Everything Nac

Stephen F. Austin State University’s Campus Recreation and Alumni Association will host the 13th annual Homecoming 5K beginning at 5:45 p.m. Oct. 25 on the SFA campus near the Cole STEM Building located on Clark Boulevard.

The event brings together students, alumni, faculty, staff and community members to raise money for SFA scholarships and to celebrate this year’s Homecoming 5K theme, Mario Kart Rainbow Road. The 3.1-mile course winds through the beautiful SFA campus and along the paved trails of the SFA Gardens’ Tucker Woods and Mast Arboretum, as well as the Lanana Creek Trail.

“The annual Homecoming 5K is a great opportunity to spend time with your friends, family and coworkers,” said Jessica Waguespack, assistant director of wellness for SFA’s Campus Recreation. “Take a break from the stressors of work and school and have some fun and focus on your overall well-being in a positive way. This event is also the main source of fundraising for SFA’s Dr. Raymond Lee Worsham Scholarship, an academic scholarship that provides financial assistance to student employees of SFA’s Campus Recreation.”

The student registration rate is $15; the faculty, staff and alumni rate is $25; the virtual runner rate is $30; and the community member rate is $35. A 1-mile option is available for $5 but does not include a T-shirt; however, T-shirts may be purchased for an additional $10. Registration is also available on race day beginning at 4 p.m.

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 learn more, register or become a sponsor, visit sfaalumni.com/hoco5k.

SFA Gardens recently received grant support from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Marketing Service to investigate the potential of pineapple guava as a new, low-input fruit and ornamental crop for production in Texas.

The project, funded through 2024, is a collaborative effort between SFA Gardens and Dr. Tim Hartmann, Texas AgriLife extension specialist based in College Station.

“Pineapple guava has been grown in Texas for many years as an ornamental,” said Dr. David Creech, director of SFA Gardens. “This project will evaluate the performance of over 20 cultivars, several of which are new to the United States.”

Pineapple guava, also known as feijoa, is native to South America and produces edible flowers that develop into oval-shaped fruits with a blue-green skin and a flavor often described as a combination of pineapple and spearmint or apple and mint. Creech explained that under the right conditions, fruits can grow up to 3 inches or larger.

Because the fruits easily bruise and are difficult to ship, they are typically consumed in local or regional markets.

In addition to the team’s investigation into the tree’s production potential, propagation strategies to multiply the plants also will be investigated.

Creech and Hartmann previously collaborated on a similar project to evaluate golden kiwifruit production in Texas, which continues to show promise.

For more information, contact Creech at dcreech@sfasu.edu or (936) 468-4343.