Angel Tree comes to campus to allow students to spread holiday cheer

Angel Tree comes to campus to allow students to spread holiday cheer

The Lipscomb Intercultural Honor Society has paired up with the Salvation Army to bring the annual Angel Tree program to campus. The Angel Tree brings Christmas to those who might not be able to afford things for their families or themselves during the holiday season. This program allows Lipscomb students to get involved in the community by helping out those in need. To get involved, stop by the student center 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Nov. 6-8. There you will find a Christmas tree full of names with lists of what those people need or want. The age range is from 3-80 and the goal is to get something for everyone. Helping out does not come with a hefty price tag either; you can spend no less than $10 but no more than $50. Kiana Rafiei works in the Office of Intercultural Development and helped out with the Angel Tree program last year. “I helped an elderly woman,” she said. “She needed a few random things like towels and pillows. It was so rewarding knowing you helped someone during the holiday season.” As the Christmas season approaches, see if you can help an angel in need. You could even pair up with another student if you both want to help bring someone some holiday cheer. Once you’ve shopped for your angel, drop off your gift in the Office of Intercultural Development at the bottom of the student...
Steve Martin, Edie Brickell’s ‘Bright Star’ mixes roots music with redemption

Steve Martin, Edie Brickell’s ‘Bright Star’ mixes roots music with redemption

When attending “Bright Star” at Collins Alumni Auditorium, “people should expect to laugh, but be prepared to cry a lot as well,” said Emma Harvey, a member of the ensemble cast. The innovative musical  by comedian actor and musician Steve Martin and by Edie Brickell, former leader of the New Bohemians and wife of rock lyricist Paul Simon, will run November 1, 2, 8, and 9 at 7:30 pm; November 3 and 10 at 2:30 pm in Collins Alumni Auditorium. “The play centers around the life of Alice Murphy, it’s set in the 1920s-1940s,” said Harvey. “It is a story of loss, love, and redemption.” The leads of the show are Hatty King and Easton Curtis. The musical is the first of its kind — it’s bluegrass centered and blends that rootsy music with traditional musical theater. The play actually sprung from a 2013 album by Martin — who also is an acclaimed banjo player — and Brickell, “Love Has Come For You.” Two songs from that album are part of the score, with the rest composed by the star tandem. Brickell is credited with the lyrics, while Martin wrote the book. This show is way more focused on the adult audience and gracefully tackles real-world issues. Students can attend the play for free by using the code StuTix1920 at checkout. Photos provided by CEA photographer, Sarah...
From Adjunct to Adventurer, Lauren Reed’s Journey up Mt. Kilimanjaro

From Adjunct to Adventurer, Lauren Reed’s Journey up Mt. Kilimanjaro

Lauren Reed is a first-year professor at Lipscomb University, owner of her own PR agency, ultramarathon runner and now a mountain climber. Professor Reed teaches Intro to Public Relations at Lipscomb while she successfully runs her PR agency, Reed PR.  On the first day of class, Professor Reed told us she would be leaving in September to hike Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Africa. Everyone had questions and concerns about her trip, but I got to sit down with her after her journey to talk about everything from hiking and heartbreak to human nature.  “This is my first time ever doing something like this but I knew I wanted to do it.” Reed said, “This very spur of the moment. I’m not a climber, and hiking is very new to me.”  Reed is a member of the Entrepreneur Organization, or EO, a group of successful business owners. There was the talk amongst the group to go to Kenya to get some business insight on a local safari; a few discussed leaving a couple of weeks early to hike Kilimanjaro. This was the group she would later decide to climb with. Six members of EO set out to hike Kilimanjaro, but only three made it to the summit. After long days filled with hiking and altitude sickness mounting, the summit was seeming more and more elusive. The night the group was supposed to reach the summit, Reed had to come off the mountain. After days of climbing to reach 15,400ft. above sea level and with 4,000ft. to go to reach the summit, she had to turn back to get to a lower altitude...
Dachshund-racing, ax-throwing among Oktoberfest highlights

Dachshund-racing, ax-throwing among Oktoberfest highlights

Racing dachshunds, Bavarian hats, traditional German food and beverage and ax-throwing all are part of the mix that makes Oktoberfest one of Nashville’s favorite cultural celebrations. Each year almost a quarter of a million people come out to the free, 10-block festival in the Germantown neighborhood, the city’s traditional German settlement which now has been transformed by countless condominium and residential developments.  The fest — which ran Oct. 12-13  — begins each year with the Oktoberfest 5K run; then vendors and celebrants settle in for a day of all things German, including food, beer, crafts and clothing. And there’s always room for more German stuff, according to Jackie Sharpnack, of the I Love Oktoberfest booth.  “This is my 12th Oktoberfest, and we thought the festival needed even more German heritage, so we opened this booth selling Bavarian hats, German steins, edelweiss jewelry, just so we can bring some of our German heritage to the festival,” she said.  She and many others with German roots come to the festival for a taste of home. The history of the worldwide Oktoberfest celebrations dates back to the early 1800s. A royal marriage took place between Crown Prince Ludwig and Princess Therese, the couple invited the citizens of Munich, Germany, to celebrate with them. After, the celebration has been held to commemorate the grand party over the world.  Despite the festival seeming like one big party, there were children, families, and dogs by the thousands in attendance at the festival. Over 150 dachshund’s attended the festival as competitors. These pups ran 50 feet to determine the fest’s annual Dachshund Derby...
Tau Phi, country music, and cowboy hats to help veterans’ causes 

Tau Phi, country music, and cowboy hats to help veterans’ causes 

Tau Phi’s Cowboy Show, which has roots going back 45 years when it began with skits in the Square, this year will celebrate and aid veterans with proceeds from Saturday’s performance.  This tradition has been around since 1974, as part of traditional Bison Day activities, but the skits in the Square became so popular it became an annual, staged celebration. All the proceeds will go toward charities such as Room in the Inn homeless agency and Wreaths Across America, for which Tau Phi members for the first time will lay wreaths on veterans’ graves Dec. 14 at the Nashville National Cemetery on Gallatin Road in Madison. Hunter Taylor hosted this year’s show, keeping the audience engaged and laughing in-between each song. The show blended older alumni members with pledges from the incoming class and included an all-family song, a brother-sister duo, and even an original song by Taylor Hogan.  “The Cowboy Show is a great display of what it means to be a Southern gentleman, which is a much-respected role in the Lipscomb community,” said Sarah Stewart, a junior who enjoyed the festivities.  “The Cowboy Show is so fun, and a great way to get those involved in supporting a noble cause while still highlighting  a fellow social club,” said junior Maddie Martin.  The music was led by Pat Flynn, who has done it for 22 years. He is a Grammy award-winning musician and one of the three honorary members of the Tau Phi social club.   “The Cowboy Show is something I look forward to every year. It’s a great way to bring students together,” said Jordan Bullard. DSC0775 Aperture:...