Local comedian Ryan Stiles to headline WWU's Fall Family Open House Oct. 22-24

Bellingham comedian Ryan Stiles, star of such hits as “Whose Line is it Anyway,” “The Drew Carey Show,” and “Two-and-a-Half Men,” will headline Western Washington University’s annual Fall Family Open House weekend, Oct. 22-24."Ryan Stiles and Friends" headlines this year's annual Fall Family Open House at WWU Oct. 22-24.

Fall Family Open House is a great way for parents to visit their students over a fun-filled weekend on the Western campus and surrounding area. The weekend kicks off on Friday, Oct. 22, with “Spellbinding Beauty: Selections from the Lehmann African Art Collection” from 10 a.m.-4 p.m.at the Western Gallery; Planetarium shows at 7 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.; a Sanford Piano Series performance by piano virtuoso Di Wu in the Performing Arts Center Concert Hall; a performance by the First Wave Hip Hop Theatre Ensemble on the PAC Main Stage at 7:30, and more.

Saturday, Oct. 23, will feature events such as an opening reception and presentation at Zoe’s Bookside Bagels in Wilson Library at 9 a.m.; campus academic presentations from 11 a.m.-noon and noon-1 p.m.; departmental open houses from 11 a.m.- 2 p.m., a campus tree tour at 1 p.m. and sculpture tour at 3 p.m.; and “Ryan Stiles and Friends,” featuring Stiles and local performers from Bellingham’s Upfront Theatre, which gets under way at 7:30 p.m. Ticket prices for this event are $35 or $25 for students. To order tickets, call the WWU box office at (360) 650-6146 or purchase tickets online at www.tickets.wwu.edu.

WWU sports teams will also be competing Saturday: women’s soccer takes on Seattle Pacific at the Whatcom Community College soccer complex at 4 p.m.; men’s soccer takes the same field at 7 p.m. to take on Simon Fraser; and the Viking volleyball team takes on the University of Alaska at Fairbanks at 7 p.m. at Carver Gymnasium on the WWU campus. Admission to the soccer matches is $7 for adults, $5 for students and seniors, or $3 for WWU students, faculty, and staff. Volleyball admission prices are the same, except the cost for adults is $8.

Fall Family Open House wraps up on Sunday, Oct. 24, with a “chowder charter” on Bellingham Bay aboard the sailboat Shawmanee (cost is $50 per person; buy tickets through the WWU box office, above) from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. and a student/parent brunch in one of the three campus dining halls from 10:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.

For a more complete schedule of the weekend’s activities, including many items not listed here, go to http://nssfo.wwu.edu/fallfamilyopenhouse/, or for more information, call (360) 650-3846.