FARMINGTON — Over 500 students in the Class of 2021 will begin a new chapter in their lives as they arrive at the University of Maine at Farmington on Friday.

Keeping in line with the University of Maine System, UMF will begin classes at 1:10 p.m. Monday. 

Students and parents will start moving into dormitories Friday before attending a formal welcome by President Kathryn A. Foster, Town Manager Richard Davis and others.

As is the tradition, Foster will formally recognize their arrival and students will receive their matriculation cords, which will be used at graduation, according to the orientation schedule.

On Saturday, freshmen will settle into campus life and participate in discussions with current students about the opportunities and resources available to them.

A day of fun activities — from ceramics to white-water rafting — is offered Sunday. Foster, who earned a degree in city planning, will lead a walking tour of Farmington at 12:30 p.m. Sunday. She will discuss the town’s history, geography and culture. There is also a little skill-building in “how to read a town,” according to the orientation schedule.

Sunday will be topped off with a bonfire in the Prescott Field parking lot and movies at Narrow Gauge Cinema for $1.

University of Maine at Farmington