Family Weekend package tickets sold out in less than an hour when they went on sale Aug. 31, but tailgate-only tickets still are available on the GrizTix website.

To purchase tickets, click on the "Grizzly Football" icon, then enter promo code "GRIZMO29" in the box that appears in the upper right corner. Tickets are $21, plus applicable fees. The pregame tailgate will feature food, entertainment, giveaways and a chance to experience the Grizzly game-day atmosphere.

Tickets are sold first-come, first-served and must be purchased online. If you need assistance purchasing your ticket online, call the Adams Center Box Office at 406-243-4051 or 1-888-MONTANA (666-8262) between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. MDT. 

You will pick up your tickets during Family Weekend registration from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, Oct. 14, or from 9 to 11 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 15, on the third floor of the University Center.   

We invite those not attending the football game to join us for a football game viewing party to watch the Grizzlies on the big screen and enjoy a free nacho bar and prize raffle. Registration for the viewing party and most other Family Weekend events is free and is available here.

For more information and a tentative schedule of events, visit the Family Weekend website. For the latest updates, check out the UM Family Weekend Facebook page.

UM's Farm to College Program will host the second annual "Fall Feastival: Celebrating Montana's Food Cycle" from 5 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 15, on the Oval. The Food Zoo will be closed during this time.

The culmination of a year's planning and collaboration with 24 Montana food producers, the large-scale harvest feast will provide UM students, faculty and staff a holistic view of the state's agricultural cycle. Local farmers, ranchers and food producers will provide about 99 percent of the menu items. Preparations to grow and raise the food for the feast began in April.

UM students with resident meal plans can purchase dinner at the Feastival for $3.25 using their Griz Cards. The cost for those with a Premium Plus Dining Plan is $7.45. Faculty, staff and all others 13 and older can buy dinner for $9.95. The cost for children is $8.75 for ages 6-12 and $3 for ages 2-5.

The Associated Students of UM is offering several opportunities for students and community members to get informed about and involved in politics during "Join the Revolution: An Invitation to Get Involved" Monday through Saturday, Sept. 12-17. 

Remaining "Join the Revolution" events are:

• 6 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 14, UC 326-327: Weekly ASUM Senate meeting. Former Montana Senate Majority Leader Fred Thomas will discuss how his involvement in student government helped prepare him for leadership at the state level.  
• 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 15, UC Atrium/Mansfield Mall: Get Involved Political Fair. More than 50 student groups, nonprofit organizations and agencies will provide information and register participants to vote.  
• 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 17, Washington-Grizzly Stadium: Griz Vote! Student volunteers organized by ASUM will help students register to vote before and during the football game against Eastern Washington.

More information is available on the Join the Revolution website.

UM has selected "Field Notes from a Catastrophe" by Elizabeth Kolbert as the 2011 First-Year Reading Experience book.

All first-year students at UM are invited to participate in the First-Year Reading Experience. The program provides incoming freshmen with a shared intellectual experience to encourage discussion, advance critical thinking and develop a sense of community.

The book chronicles Kolbert's journey to communities clearly affected by global warming, including those in Greenland, England, the Netherlands, Alaska and Vermont. UM has a strong commitment to studying climate change and its potential repercussions, and "Field Notes from a Catastrophe" will provide students a compelling introduction to the topic.

Kolbert's book will be used and referenced in classes across campus, including Freshmen Interest Group seminars and WRIT 101. The book is available at The Bookstore at UM, located in the University Center.

Kolbert will be on campus Thursday, Oct. 27, to give an afternoon seminar with UM freshmen. Later that day, she will give a lecture as part of the President's Lecture Series at UM. The event begins at 8 p.m. in the University Theatre and is free and open to the public.

The 10th Annual University Community Ice Cream Social to welcome new and returning students to UM and Missoula neighborhoods will be held from 3 to 5 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 18.

The street party will take place on the 400 block of University Avenue. The event features live music and much mingling. UM President Royce Engstrom and Missoula Mayor John Engen will attend. UM mascot Monte also will make an appearance.

Participants can visit with their neighbors, browse informational tables and win door prizes. There will be free ice cream for all.

• Friday-Saturday, Oct. 14-15: Family Weekend
• Friday, Nov. 11: Veterans Day holiday
• Wednesday-Friday, Nov. 23-25: Thanksgiving holiday
• Friday, Dec. 9: Last day of classes
• Monday-Friday, Dec. 12-16: Finals week
• Friday, Dec. 16: Residence halls close at 5 p.m.
• Monday, Jan. 23: Spring semester begins