PC|Bluestocking

This Friday, October 30th, the Student Volunteer Services (SVS) will be hosting a Halloween Carnival for our young friends across the street at Thornwell. The carnival will start at 3pm outside of Springs student center and is sure to be full of good ol’ Halloween fun!

If you’re not too tired from the SVS festivities, and you’re still up for more PC Friday night excitement, then you’ll have two options as to where to go from there.

First is the musical that is currently being put on by PC’s drama department, Quilters. The play celebrating women’s lives starts at 7:30 and is located in Harper Theater. This is the play’s second and final weekend, so you don’t want to miss your chance!

Another option would be the PC wind ensemble’s Halloween concert. The concert starts at 7:30, as well, and will be held in Belk Auditorium. PC’s wind ensemble will be joined by the wind ensemble from Coastal Carolina. Both bands will play their respective pieces and then combine to play a few spooky classics. The concert is going to be full of Fall and Halloween themed selections and is sure to get you in the spine-chilling, hair-raising Halloween mood!

For those students about to register, I offer this class for your consideration.

American Popular Music is a General Education course (meaning anyone can take it) taught by Dr. Richard Thomas.
The course description is as follows:

“A general survey of popular music in America from the end of the 19^th Century to the beginning of the 21^st Century.  The principal popular music genres of Musical Theater, Jazz, Country, and Rock will be the focus of this course.  Composers, performers and performing mediums of these styles will be discussed within their religious, political, and economic contexts in order to gain a greater appreciation of their meaning and role in society, and place in the development of modern American culture.”

Courtesy: carolina-cup.org

Get ready for some big changes at the Fall Cup! Not only will the 40^thrunning of the Marion DuPont Scott Colonial Cup Steeplechases Horse races be run on a Saturday this fall at the Springdale Race Course, but for the first time in the history of the Colonial Cup, FALL CUP COLLEGE PARK will be open! Not only will College Park be up and running for the Fall Cup, but it will be rocking to the sounds of Ten Toes Up, out of Pawley’s Island. The live performance will take the stage at 11 a.m. and will perform between races, including songs from their first two CD’s.

Heather Williams of the Cup Ticket Office says, “The Colonial Cup is going to be a blast!  It’s going to be just like the Carolina Cup, but with a band! Tickets are less expensive than the spring race and the band, Ten Toes Up, is going to be rocking between races”, Williams explained. Why only have fun once a year at the Cup in the spring? Do it Twice!! With the extra added attraction of a band in College Park, it will be even more fun. Yay!! No more boom boxes! 

Fall Cup is as much of a fashion show as the Carolina Cup is in the spring, so dress to impress with your fall tweeds and cool boots, add a flashy fall hat and you’re set! The guys are still hot in their bow ties. Don’t forget your tailgate menus! What would a horse race be without good food and drinks? So, put that invitation on your bulletin board, refrigerator, mark your calendar and plan on coming to the Fall Cup. Buy a tailgate space, bring your friends, rock to the band, watch a horse race or two – there is something for everyone at ‘Fall Cup’!

We are excited to have this year’s event combine America’s finest steeplechase horse racing with a host of other activities to enchant children and adults alike! Take a stroll behind the Grandstand to watch the horses and jockeys prepare to race. Browse under the pines through The Paddock Shops Village. This year’s village will host the largest group of boutiques ever assembled at the Colonial Cup. Venture to the Infield and enjoy our McDonalds Play Place Infield Activities, including: Jack Russell Terrier Trials, wagon rides, a Carousel, plus our McDonalds Coloring Wall mural. All activities are included & FREE!

Marion du Pont Scott Colonial Cup general admission tickets are $20.00 before 5 p.m. November 6th and $25.00 after. Children under 12 are free. General Parking is $10.00 per vehicle. We offer reserved parking in the Infield, along the Front Row and in College Park. Parking spaces in College Park are less expensive than the spring race even with the addition of the band, Ten Toes Up. The 40-foot spaces on rows A,B&C cost $500.00 and includes two (2) general admission tickets. The 20-foot spaces on rows D&E cost $125.00 also includes two (2) general admission tickets. Oversize vehicles, Buses and RV’s are welcome in the designated areas. We have Grandstand Boxes for parties of six and individual box seats for smaller groups. To order: log-on to www.colonialcupraces.com or call 803.432.6513.
To keep up with all things Cup, follow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/carolinacup and Twitter: www.twitter.com/carolinacup.

Article by:
Pam Mosier
Media Coordinator
Carolina-Cup.org

I published an article a few days ago telling everyone to go to the Improv Underground performance, and I’m glad I did because it was funny.  Also, I got in for free and I didn’t have to work, so I went in with a higher expectation than Quilters.  Just in case you didn’t read the prior article, the performance featured Taylor Randall, Tyler Todd, Maggie Nash, Rachel Smith, Josh Martin, and Cristian Bell as host.

I really don’t know how to review an improv performance.  I laughed.  I laughed a lot.  Does that cut it?  The first game they played was Replay, where they did a scene based on an audience suggestion, and then Replayed it based on more audience suggestions.  The Mexican and Shakespearean Replays were particularly hilarious, and Josh was particularly clever with his West Side Story entrance during the Mexican Replay, though Taylor and Maggie did great jobs hilariously fulfilling the cliches of Spanish speech.

Puppets was also played, and unlike Whose Line is It Anyway? the audience volunteers were more than ready to play puppeteer.  Rachel and Tyler ended the skit with a side-splitting book duel, that pitted a Jane Austen work against Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.  I would have recommended fighting with Atlas Shrugged or Ulysses (or the Oxford English Dictionary), but HP5 is pretty massive too (and readable).

Story, Story, Die (the players tell a story bound by three rules-no repetition, pauses, or incoherency-or die by audience suggestion) gave us the untold story of Mary Had a Little Brick, which was apparently smitten with her.  The story itself wasn’t interesting other than the disturbing sex-appeal Mary had to bricks everywhere, but let’s face it, deaths are always more interesting.  And die they did, as the bloodthirsty audience (myself included) called for all of their executions, including Rachel’s even though she lasted longest in the story and gave us a pretty witty moral.  Just so you all know, pacifiers, tricycles, and snuggies are surprisingly effective agents of death.

There were other skits as well, but I highlighted the best (in my opinion).  To go over all of them would require eidetic memory that I don’t have, and time (that I have even less of).  My only complaint is that I wish it could have lasted a little longer, but that’s the best complaint possible when you think about it.  The next performance is two weeks from now, and I will write an article on it when I have more information.  If it’s anything like this last one, then go.

I now have to review Quilters, and I’m inclined to mark it down because I as a BlueStocking reporter didn’t get a free ticket.  No, instead I had to work for it as an usher, the audacity.  I’m still kind of happy though, because this is as close to Arts & Entertainment articles as I’m going to get.

Quilters is billed as a “piece of narrative musical theatre chronicling the experience of women as this country developed,” but the word narrative should be interpreted loosely.  Quilters is apparently above petty things like plot and characters, because the entire performance consisted of skits, monologues, and songs–and the songs weren’t good.  There are funny moments when teenage girls talk about menstruation, vindictive quilting (which apparently does not transcend sibling rivalry), and there are moments of poignency.  Issues like abortion and death in the family walk onstage, and they’re never out of place.  But ultimately, I didn’t care.  I never knew much about characters, because they virtually didn’t exist, there was little separation between stories so I never knew when one story ended and another began, and I have a sneaking suspicion there was overlapping.  Sometimes people were talking simultaneously, and I didn’t know if they were supposed to be the same people, or if they were different people telling similar stories.  No matter how sad or happy the play tried to make me, emotions were always accompanied by confusion, and honestly, I didn’t appreciate the high-mindedness of it all.

The production itself was not bad.  I liked the minamalist approach to the set and props.  It seemed appropriate, given the format of the play.  Rings and a stool were used as covered wagons, quilts were used as cowhides, and since the actors believed the these things were such, I did also.  On that subject of acting, I’d like to say that all of it was very good.  There were word fumbles, but they were handled so wonderfully I thought they might have been written into the script.  Days later, I am still not certain.  I didn’t like the singing as much.  I sometimes thought they weren’t hitting the notes they were supposed to.  But the dancing, when it occured, was well done.  I especially liked the beginning, when they are in a circle holding, not hands but cloth, as performers twist in and out of the circle.

Quilters stars Gracie Antonelli, Nicole Riding Bell, Sally Besuden, Holly Bostick, Mary Ellis Glymph, Taylor Randall, and Alison Recknagel.  It’s playing again this Thursday, Friday, and Saturday (October 29, 30, and 31 respectively), if you want to see it, but it doesn’t have my recommendation.  Then again, what do you care what I say?

This Saturday, October 24th, the Bailey Memorial stadium was swarming with supporters ready to enjoy a football game against the Virginia Military Institute’s Keydets. Before the game, Presbyterian College alumni joined with current students and enjoyed a catered lunch from Greenville Dining Hall in celebration of all of the Homecoming activities. When the football team processed into the stadium in their traditional Hosewalk, they were greeted by the cheers of many PC fans, Alumni, students, and members of the PC pep band.

Presbyterian College took on the Virginia Military Institute the Saturday

The game kicked off to a good start as a flag was thrown against the Keydets. With just over four minutes left in the first quarter, the Keydets showed their spirit with a touchdown and accompanying field goal. Two minutes later, they slipped through PC’s defenses for another touchdown/field goal bringing the score at the end of the first quarter to PC:0, VMI:14.

Following the first quarter, several members of the 1959 football team were accompanied onto the field and recognized for their successes in the 1959 Tangerine Bowl. They were the only team in Presbyterian College’s history to ever be invited to a bowl game.

During the second quarter, PC came back strong and ran the ball into the end zone. There was a flag on the play, however, and the Blue Hose were moved back to the 35 yard line. With just over four minutes left in the second quarter PC’s #6, Parker Fleming, received a pass from #16, Myron Gary, and ran it in for a touchdown. Less than a minute later, VMI came back and scored a touchdown. PC tried to fight back but their attempted field goal from the 25 was incomplete leaving the final score at the end of the half 7-21 in favor of the other team.

The halftime show was full of excitement as the homecoming court came onto the field and was greeted by the 2008 homecoming queen, Lauren Deal, the President of the college, Dr. John Griffith, and the student body president, Lance Poston. The second runner up was Anna Burch (representing Omicron Delta Kappa), and the first runner up Lauren Thomas (representing Student Volunteer Services). The homecoming queen, Bridget Marshall (representing Zeta Tau Alpha), was given flowers and was whisked away in a shiny red convertible.

The 2008 Homecoming Queen crowning the 2009 Homecoming Queen, Bridget Marshall. They are accompanied by Lance Poston and Dr. John Griffith.

The 2009 Homecoming Queen, Bridget Marshall

Marshall leaves in a red Convertible

VMI entered into the second half with rearing energy and attempted a field goal right off the bat. It failed however and they didn’t get another lead until the end of the quarter. With 1:31 on the clock, the Keydets neared the end-zone, but were stopped and pushed back by the PC defense. Tensions rose as the Keydets started back on the 21, but were short lived when, with 53 seconds left on the clock, VMI scored again.

Blue Hose Touchdown!

The fourth quarter was full of back and forth scoring between the two teams. PC scored the first touchdown of the quarter, followed by a VMI field goal at the 7. A half minute later, PC scored another touchdown, but was unsuccessful in their field goal attempt. With 5 minutes remaining in the game, Freshman Mark Williams gave the crowd a scare as he lay injured on the field. After a few minutes, however, Williams got up and jogged off the field leaving PC with a first down. The final score of the game was 20-30, Keydets.

Spirit Week. Now that is a phrase you might not have heard uttered since the old high school years. When you hear those two words you may find yourself swimming in memories of chaotic,colorful pep rallies full of cheerleader chants and themed days that allow you to wear your pajamas or Halloween costume to school. At least that is what comes to mind for me. That is why I was intrigued when PC decided to rev up Homecoming and have a Spirit Week in the days prior to this weekend’s grand events. It has  included wearing PC’s colors, wearing one’s organization’s colors, and even sidewalk chalk competitions. All to rack up points for one’s student organization and win some big bucks.

Now, even though I thought Spirit Week was just a high school thing  I suppose college kids are welcome to do it too. The only change that may be necassary is bringing back the old tradition of wearing a different costume each day of the week. Since the football team is playing the VMI Keydets (which is Cadet spelled like it sounds spoken with a southern drawl), we could have Kung Fu Panda the Keydets, King Arthur the Keydets, or even Krispy Kreme the Keydets and wear some sort of doughnut-related outfit.  The ridiculously awesome themes that allow us to embrace our inner child and wear silly outfits are endless, and it all allows us to cheer the Blue Hose to victory. Now tell me that would not be fun and jazz up the routine.

For people who don’t partake in the traditional Homecoming activities, which is probably none of you, there is an

From Left Clockwise: Taylor Randall, Cristian Bell, Josh Martin, Rachel Smith, and Tyler Todd

Improv Underground performance coming up at 7:30 on Saturday at my friends’ bookstore, My Friend’s Bookstore (I just had to do that).

The show will consist of the veterans and one newbie; though there are other novices in the troupe as well, they won’t be performing.  Rachel Smith, Taylor Randall, Josh Martin, Tyler Todd, Maggie Nash, and Cristian Bell will be the ones splitting your sides should you choose to come.  They will also provide stitches.  Tickets are $3 each, and seating is limited so come early. 

And this is kind of a weird segue, but My Friend’s Bookstore has really amazing vegan cookies if you’re in to that sort of thing (and even if you are disinclined toward animal compassion they’re still good).  They’re $2 (big cookie) but if you’re one of those people who loves animals and hate plants (and thus prefers the latter on their plate), they’re worth it.  And I’m not being paid to say that. 

Let’s recap.  Most Homecoming stuff is almost a cliche these days, but if you want to do something, you know, fun, please come to the Improv Underground performance.  And eat the MFB cookies.

Sweet, I’m down to the last new professor (unless there are any others that have escaped my attention).  Since he was not in any of the science buildings, I actually had to put effort into finding and interviewing Professor Nolan, so I hope you will excuse the delayed article.

Professor Nolan went to Princeton University to obtain a bachelor’s in electrical engineering.  He also has two masters degrees.  He earned a masters in Sacred Theology at Andover Newton, and at Princeton Theological Seminary, he earned a masters in Divinity. He is currently working on his doctorate in theology there as well.

In addition to teaching the intro courses, next semester he will be teaching Virtue and Vice (focusing on Aquinas, Augustine, and defining virtue in a Christian context) as well as God and Globalization (looks at the roots of capitalism and the role of Christianity in the development of capitalism as well as its role in globalization). 

When asked why he chose Presbyterian College, he responded, “When I was at Princeton I lived next to two PC alumns.  They love PC and they talked a lot about it.”  They were also the ones who pushed him to apply here when he learned there was an opening in the religion department.  Professor Nolan also likes the connection to the Presbyterian Church, as he’s an ordained minister.  I asked him what he thought of the school, and he thought it was great.  He said the students seem appreciative of their education and they take the school motto (Dum Vivimus Servimus-While We Live We Serve) to heart.  “In my Christian faith, it’s very important to express that faith in service to others.

Finally, I asked him about activities he would like to be involved in.  Devotional groups, Thornwell, and football games appealed to him (the latter as a spectator), and he seemed interested in the bike club as well.

I was talking with my mother the other day about life at Presbyterian College and she expressed interest in the dating scene, to which Iresponded, what dating scene? When my parents met at PC, people dated. Boys asked girls who they thought were pretty or interesting out on dates and they went to dinner or coffee and got to know each other. And by going out with one guy for dinner or something, that guy would tell his friends if you were fun and then you would get more dates. However, nowadays, no one does that anymore. I asked Savannah Truesdale what she thought about the subject, and she responded as such: “I think it has a lot to do with technology, as cliche as that sounds. We surround ourselves with communication devices that inevitably limit communication. We’re so satisfied by texting someone that we rarely have a conversation with someone that we are actually interested it. Instant gratification at it’s best.” I agree with Savannah, because it seems to be that people can just get on facebook and read all the information they need to know about you without ever speaking to you in person. I mean, that is how I found my roommate, for example! Yet from all of this, we never get to know the person at all. Some people sound like total freaks from their facebook’s, yet are the coolest people ever in real life. I was scared to death before I moved into school last year because of what I read on facebook about one of my suitemates, who is now one of my best friends. Basically, what I am trying to say is, you can’t possibly get to know a person well enough from their facebook or from texting them even. There are no emotions conveyed without face-to-face contact. So get off the internet and go on a date. And don’t blame the economy either– you can just as easily get Springs to go and go on a picnic.