Hope College will host its 69th annual Nykerk Cup competition on Saturday, Nov. 1, at 8 p.m. at the Holland Civic Center, located at 150 W. 8th St.
The event, one of a variety of activities scheduled during the college's Parents' Weekend, will feature approximately 200 members of the freshman and sophomore classes competing in song, plays and oration. The participating classes this year are the freshman class of '07 and the sophomore class of '06.
The public is invited. Admission is free.
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 Hope College department of music. The event is continuously staged before a large audience.
This year's competition will be carried live on local cable channel 15.
The sophomore song will be "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend," lyrics by Leo Robin and music by Jule Styne; arranged by Harry Simeone, with additional arranging by sophomores Suzzy Lockwood of Kentwood, Rachel VandeGiessen of Flemington, N.J., and Jessica Schmidt of Crown Point, Ind. The sophomore song will be coached by senior Samantha Hyde of Kalamazoo and senior Annie Gonzalez of Valparaiso, Ind.
The sophomore song morale coaches are seniors Marty Jordan of Whittemore and Wylie Douglass of Libertyville, Ill.
The freshman song will be "I Say a Little Prayer," words by Hal David and music by Burt Bacharach; arranged by Mark Brymer, with additional arrangement by Diane Schrems and freshman Abby Bolkema of Flushing. Juniors Annie Otto of Byron Center and Emily Llewellyn of Fremont will coach the freshman song.
The freshman song morale coaches are juniors Eric J. De Boer of Holland and Mike Nelsen of Grant.
The sophomore play will be "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory," written and coached by seniors Rebecca Barry of Gurnee, Ill., and Marjorie Behm of Redford.
The sophomore play morale coaches are seniors Scott Hinze of Shelby, David Pridmore of Novi, Mike Polk of Center Line and Seth DeVries of Fishers, Ind.
The freshman play is "The Dutchy Bunch," written and coached by juniors Anna DeHaan of Grand Rapids and Lacy Peterson of Hudsonville.
The freshman play morale coach is junior James Sorge of Bloomfield.
This year's oration theme is "Seized by Wonder."
The sophomore orator will be Lynnae Ruberg of Brighton, and her speech is titled "A Life of Wonder." She will be coached by seniors Meridith DeAvila of Holland and Leslie Skaistis of Bloomfield Hills. The freshman orator will be Kasey Bersett of Belleville, Ill., and her speech is titled "Challenged Emotion." Bersett will be coached by juniors Gretchen Schmidt of Atlanta, Ga., and Jessica Henneman of Ludington.
The general chair of Nykerk is senior Kristi Creswell of Grand Rapids. Serving as general chair-elect is junior Amy Huizen of Jenison. The senior treasurer is Kendra Slotten of Grand Ledge. The junior treasurer is Jessica Johnson of Marshall.
Kristina Martinez of Holland is the senior publicity chair. The junior publicity chair is Samara Webb of Lansing. The secretary for the 69th annual Nykerk Cup competition is junior Rebecca Sue Marcus of Holland. Senior Cory McCall of Portage and junior Brittany Gasper of Owings Mills, Md., are the production coordinators.
The weekend will feature a variety of other performances and presentations in addition to the Nykerk Cup competition.
A total of 15 residence halls will be open to young trick-or-treaters on Halloween evening, Friday, Oct. 31, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Children from the community are invited to visit and admission is free, although they must be accompanied by an adult. The participating halls are Brumler, College East, Columbia, Cook, Cosmo/Wyckoff, Durfee, Dykstra, Gilmore, Kollen, Lichty, Parkview, Phelps, Scott, Van Vleck and Vennema. Maps will be available at each hall showing the 15 buildings that are participating. Selected cottage housing units, those with their porch lights on, will also be hosting trick-or-treaters.
The college's Wind Symphony will perform on Friday, Oct. 31, at 8 p.m. in Dimnent Memorial Chapel, located on College Avenue at 12th Street. Admission is free.
The women's and men's soccer teams will host Kalamazoo College on Saturday, Nov. 1, at Buys Athletic Fields, located on Fairbanks Avenue at 11th Street. The women will play at noon, and the men will play at 2 p.m. Admission is free.
The football team will host Wisconsin Lutheran on Saturday, Nov. 1, at 1 p.m. at Holland Municipal Stadium, located on Fairbanks Avenue between 13th and 16th streets. Tickets for the game are $4 for general admission, $2 for students high school age and younger, and $6 for reserved seating.
The Faculty Recital Series will continue on Sunday, Nov. 2, at 3 p.m. in Wichers Auditorium of Nykerk Hall of Music, located along the former 12th Street between College and Columbia avenues. Admission is free.
The gallery of the De Pree Art Center is featuring the exhibition "Loteria!" through Saturday, Nov. 8. The De Pree Art Center is located on Columbia Avenue at 12th Street, and the gallery is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is free.