Hope College will host its 81st annual Nykerk Cup competition on Saturday, Oct. 31, at 7 p.m. at the DeVos Fieldhouse.
The event, one of a variety of activities scheduled during the college’s Family Weekend, will feature more than 200 members of the freshman and sophomore classes competing in song, plays and oration. The participating classes this year are the freshman Class of ’19 and the sophomore Class of ’18, who are being coached by the junior Class of ’17 and the senior Class of ’16 respectively.
Tickets for the Nykerk Cup competition are $7, and are available while supplies last through Friday, Oct. 30, at the Events and Conferences Office located downtown in the Anderson-Werkman Financial Center. The office is open weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and can be called at (616) 395-7890. Tickets are also available at hope.edu/tickets for an additional online service fee. Any remaining tickets will be sold at the door.
The competition, first held on March 16, 1936, is named in honor of the originator of the program, John Nykerk, a professor, college dean and founder of the college’s Department of Music. The event moved to the DeVos Fieldhouse last year because strong audience demand in recent years had pushed past the capacity of its previous home, the Holland Civic Center. The Civic Center, which had hosted the event every year but one since 1956, seats about 2,200, while the fieldhouse can accommodate 3,000.
The freshman play coaches are Nancy Benda of Birmingham and Sarah Carpenter of Kalamazoo. The morale coaches are Jake Helder of East Lansing, Ben Patchin of Holland and Noah Loula of Bolingbrook, Illinois.
The sophomore play coaches are Kelsey Vredeveld of Jenison and Kierstynn Foster of Byron Center. The morale coaches are Joseph DeVinney of Grand Rapids, Jacob Iceberg of Ortonville and Dan Rozema of Kenosha, Wisconsin.
The freshman song coaches are Bethany Redeker of Harland and Elizabeth Tally of Overland Park, Kansas. The morale coaches are Nick Loubert of Grand Rapids, Robert Henry of La Salle, Illinois, and Brenden Merriman of Grand Haven.
The sophomore song coaches are Emily Ause of Ann Arbor and Kate Fann of Elkhart, Indiana. The morale coaches are Sam Eldersveld of Grand Rapids, Brad VanValkenburg of Coopersville and Palmer D’Orazio of Clarkston.
The freshman oration coaches are Madeline Chapman of Grand Rapids and Gabby Gazall of Naperville, Illinois.
The sophomore oration coaches are Rosemary Walsh of Evanston, Illinois, and Samantha Cole of Erie, Colorado.
The members of the Nykerk executive board this year are: Claire Leitzen of Naperville, Illinois, general chair; Kelsey Payne of Dublin, Ohio, chair-elect; Kara Josephson of Grand Rapids, senior secretary; Holly Wierenga of Jenison, junior secretary; Alexandra Huss of Brighton, senior publicity; Katie Smith of Mokena, Illinois, junior publicity; Nicole Ladd of Ortonville, senior production; Jessica Cronau of Dublin, Ohio, junior production; Brianna Roegner of Gurnee, Illinois, senior treasurer; and Mikaila Bisson of Sterling Heights, junior treasurer.
Family weekend will feature a variety of other performances and presentations in addition to the Nykerk Cup competition.
The De Pree Art Center is featuring the art exhibit, “Dusk to Dusk: Unsettled, Unraveled, Unreal,” a collaborative project with the Grand Valley State University Art Gallery, through Saturday, Oct. 31. The gallery is open Mondays through Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sundays from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is free.
The Kruizenga Art Museum is featuring its ongoing inaugural exhibition, “Past Present East West: Highlights from the Permanent Collection.” The museum is open Tuesdays through Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is free.
The college’s biology seminar series will feature the address “Characterization of two novel antibiotic and pigment-producing marine bacteria” by Dr. Brittany Gasper of Florida Southern University on Friday, Oct. 30, at 3 p.m. in room 1019 of the A. Paul Schaap Science Center. Admission is free.
The college’s chemistry seminar series will feature the address “Tales from the Cryptate” by Dr. Matthew J. Allen of Wayne State University on Friday, Oct. 30, at 4 p.m. in room 1000 of the A. Paul Schaap Science Center. Admission is free.
The college’s Wind Ensemble will present its annual Halloween concert on Friday, Oct. 30, at 5 p.m. at Dimnent Memorial Chapel. Admission is free.
The H2 Dance Company, an affiliate of the college’s Department of Dance, will present its premiere concert of the season on Friday-Saturday, Oct. 30-31, and Friday-Saturday, Nov. 6-7, at 7:30 p.m. at the Knickerbocker Theatre in downtown Holland. Tickets are $10 for regular admission, $7 for senior citizens, and $5 for Hope College students and children 18 and under, and are available at the ticket office in the Events and Conferences Office located downtown in the Anderson-Werkman Financial Center. They will also be available at the door.
The college’s football team will host Adrian College on Saturday, Oct. 31, at 1 p.m. at the Ray and Sue Smith Stadium. Tickets are $5 for regular admission and $3 for children 18 and under, and are available at the ticket office in the Events and Conferences Office located downtown in the Anderson-Werkman Financial Center. They will also be available at the door.
The college’s club hockey team will host Michigan-Flint on Friday, Oct. 30, at 7:30 p.m. at the Edge Ice Arena. Tickets are $5 and are available at the ticket office in the Events and Conferences Office located downtown in the Anderson-Werkman Financial Center. They will also be available at the door.
The three-day Family Weekend, running Friday-Sunday, Oct. 30- Nov. 1, will also feature activities geared toward parents of current students specifically, including a variety of open classes and tours.
The Anderson-Werkman Financial Center is located at 100 E. Eighth St., between College and Columbia avenues. The De Pree Art Center is located at 160 E. 12th St., on Columbia Avenue at 12th Street. The DeVos Fieldhouse is located at 222 Fairbanks Ave., between Ninth and 11th streets. Dimnent Memorial Chapel is located at 277 College Ave., on College Avenue at 12th Street. The Edge Ice Arena is located at 4444 Holland Ave. The Knickerbocker Theatre is located at 86 E. Eighth St. The Kruizenga Art Museum is located at 271 Columbia Ave., between 10th and 13th streets. Ray and Sue Smith Stadium is located at 313 Fairbanks Ave., at 13th Street. A. Paul Schaap Science Center is located at 35 E. 12th St., at 12th Street and College Avenue.