Bag Gouge (scoop, skinny, info, intel)
The tote bag with all the Class names on it should be available in the Mid Store, don't know the price. Ditto for the t-shirt with all the Class names on it. A Plebe Parent must-have!
A Proud Parent tote bag, no class names, is complimentarily provided by a corporate sponsor of the Plebe Picnic, through a long-standing relationship with the Alumni Assn. The same association provides those bags at all 5 Service Academies on I-Day, R-Day, Acceptance Day, etc., a years-long tradition. You do not have to register for the picnic to get the bag.
The picnic is a nice option, a chance to sit down in the shade after going through the chow line. Families driving in often bring their own lawn chairs and park the grandparents under the trees. Alternately, many folks bring coolers with their own drinks, or buy to go bags from The Big Cheese Deli on Randall St. outside Gate 1, always named #1 sandwich in Annapolis... The Drydock Snack Bar in Dahlgren Hall will be jammed, with long lines and waits for a place to sit down.
In past years, the big tent has been on Worden Field, the parade ground just across from Alumni Hall where you will watch your D/S/D disappear. I assume it will be the same this year. Nothing to do then but wander around, shop, pick and choose among scheduled events, shop some more, eat and relax until the last hugs and the Oath of Acceptance.
It's always a great day in Annapolis, with the town thronged with proud but anxious family, a young man or woman smiling but with some tension around the eyes, and those Proud Parent bags, t-shirts, Proud [insert family member] t-shirts and polos saturating the town.