Everything Nac

The Loblolly Railroad Model Train Display will return for a second year to the historic Nacogdoches Railroad Depot from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 30.

Presented by the Loblolly Crew, the three-rail O gauge train is 12 feet by 16 feet and features two mainline loops of track, one designed to travel in a figure 8 and another in a point-to-point trolley line. Spectators can enjoy watching this vintage engine pull passenger and freight cars around the depot’s scenic display, along with the Polar Express and other unique model trains.

All trains will be on display at the Nacogdoches Railroad Depot, 101 Old Tyler Road, starting Friday, Nov. 30, and will operate 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 1 and 8; 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 2 and 9; and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday, Dec. 7 and 14.

The Loblolly Railroad is also scheduled to be displayed at the Longview Train Show March 2-3, 2013, at the Longview Fairgrounds and the Tyler Train Show April 27-28, 2013, at the East Texas Fairgrounds–Harvey Hall.

Organized in 1999, the Loblolly Crew is a group of East Texas men who enjoy promoting and sharing their model train hobby with railroad enthusiasts and visitors alike. The group is based out of Longview, and additional information regarding their hobby can be viewed online at www.angelfire.com/tx5/loblollyrr.

Sponsors for this year’s event are the Stephen F. Austin State University Center for Regional Heritage Research, the city of Nacogdoches and Nacogdoches County Chamber of Commerce. For more information, contact the Center for Regional Heritage and Research at (936) 468-3953. The event is free and open to the public.

The Stephen F. Austin State University chapter of Dancers Against Cancer, along with guest performers, will hold abenefit concert supporting cancer research at 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 30, in the Baker Pattillo Student Center Grand Ballroom on the SFA campus.

The groups will present a wide variety of dance performances, including jazz, hip-hop, and lyrical styles. Musical performances also will be held, along with performances by Krumping Slow Dance Organization and Pi Kappa Phi fraternity. Proceeds from the concert will benefit St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital.

“We’re so excited to host this night of celebration and remembrance,” said Shelbé Probasco, Dancers Against Cancer president.

“Our members have worked hard on this show all semester, and we can’t wait to share our love of dance while raising funds to donate to such a great cause.”

The event will honor cancer survivors, fighters and those who have lost the battle. Inspirational speeches and awards also will be given.

Tickets will be sold at the door and are $3 for students and $5 for generaladmission. For more information, contact Kayli Head at (936) 468-2553 or khead@sfasu.edu.

Stephen F. Austin State University student musicians will be showcased when the SFA School of Music presents the Swingin’ Axes and Swingin’ Aces in concert at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 30, in W.M. Turner Auditorium.

The Swingin’ Axes will perform a program that spans more than 60 years of big band jazz styles, according to Gary Wurtz, professor of trumpet at SFA and director of the ensemble.

Among the selections will be a “typically lush arrangement” of “Stella by Starlight” by Nelson Riddle from the 1950s, Wurtz said. The band’s performance will also feature Thad Jones’ rock influenced “Us” from the early ’70s, Bill Holman’s “Petaluma Lu” from the artist’s Grammy-winning album of 1995, and a modern arrangement of Radiohead’s “Everything in its Right Place.”

Swingin’ Axes’ students to be featured as soloists include Brownsville graduate student Robert Palermo, tenor saxophone; Baytown graduate student Paul Roberts, trumpet; Dayton senior Danny Williams, trombone; Nacogdoches junior Jacob Barnhill, soprano saxophone; and Nacogdoches junior Heath Perritt and Lufkin junior Juwan Blanton, drums.

The Swingin’ Aces, under the direction of Deb Scott, associate professor of trombone and jazz studies, will perform “Stapes” by Frank Mantooth featuring Fort Worth junior Danny Lopez on trumpet. Also to be performed by the jazz band are “Left in the Dust” by Bill Liston, “Pressure Cooker” by Sammy Nestico, “I Wish” by Stevie Wonder and arranged by Mike Tomaro, and “Monday Morning Blues” by former Swingin’ Axes director the late Darrell Holt.

Tickets are $5 for adults, $4 for seniors and $2 for students. For tickets or more information, visit www.finearts.sfasu.edu or call the SFA Fine Arts Box Office at (936) 486-6407.

“Not Home for Christmas” will be presented by The (New) Original Cast, Stephen F. Austin State University School of Theatre’s resident variety/comedy troupe, as a feature of this year’s Nine Flags Festival.

Created by the 12-member student ensemble, “Not Home for Christmas” features beloved holiday songs ranging from traditional standards to contemporary hits.

The original play – a comedy featuring nine musical numbers – tells the story of three groups stranded in a mountain ski resort after an avalanche.

“It highlights the ways in which small miracles can happen, even when Christmas doesn’t happen according to plan,” said Jason Davids Scott, assistant professor of theatre at SFA and the troupe’s director.

The cast includes Amarillo sophomore Mary Collie, Friendswood freshman Anna Elizabeth Drake, Emory junior Vanessa Hendricks, Marietta, Ga., junior Hannah Johnson, Fort Worth sophomore Molly Mitchell, Graham freshman Carly Nunn, Pearland sophomore Nnamdi Nwankwo, Chandler freshman James Pace, The Woodlands sophomore Nick Pinelli, Arlington senior Corinne Shady, Houston junior Sarah Wisterman and Orange senior Randy Wuske.

After the avalanche changes everyone’s plans for Christmas, the characters, who are only remotely connected through shared acquaintances, begin to pull together, “and you see the trials they all go through that bring them closer together,” cast member Pinelli said.

Pinelli, a sophomore theatre major from The Woodlands, finds the creativity allowed each cast member in developing their characters and the story line of the script to be one of the more rewarding aspects of his involvement in The (New) Original Cast. After cast members exchanged ideas about where the storyline would take this particular production, Scott wrote the script.

“I really enjoy the fact that you get to be 100-percent creative,” Pinelli said. “We all created the characters and the script from scratch. We had our own ideas, and Dr. Scott put them into words.

“What people will see is a collaboration of the minds of everyone in the cast,” he said.

Performance times are 7:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 30; 2 and 9 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 1; and 3 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 2. All performances will be in the Cole Art Center @ The Old Opera House, 329 E. Main St. The play is suitable for audiences 9 years and older.

Tickets are $9 for adults and $6 for students. For tickets or more information, visit www.finearts.sfasu.edu or call (936) 486-6407.

The Stephen F. Austin State University College of Fine Arts will offer a number of holiday-related performances and events that are sure to put anyone in the spirit of the season.

The (New) Original Cast, SFA School of Theatre’s variety and comedy troupe, will present “Not Home for Christmas” as a feature of the Nine Flags Festival. The holiday production is an original piece created by the 12-member ensemble and features beloved songs ranging from traditional standards to contemporary hits. Performances will be at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 30; 2 and 9 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 1; and 3 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 2. All performances are in Cole Art Center @The Old Opera House, 329 E. Main St.

SFA percussion students will present their annual holiday concert, “Percussion in the Pines,” at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 4, in Cole Concert Hall on the SFA campus. The program will feature both the SFA Percussion Ensemble and Steel Band, also known as Jacks of Steel, performing a collection of carols, popular tunes and contemporary arrangements for percussion.

SFA Friends of the Visual Arts will host the annual Hooked on Art ornament auction at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 7, at Cole Art Center downtown. The silent auction/raffle of handmade ornaments by local artists serves as a scholarship fundraiser for the organization. Call (936) 468-1131 for information.

On Friday, Dec. 7, SFA’s A Cappella Choir, Choral Union and Women’s Chorus and the Orchestra of the Pines will present “Christmas Around the World” at 7:30 p.m. in W.M. Turner Auditorium. The combined choral masterwork program will feature a new work by Christopher Rouse, “Karolju,” which includes nine carols for choir and orchestra.

The SFA Children’s Performing Arts Series will present “Babes in Toyland” at 9:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 11, in W.M. Turner Auditorium. Victor Herbert’s captivating classic is filled with unforgettable songs and a story that takes the audience on a trip to a magical land filled with toys and treats and features the Goody Gumdrop Tree.

The SFA School of Music will present “Amahl and the Night Visitors” at 6 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 13, and at 11 a.m. Friday, Dec. 14, in Cole Concert Hall. The 45-minute opera by Gian Carlo Menotti tells the story of a crippled shepherd boy and his mother who are visited by the Three Kings during their journey to find the Christ child.

The College of Fine Arts will present “Dailey & Vincent: A Bluegrass Christmas” at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 14, in W.M. Turner Auditorium. Jamie Dailey and Darrin Vincent, one of the most sought-after groups in bluegrass music, will perform a blend of holiday favorites, original songs and bluegrass classics. Dailey and Vincent have received more than 30 awards in the bluegrass music industry, and the International Bluegrass Music Association named the group Entertainer of the Year for three consecutive years.

Tickets for any of the holiday events can be purchased online at www.finearts.sfasu.edu or by calling the Fine Arts Box Office at (936) 468-6407.