Everything Nac

Local Media Contact
Name: Amy Mehaffey
Phone: 936-559-2573

Congratulations to the City of Nacogdoches, Texas for being selected as the Texas Arbor Day 2016 host city.

Arbor Day is celebrated the first Friday in November each year in a different Texas City. This year, the City of Nacogdoches celebrates being the Oldest Town in Texas with its 300th birthday and will host fellow Texans in a statewide celebration of trees.

The community has roots in traditional forestry as the home of the Stephen F. Austin State University Lumberjacks and the Arthur Temple College of Forestry. But Nacogdoches, a Tree City USA, also values urban and community forestry having recently been named the Garden Capital of Texas by the state legislature.

“We would be proud to host the rest of the state and join in celebrating our forestry heritage and growth in urban forestry,” Nacogdoches City Planner Larissa Philpot said.

To commemorate this historical milestone, the Garden Capital of Texas Committee members plan to plant 300 trees in the community, with the ceremonial 300th tree being planted on Arbor Day at Millard’s Crossing Historic Village.

According Philpot, the city also plans to celebrate Nacogdoches’ historic and champion trees by highlighting their histories with photographs and seedlings grown out from these trees.

The celebration while still in the planning phase, will also feature a ceremony, educational activities and giveaways. The events are free and open to the public.

Everyone is invited to participate either by attending the festivities Nov. 4, 2016 in Nacogdoches, by planting a tree in their own communities, or by just taking a minute to enjoy and celebrate trees and the vital resources they provide for us every day.

“Arbor Day, above all, presents a tremendous opportunity to teach fundamental lessons about the stewardship of our natural resources and caring for our environment,” Paul Johnson, Texas A&M Forest Service Urban and Community Forestry Program Coordinator said. “This is a great opportunity for families to come out and learn about trees and how they protect and affect us.”

Texas first observed Arbor Day in 1889, celebrating the benefits that trees provide over a lifetime. Today, the state Arbor Day celebration is a collaborative effort among Texas A&M Forest Service, the Texas Forestry Association, the Texas Chapter of the international Society of Arboriculture, the host city and numerous non-profit organizations.

Please mark your calendars and check https://www.facebook.com/CityofNacogdoches/ for evolving information about this historic event.

Contacts:
John Boyette, District Forester, Texas A&M Forest Service
936-564-9276, jboyette@tfs.tamu.edu

Paul Johnson, Urban and Community Forestry Coordinator, Texas A&M Forest Service
210-289-0815, pjohnson@tfs.tamu.edu

Texas A&M Forest Service Communications
979-458-6606, newsmedia@tfs.tamu.edu

CONTACT: Mercedes Franks
936.559.2970

Computer Classes at the Library

The Judy B. McDonald Public Library is offering free evening computer classes in November. The computer series begins on November 1st with Meet the Computer, followed by Navigating the Web on November 8th and concluding with Microsoft Word on November 15th. All classes are from 5:30-7:30 pm. Please call 559-2970 to reserve your spot.
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Contact information: JuLee Comer
(936) 559-2970

STEAM 4 KIDS: HEXBUGs and LEGO®s
 
The Judy B. McDonald Public Library invites children ages 7 to 11 to participate in a STEAM 4 KIDS program on Thursday, November 3rd at 5:30 p.m. Children will use LEGO®s to explore simple machines. They will then use their knowledge of simple machines to design and build a zip-line and a LEGO® maze for HEXBUGs. In addition, the SFA School of Art 2D Design class will demonstrate screen printing. Participants will create a free custom t-shirt to take home! Please call 559-2970 to register.

The Judy B. McDonald Public Library is excited to offer STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math) programs for children ages 7-11 this Fall. By offering such programming, the public library strives to provide an informal environment where children can become engaged in fun, hands-on learning activities in the STEAM disciplines. STEAM programs will be offered every Thursday from 5:30 – 6:30pm. All programming is free to the public, but we ask that you register ahead of time so we will be prepared with adequate materials.

The Friends of the Library are on Facebook (as Judy B. McDonald Public Library) and Twitter & Instagram (as @friendsofnacpl).
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Contact information: Crystal Hicks
(936) 559-2970

Family Game Night at the Public Library

The Judy B. McDonald Public Library invites the community to Family Game Night on Friday, November 11th at 5:30 p.m. This afterhours event will transform the library for a family-friendly evening of fun including life-sized battleship and memory, floor puzzles and more games for all ages. Light refreshments will be served. The event is free and no registration is required. Please call 936-559-2970 for more information.

The Friends of the Library are on Facebook (as Judy B. McDonald Public Library) and Twitter (as @friendsofnacpl).
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Contact information: Crystal Hicks
(936) 559-2970

Murder Mystery Party at the Public Library

The Judy B. McDonald Public Library invites the community to attend a Murder Mystery Evening for adults on Friday, November 18th from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Participants will be assigned a character and take part in solving the mystery. By the end of the night, the victim and the murderer will be uncovered, thanks to the sleuthing skills of the players. “This is our third murder mystery event, and it’s one of our favorites,” says Crystal Hicks, assistant library director. “The theme this time is a 1980s high school reunion, so the costume opportunities are abundant!” Attendees will be notified of their assigned characters prior to the event. Hors d’oeuvres will be served, and the event is free. The nature of the event requires the attendance of assigned characters, so participants should register by the day before the event and notify the library if they are unable to attend. Library information is available at www.ci.nacogdoches.tx.us/library, on Facebook under Judy B. McDonald Public Library and on Twitter and Instagram as friendsofnacpl.