About 1,600 family members — 400 more than last year — are signed up to attend Ithaca College’s ninth annual Family Weekend.

 The three-day event, which begins tomorrow, will include speakers, a production of “The Children of Eden” in Hoerner Theatre tomorrow at 8 p.m. and parent-professor meet-and-greets.

Toni Johnson, an administrative assistant in the Office of Conference and Event Services, said he thinks this year’s events are what drew more people to register.

“Usually the numbers drop when we don’t do a theater production,” Johnson said. “And it is also up because of all the freshmen that we have.”

When senior Kari Rockhill was a freshman, Family Weekend meant trips to Target and a real meal off campus. Now, she has a new reason to look forward to it: Her father is this year’s parent keynote speaker.

“I was proud to find out he got picked,” Rockhill said. “He’ll do a good job.”

Regan Rockhill, the parent keynote speaker, said Family Weekend is a great opportunity for parents to come and see their children at a time when students won’t be busy.

“It’s a good excuse to go see your child, who is constantly caught up in the academics and the activities of school,” he said.

Doreen Hettich-Atkins, the coordinator of special services and programs in the Office of Student Affairs, set up and scheduled the weekend’s events. Hettich-Atkins said Family Weekend is an important event for families.

“It’s a part of the student world that [parents] don’t always get to see,” she said. “This is really a chance for them to come and see what it’s like to be at Ithaca College, even just for the weekend.”

The faculty keynote speaker, associate professor of history Michael Trotti, will be discussing the college’s beginnings, from the time it was located in four rented buildings on Seneca Street to the time the campus was built on South Hill.

“That transformed the school into the nationally known, comprehensive college that we are today,” Trotti said. “It was a really huge moment for Ithaca College.”

Other students won’t be seeing their parents until Thanksgiving. Freshman Akin Oni-Orisan’s parents aren’t coming because of the distance and cost of travel.

“We live in Michigan, so it’s kind of expensive taking an airplane from there to here and back,” Oni-Orisan said. “Thanksgiving is close, and they’ve already seen the school. There’s really no reason for them to come.”

The registration fee for this year’s Family Weekend is $46.50 per family member.

Hettich-Atkins encourages students whose parents aren’t coming but who have friends with parents coming to buy tickets and attend the events anyway.

“Certainly, we’d like everybody to be a part of the weekend,” Hettich-Atkins said.