Everything Nac

The Stephen F. Austin State University School of Art and The Cole Art Center @ The Old Opera House will host the El Camino Real de los Tejas National Historic Trail Association’s annual membership and board meeting from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, Oct. 14, at Cole Art Center.

Nacogdoches County Judge Mike Perry and Carl Watson, executive director of the Nacogdoches Convention and Visitors Bureau, will welcome attendees.

Presentations will focus on archaeological research on the trail in East Texas and Louisiana, and the National Park Service will provide an update on the trail. Other activities include a networking luncheon with association representatives and agency officials from the NPS and Texas Historical Commission and a tour of trail sites between Nacogdoches and Geneva, Texas. The tour will include a rare opportunity to visit association property that was purchased with donor support in 2014 and which represents the largest concentration of remnants of the physical road anywhere on the trail, according to a press release from the association.

El Camino Real de los Tejas National Historic Trail Association is an advocacy group that seeks to protect the historic integrity of the trail, educate the public about its significance, and promote resource development, interpretation and tourism along its path, according to the association.

Added to the National Trails System by the U.S. Congress in 2004, El Camino Real de los Tejas National Historic Trail commemorates nationally significant historic routes extending from the United States-Mexico border at the Rio Grande to the eastern boundary of the Spanish province of Texas in Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana. Among the included trail sites are the San Antonio Missions National Historical Park, the Alamo, Mission Tejas State Park, Caddo Mounds State Historic Site and The Old Stone Fort on the SFA campus.

As the seasons change and the holidays approach, Stephen F. Austin State University’s Jacks Council on Family Relations is preparing for its annual food drive, Thanksgiving Homebound.

In 2011, the student-led group started Thanksgiving Homebound as a way to help area families during the holidays. Initially, the group fed nine families. That number has now grown to more than 100.

The group of 19 SFA students asks organizations, departments, faculty and staff members, students and members of the Nacogdoches community to donate grocery items that can be used by families in its adopted organizations to prepare Thanksgiving meals. Adopted organizations include Solid Foundation, GETCAP Head Start and The Family Crisis Center of East Texas.

JCFR matches participants with families and sends participants a description of the family and checklist of items to purchase. The checklist includes grocery items such as potatoes, cornbread mix, vegetables and dressing. Participants also are asked to purchase a $25 gift card to help their family purchase perishable items such as meat, butter, milk and/or eggs.

After the food is collected, participants place the items in a storage bin and deliver it to the Education Annex Building, Room 133, on the university’s campus. Deliveries should be made between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. Nov. 14 and 15 and between 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. Nov. 16.

For more information, contact JCFR at sfasujcfr@gmail.com.

Stephen F. Austin State University Rusche College of Business students attended a workshop Tuesday with alumnus Jeff Wagner, partner at OneTrust Home Loans, who discussed tips on how to secure employment after graduation.

“In the Rusche College of Business, we believe it is important to augment the student experience with perspectives from outside the campus,” Dr. Tim Bisping, dean of the Rusche College of Business, said. “It is vital to introduce students to professionals who can share their experiences and insight into the corporate world.”

Wagner discussed life hacks and hiring tips. He advised students to surround themselves with highly successful people and those who challenge them. Wagner also encouraged students to separate themselves from the competition and be different.

During an hour-long discussion and Q&A session, Wagner shared interview tips, which included advising the students to research the company before the interview and ask questions as the interview concludes.

He said students should work toward achieving balance in their lives through involvement with charities, exercise, reading and more.

The workshop was presented as part of the college’s Student Success Passport Program, which helps students sharpen their business skills while competing for scholarships.

The Cole Art Center @ The Old Opera House will host a free screening of the film “Dead Man Walking” at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 14, at the art center located at 329 E. Main St. in downtown Nacogdoches.

The screening leads up to the “Faith and Justice: Exploring the Crisis of Empathy” conference hosted by the Organization for Faith, Education and Community scheduled for 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, Nov. 4, in the Baker Pattillo Student Center on the Stephen F. Austin State University campus.

Keynote speaker for the conference will be Helen Prejean, a Roman Catholic nun, whose biographical account of her relationship with Louisiana State Penitentiary death row inmate Elmo Patrick Sonnier is documented in “Dead Man Walking.” In the film, Prejean is portrayed by actress Susan Sarandon, who won an Academy Award for Best Actress. Prejean is a leading advocate for abolishing the death penalty.

For additional conference information, visit https://faitheducationcommunity.org. Contact The Cole Art Center at (936) 468-1131.

The Stephen F. Austin State University School of Theatre will present the student-directed, full-length play “Sunset Baby” by Dominique Morisseau at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 14, and at 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 15, in the Downstage Theatre on the SFA campus.

Directed by Dallas senior Dominique Rider, the play is about a former black revolutionary returning to his home to find a daughter he barely knows and a city that has changed in the past 20 years. The play addresses how generational voids affect people and the implications of revolution, according to Rider.

The cast includes Houston junior Terrance Simon as Damon; Dallas senior Jonee´ Lewis as Nina; and San Antonio senior Kevin Holloway-Harris as Kenyatta.

The production staff includes Jessy Valladares, Tegucigalpa, Honduras, junior, stage manager; Rebekah Webb, Dallas junior, assistant stage manager; Alexis Wicks, Mathis senior, scenic designer; Danika Pettyjohn, Fort Worth senior, costume designer; Brian Steele, Houston junior, lighting designer; Lane Davidson, Denton junior, sound designer; Angel Williams, Beaumont senior, hair and makeup designer; and Hope Kidd, Grand Prairie sophomore, properties manager.

Scott Shattuck is faculty production advisor.

“Sunset Baby’ is recommended for mature audiences. Tickets are $6. 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.