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The University of Maryland, College Park, held its 11th annual Maryland Day celebration Saturday, drawing a record 77,500 visitors.

The event, held on a sunny, 85-degree day, offered a bit of everything for visitors, from a carnival atmosphere with food and games on McKeldin Mall to robotics demonstrations at the aerospace engineering department's Manufacturing Building.

"There's a lot of enriching things here to see," said Barry Mathieu, who brought his son, Ian, 5, and daughter, Carly, 2, from Crofton to attend. "I think it's very worthwhile."

David Ottalini, the university's senior media relations associate, said last year's event attracted nearly 75,000, and the first Maryland Day in 1999 welcomed 20,000 visitors.

The event is designed to showcase what the university has to offer while rewarding taxpayers and donors whose money keeps the school running, officials said.

"There aren't a lot of ways to show where the money goes, but this is one of them," Ottalini said. "It's a great way for us to do community outreach."

The event opened at 10 a.m. with a ceremony at Hornbake Plaza, site of the Global Village, where the university's commitment to diversity was on display. The village featured flags from several dozen countries and hosted events highlighting types of cuisine and dance from around the world.

At Terp Town Center on McKeldin Mall, visitors walked their dogs, ate funnel cakes and visited information tents set up by the university's 13 schools and colleges. Schools also hosted open houses and alumni receptions around campus.

"We appreciate that it's a family oriented celebration," said Orlando Smith of Glenn Dale, who along with his wife, Adrienne, attended the university. "And of course, the weather doesn't hurt."

The experience was ideal for high school students beginning to look at colleges, said Prentice Johnson of Kensington, who brought his three teenage sons to College Park.

"I'm just out to tour the dorms and get a feel for the college air," said his son, Devon, 16, a sophomore at Albert Einstein High School in Kensington. "I'm kind of interested in science and technology so I think we're going to check that out."

For current students, the thousands of visitors made it a not-so-typical Saturday afternoon.

"It's definitely a different scene than usual," said Becca Youngbar, 18, a freshman from Bel Air. "It's so fun. I love the atmosphere, I love everyone here."

This year's Maryland Day was put together with the help of more than 8,000 faculty, staff and student volunteers. The event has been held on an annual $230,000 budget that is likely to be decreased next year due to the state budget crunch, said Ottalini. But with moderate cost-cutting and help from area sponsors, he said, Maryland Day should remain on solid footing.

"This is an event that's going to continue," he said. "It's part of our fabric."

E-mail David Hill at dhill@gazette.net.