Remember those brothers or sisters from home that used to annoy you, read your diary and open your bedroom door when you wanted to be by yourself? Well, sometimes being at college can make you miss even the most annoying of siblings.

Don’t worry, there’s a remedy.

Gannon University’s Activities Programming Board hosts a weekend full of activities for students and their younger siblings. This year’s weekend begins Friday, Feb. 19.

If you choose to come to Gannon, there will be plenty of opportunities for cool stuff like this on Little Sibs Weekend – where you get the chance to have your little siblings live with your in your dorm and experience your life for a weekend.

At this year’s event – beginning Friday night – students and their sibs will have the opportunity to win prizes by playing bingo against other teams. Later that night, “Old Dogs,” starring John Travolta and Robin Williams, will play in Zurn. (Zurn is the science center, so it’s pretty neat to sit and watch a funny movie where you would usually hear lectures about microscopic organisms.)

On Saturday, APB has a multitude of events available, including casino games. Teams can compete for prizes by playing Texas Hold ‘em, Blackjack, roulettes and other games.

Saturday night, magician Nate Staniforth will be performing a magic show for both Little Sibs Weekend participants and the Gannon community.

According to Jess Bush, APB family chair, this weekend provides siblings valuable time to bond.

“The benefits are spending time doing activities with your little brother or sister that you don’t get to do on a regular basis,” said Bush, a junior sport and exercise science major. “Plus, it gives you a chance to spend time with your siblings without your parents being there.”

Jennifer Miller, a junior math/secondary education major, said Little Sibs Weekend offers a nice way for her and her 15-year-old sister to see each other.

“It was a great opportunity for my sister and I to spend time together, just the two of us,” Miller said. “We are both so busy with different activities that we would rarely have that time. It was nice to spend the weekend just having fun together.”

Katie Reid will be participating in Little Sibs Weekend for the first time this year. Reid said she is looking forward to her 12-year-old brother and sister and her 11-year-old sister to visit from Pittsburgh.

“I’m excited because I’m really close with my siblings,” said Reid, a sophomore early, elementary and special education major, “and I’m excited for them to get the chance to see what it’s like being at college.”

Junior biology major Lindsey Bocian said she enjoys both the activities planned for Little Sibs Weekend and the down time the weekend allows for other activities – like going to out to dinner.

A Pittsburgh native, Bocian has participated in Little Sibs weekend twice with her 14- and 18-year old sisters, and she encourages all students with younger brothers or sisters to take this chance to show your little siblings what you’re doing up here while you’re not living with them anymore.

“Little Sibs Weekend gives you a chance to see your siblings while you’re away from home,” she said. “It also lets them see that it’s like to be in college.”

If you liked hearing about opportunities to share with your family, you may enjoy Abby Badach’s blog on remembering childhood joys.