Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ

NACOGDOCHES, Texas - The Stephen F. Austin State University Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture will host its annual Farm and Forestry Day from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, April 25, at the Walter C. Todd Agricultural Research Center.

The family friendly event aims to expose the community to the outdoors and agriculture by providing free, exploratory opportunities, including hayrides, face painting, outdoor cooking and nature-based activities through Nacogdoches Naturally, an outdoor adventure program of Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Gardens.

NACOGDOCHES, Texas - Immediately after Dr. Roger Masse, assistant professor of wildlife in Stephen F. Austin State University's Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture, completed his lecture on safety and the best techniques for finding vertebrates like salamanders and lizards, 25 eighth-graders from Nacogdoches County ISD middle schools enthusiastically ventured out into the sun-dappled forest floor of Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ's Tucker Woods, turning over logs and peering into thickets for the elusive creatures.

NACOGDOCHES, Texas - Participants in the Nacogdoches Boys & Girls Club's ImageMakers photography program will display their award-winning works in an exhibition that opens with a reception at 6 p.m. Thursday, July 23, at The Cole Art Center @ The Old Opera House in downtown Nacogdoches.

The exhibit was organized by the Nacogdoches Photographic Association and funded through a Community Outdoor Program grant provided by Texas Parks and Wildlife and administered by the gardens education staff at Stephen F. Austin State University, according to Elton Scifres, NPA member.

NACOGDOCHES, Texas - Only a few performance dates remain in this year's Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ SummerStage Festival featuring "The Emperor's New Clothes: The Musical" by Karen Boettcher-Tate and Bill Francoeur and "The Glass Menagerie" by Tennessee Williams.

Audiences have responded enthusiastically to both productions, posting glowing reviews on social media.

NACOGDOCHES, Texas - Gary Parker was always interested in art. But it wasn't until he was in his 20s that he began to think he could make art his life's work.

And that's what he did, eventually.

"I have an undergraduate degree in biology, so, obviously, I wasn't headed in that direction at first," he said. "After I got my undergraduate degree, I studied some other things, then finally decided that maybe I'd like to try to be an artist."

NACOGDOCHES, Texas - Local art lovers look forward to July each year because it signals one of their favorite events - the annual 12X12 fundraiser of the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Friends of the Visual Arts.

And this year's event has an added bonus: Two pieces by artists who had solo shows at the Cole Art Center this past year, one by David Yapp and another by Stuart Riordan, have been donated to the auction.

NACOGDOCHES, Texas - Dr. Keith Hubbard, associate professor of mathematics and statistics at Stephen F. Austin State University, is the latest recipient of an endowed professorship established to reward faculty members who serve as excellent mentors and teachers.

The Jim Towns Mentoring Professorship recognizes professors who instill, foster and promote a mentoring culture at Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ. The award is named for Dr. Jim Towns, a longtime Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ professor of communication studies.

NACOGDOCHES, Texas - The Stephen F. Austin State University James I. Perkins College of Education's Phi Upsilon Omicron Beta Upsilon Chapter received the 2015 Professional Project Region III Award, which includes universities in Texas, Kansas and Oklahoma.

Members of the Beta Upsilon Chapter, in partnership with the Nacogdoches Treatment Center, worked throughout the year offering assistance to the treatment center's clients, staff members and caregivers.

NACOGDOCHES, Texas - Stephen F. Austin State University's Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Gardens will host the monthly Theresa and Les Reeves Lecture Series at 7 p.m. Thursday, July 9, in the Ina Brundrett Conservation Education Building at the Pineywoods Native Plant Center, 2900 Raguet St. in Nacogdoches.

Dr. Justin Scheiner, assistant professor of horticultural sciences and viticulture specialist at Texas A&M University, will present "Grapes for Table and Wine-Can Both Fit in Texas?"

NACOGDOCHES, Texas -Silent bidding begins July 1 for the annual 12X12 scholarship fundraiser for the Friends of the Visual Arts at Stephen F. Austin State University, and this year's event features donated pieces by renowned artists David Yapp and Stuart Riordan.