Hay bales stacked, food prepared, and a DJ ready to lead the party, fathers and daughters gathered in the faculty parking lot on Sept. 4 for the annual Father-Daughter Barbeque.

T-shirts proclaiming the Sion Dad status were handed to freshmen fathers as senior dads entered the barbeque for the last time. Fathers such as Mike Sanders, father of senior Meredith Sanders, went through the barbeque buffet line one final time before his youngest of two daughters graduates in the spring.

“This year is the last time for my dad to come,” Sanders said, “He came for four years with my sister and then four years with me, so now it’s kind of like the end of an era for him.”

Similar to Sanders, Tim Redmond says it is bittersweet to have one of the final father-daughter events before his daughter, senior Lauren Redmond, leaves for college.

“I like coming every year because it allows me to spend time with Lauren and visit with her friends and their dads,” Redmond said. “It’s special because it will be the last time that we get this opportunity. We are anxious for her to go to college, but sad that we won’t have this chance again.”

Fathers and daughters enjoyed a table full with hamburgers, hotdogs and cookies as they socialized with other daughters of all grades and their fathers. Senior Katherine Glaser says the barbeque is a great way to bring people together, but recognizing that it is the last time is difficult to comprehend.

“It’s great because your dad gets to meet other dads and they get to meet your friends that they may not have known before,” Glaser said. “Realizing that this is the last time is so weird and strange for me because you never really think about your last time until it happens.”

As the first of many lasts for seniors, the barbeque served as a reminder of the limited time senior fathers and daughters have until the daughters pack their bags and leave for the next chapter in their lives. Nick Manning, father of graduate Mackenzie Manning, senior Sydney Manning and freshman Tierney Manning says that the second and third time as a Sion dad are easier than the first, but the most interesting thing is seeing the change in his daughters and their friends from freshman to senior year

“The freshman [barbeque] was all new to me,” Manning said. “But it has been fun to watch the freshman to senior transformation. It’s fun to watch all the girls grow up.”