This weekend’s football game will see an abnormal amount of dads in the stadium cheering and shouting.

The second annual Dad’s Weekend will be held this weekend on Oct. 10 and 11. According to Heather Costello, the academic events coordinator, this year’s event is already proving more successful than last year’s.

Last year, Dad’s Weekend had a total of 203 people register for the event and this year the numbers are up as they are up to 312 registered.

The idea for a dad’s weekend came from the University of Washing ton where they have a long s t a n d i n g tradition of having a Mom’s Weekend.

“It was something that was missing on campus and it was one of those things where we thought ‘why aren’t we doing this,’” Costello said.

L a u r i e N i c h o l s , provost and vice president for academic affairs, and Marysz Rames, former vice president for student affairs, played big parts in bringing Mom’s and Dad’s weekend to campus.

“They [parents] want to meet your friends, teachers, and learn more about what you do while at college. They like to treat you to dinner or grocery shop or do some nice things for you. It makes parents feel good, like they are helping,” Nichols said.

SDSU incorporated the idea and created two separate weekends for moms and dads. They hold Dad’s Weekend in the fall during football season while Mom’s Weekend is held in the spring. They line up the weekend with a variety of events to entertain students and their parents.

“We’re hoping it’s a good opportunity for students to show their dads around and their families, if they have families coming, campus and Brookings,” Costello said. “For once, they can show their parents what they’re doing and their new life on campus.”

The main event is the football game versus the Missouri State University Bears. They also decided to “add a little gusto,” said Costello, by bringing in comedian Roger Radley. Radley will be performing on Friday night at 8 p.m. in the PAC. The comedian is free for all students with their student ID and is not just for those who registered for Dad’s Weekend.

“Parents really miss their child when he or she is away at school,” Nichols said. “This is an opportunity to have special time together, catch up and have some fun, memory-making time together.”

Other events for the weekend include a haunted attraction, a petting zoo, casino night and several tours of various places in Brookings and on campus including Wooden Legs Brewery and the Dairy Bar.

“We are looking forward to this weekend,” Nichols said. “The program is shaping up nicely and we look forward to meeting dads from all over the state, region and country.”

Even though it is named Dad’s Weekend, doesn’t mean it is only for dads. According to Costello, there are numerous moms, siblings and other family members attending the event.

“The reason we do Dad’s Weekend on campus is for dads to come and visit their college students and see where they’re living and their new home away from home,” Costello said.

Registration for the event ended Tuesday, Oct. 7 but if students or their parents missed out on Dad’s Weekend, they can try again this coming spring. Mom’s Weekend this year is scheduled for April 17 and 18, 2015.