Everything Nac

Stephen F. Austin State University’s campus recreation and alumni association will host the ninth annual Homecoming 5K beginning at 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 25, on the SFA campus near the new Ed and Gwen Cole STEM Building located off Clark Boulevard.

The event brings together students, alumni, faculty and staff, and community members to raise money for SFA scholarships and celebrate this year’s Homecoming theme, “Decades.” The 3.1-mile course winds through the beautiful SFA campus and along the paved trails of the SFA Gardens’ Tucker Woods, the arboretum and Lanana Creek Trail. This year “virtual runners” also will be able to participate.

“Supporters don’t have to live in the Nacogdoches area to join in the fun,” said Katie Blevins, campus recreation promotions and sponsorship coordinator. “Anyone can be a virtual runner or walker and complete a 5K course in his or her hometown. This allows participants to show their purple pride during SFA’s Homecoming week celebration from any location at any time during Homecoming week.”

Participants are encouraged to register before Oct. 12 to guarantee a race T-shirt. The student registration rate is $15, the faculty, staff, alumni and virtual runner rate is $25, and the community member rate is $35. A 1-mile option also is available for $5 but does not include a T-shirt. T-shirts may be purchased for an additional $10. Registration also is available on race day beginning at 4 p.m.

“This year we are encouraging participants to dress in costume and enter the #SFA5K Costume Contest,” Blevins said. “The contest will offer an individual costume category, as well as a team category. We hope friends, family members and coworkers will dress in purple to show their SFA spirit, or as a favorite TV or movie character from the past, present or future to celebrate the decades theme.”

The Homecoming 5K is a family and dog friendly event. Winners in each category will be recognized during an awards ceremony after the race.

For more information, or to register or become a sponsor, visit sfasu.edu/campusrec.

Stephen F. Austin State University’s Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture will host NacogdoTREES, a free community-wide contest celebrating the natural beauty of Nacogdoches, from Oct. 1 through Nov. 16.

“The goal of NacogdoTREES is to highlight the importance of urban and community trees, raise awareness of their ecological benefits, introduce the community to the field of forestry and encourage citizens to spend time outdoors,” said Sarah Fuller, outreach coordinator for SFA’s Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture.

The competition includes categories for largest tree circumference, largest crown, tallest tree, best shade tree and best overall tree. Prizes will be awarded for each category. Faculty members developed videos to teach some basic forestry measurements, including tree height and crown spread. The videos are available on the competition’s web page to guide participants through the process.

“Keep in mind that it’s not just all about numbers and measurements,” said Dr. Shelby Laird, assistant professor of forestry at SFA. “The best overall tree may be the tree with the best story, the most fans or simply just the most beautiful. We really hope NacogdoTREES encourages people to visit some of our amazing city parks and the SFA campus.”

The competition also will serve as a learning opportunity for beginning forestry students at SFA. Students enrolled in Laird’s careers and competencies in forestry course will execute the required technical measurements to determine the winners in each category. Laird said she also hopes the competition will provide insight into what specifically endears individuals to certain trees and provide baseline data for future research.

Trees eligible for submission must be located on the SFA campus, properties managed by Nacogdoches Parks and Recreation or on the entrant’s personal property. For competition guidelines, an entry form, a list of prizes, area maps and resources, visit forestry.sfasu.edu/nacogdotrees/.

Concert pianist Kevin Ayesh will perform at Stephen F. Austin State University at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 13, in Cole Concert Hall as part of the SFA Friends of Music Concert Series.

Ayesh, who has presented concerts and master classes throughout the United States as well as in Canada, Belgium, Germany, Sweden, Switzerland and Hong Kong, will present a varied program featuring the music of Ludwig van Beethoven, Johannes Brahms, Gabriel Fauré and Frédéric Chopin.

Among the works on the program are Beethoven’s popular Sonata in C Minor, Op. 13 (the “Pathetique”), Chopin’s majestic late Sonata in B Minor, Op. 58, and some lesser known “caprices” by Viennese-born American composer Robert Starer, who was a faculty member at the Juilliard School from 1949-1974.

Ayesh has taught music at Blue Ridge Community College in Flat Rock, North Carolina, since 1992. As a North Carolina visiting artist for four years, he appeared before thousands across that state, performing as many as 50 recitals in a season.

He is a recipient of the Naftzger Piano Award and Baltimore Music Club Award and winner of both the JCC Baltimore Piano Competition and the Maryland State Music Teachers’ Elizabeth R. Davis Memorial Piano Competition. Ayesh was awarded second prize at the Wideman International Piano Competition and won both third prize and composer’s prize at the New Orleans International Piano Competition.

This past summer, Ayesh was a guest artist at the Lindlar International Piano Festival in Germany, and he has recently served as a recitalist and clinician for the Gene Marcus Piano Festival at Purdue University-Fort Wayne in Indiana, the Star Valley Junior Music Festival in Wyoming, and the USA Piano Camp at the University of South Alabama.

According to Dr. Andrew Parr, professor of piano at SFA, Ayesh will present a master class for SFA student pianists in Cole Concert Hall at 10:30 a.m. the same day as the concert. The class is open to the public and free of charge.

Cole Concert Hall is located in the Tom and Peggy Wright Music Building, 2210 Alumni Drive.

Concert tickets are $8 for adults, $6 for seniors and $3 for students and youth. For tickets or more information, call the SFA Fine Arts Box Office at (936) 468-6407 or visit www.finearts.sfasu.edu.

Join Stephen F. Austin State University’s SFA Gardens for a free outdoor family day featuring archery, the Survival Supermarket and guided plant identification hikes led by students from the National Association of Interpretation, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 13, at the Pineywoods Native Plant Center, located at 2900 Raguet St.

Children are encouraged to learn introductory archery skills from a team of trained SFA student instructors. Other activities include a shopping trip through the Survival Supermarket to learn about the traditional uses of the cattail plant, introduction to orienteering and compass skills, creating plaster casts of animal tracks, hiking with NAI students on plant identification walks, and more.

“Cattail is one of the most versatile plants when it comes to survival scenarios. It can be used for food, fuel and pillows,” said Jocelyn Moore, assistant education coordinator at SFA Gardens. “We are excited to invite participants to explore this plant and others as they browse through the Survival Supermarket.”

The event is held in conjunction with the Nacogdoches Public Library’s Big Read of 2018, where more than 40 events are held throughout Nacogdoches that explore the theme “Survival Is Insufficient,” which is discussed in the book “Station Eleven” by Emily St. John Mandel. According to librarian Crystal Hicks, the Big Read aims to “broaden our understanding of our world, our communities and ourselves through the joy of sharing a good book.”

Event parking will be at the PNPC and Raguet Elementary. For more information, call (936) 468-1863 or email moorejv@sfasu.edu.

The Stephen F. Austin State University School of Theatre will present the student-directed play “Trifles” at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 12, and at 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 13, in the Downstage Theatre on the SFA campus.

Macy Rhodes, a senior theatre major from Center Point, directs the one-act play written by Susan Glaspell. It explores the psychological differences between men and women, their social roles, isolation and perceived justice.

A murder occurs in a rural farmhouse in early 20th century America, and a group of people arrive at the farmhouse to investigate, Rhodes explains. While the men search the crime scene for evidence, the women begin to uncover the events that led up to the murder.

“What ensues is a struggle between morality and legality and masculinity and femininity,” she said.

The cast includes Leander senior Josh Warren as George Henderson; Nacogdoches freshman Jason Couch as Lewis Hale; Mont Belvieu junior Ty Carter as Henry Peters; Waxahachie freshman Emmeline Sullivan as Mrs. Peters; and Red Oak junior Beau McAfee as Mrs. Hale.

Stage manager for “Triffles” is Splendora senior Karagan Haber. Student production assistants are San Antonio sophomore Hannah Pittman and North Richland senior Cortney Francisco.

Rhodes is the president of the student organization Speak Up Devised Theatre. She previously directed “Perfect” by Mary Gallagher and “The American Workplace” by SFA playwright Mickey May.

“Trifles” is recommended for mature audiences. Faculty production advisor is Dr. Inga Meier.

Tickets are $4. For tickets or more information, call the SFA Fine Arts Box Office at (936) 468-6407 or visit theatre.sfasu.edu. The Downstage Theatre is located in the Griffith Fine Arts Building, 2222 Alumni Drive.

The Swingin’ Axes and Swingin’ Aces at Stephen F. Austin State University have “Something For Everyone” in store when the jazz bands perform at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 12, in W.M. Turner Auditorium on the SFA campus.

In the bands’ first concert of the fall semester, Axes Director Dr. Deb Scott and Aces Director Dr. J.D. Salas have planned a varied program that ranges from traditional swing to Latin tunes to old jazz standards and guarantees the concert theme: “Something For Everyone.”

The Swingin’ Axes will perform “Corner Pocket” by Freddie Green. “This is a traditional swing chart made famous by the Count Basie Big Band in 1955 and then recorded again by Harry James in 1976,” Scott said.

The Axes will also perform “Machito” by Pete Rugolo, which was recorded on Stan Kenton’s album “Cuban Fire” in 1947 and honored an influential musician from Cuba, Machito, who performed with the Kenton band, Scott explained.

Also on the Axes’ program are several Gordon Goodwin selections, including “Backrow Politics” featuring the trumpet section, “Horn of Puente” and “The Check’s in the Mail,” along with “Show Up” by Michael Davis and Cole Davis, a modern funk tune recorded recently by the Hip-Bone Big Band.

“Special guest joining us to play on the two Latin tunes is Paco Morales, our own SFA piano tuner,” Scott said.

A number of old favorites are on the Aces’ part of the program, including Sammy Nestico’s arrangement of “Satin Doll” by Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn; “Love for Sale” by Cole Porter; “There Is No Greater Love” by Isham Jones and Marty Stymes; and a great arrangement of “Softly, As In Morning Sunrise” arranged by Dave Rivello.

Concert tickets are $8 for adults, $6 for seniors and $3 for students and youth. For tickets or more information, call the SFA Fine Arts Box Office at (936) 468-6407 or visit www.finearts.sfasu.edu.