past four years.

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