There are a few changes in the autumn air for Bethel College’s 43rd Fall Festival, Oct. 3-6 this year with most events taking place Oct. 5 on campus. “Though many of the longtime traditions will continue, a few will be ended, downsized or relocated in 2013,” said Fall Festival organizer Dave Linscheid ’75, Bethel director of alumni relations.
To start, the Fall Festival buttons are being retired. “Instead, we invite you to spend a little extra to support the many groups raising money at Taste of Newton and the Fall Fest fair,” Linscheid said.Taste of Newton downtown is the first major event, from 6-9 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 3. Taste of Newton features a wide variety of food from local restaurants, and church and civic groups plus live entertainment ranging from square dancing to choral music to jazz to tae kwon do to Newton’s Azteca Dancers.
The star of Friday, Oct. 4, will be a brand-new limerick book produced by the Bethel College Women’s Association. “A BC ABC Book: Bethel College of Kansas in Art and Rhyme” will be introduced in convocation at 11 a.m. in Krehbiel Auditorium and celebrated in a book launch party from 5 to 7 p.m. in Mojo’s Coffee Shop.“A BC ABC Book” features limericks by 17 Bethel alumni and illustrations by 27 alumni artists (class years ranging from 1947 to 2014). It will be for sale at the party and in the BCWA Market on the Green tent on Saturday, with proceeds going to support Bethel College.
The 7th annual STEM Symposium begins at 1 p.m. Friday in Krehbiel Auditorium, this year honoring chemistry at Bethel. Alumni speakers are Daniel Unruh ’06, Kalona, Iowa, and Sharon Thieszen ’94, Sheboygan, Wis., on Friday, and Don Miller ’85, Winnipeg, Manitoba, on Saturday (keynote, in the Ad Building chapel). All lectures are free and open to the public.
The Fall Festival theater production this year is the classic comedy “You Can’t Take It with You” by Moss Hart and George S. Kaufman, with the first performance at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 4 (additional shows 3:30 p.m. Oct. 5 and 2 p.m. Oct. 6, all in Krehbiel Auditorium). Tickets are on sale at Thresher Bookstore in Schultz Student Center during regular business hours or one hour before each performance, subject to availability, in the Fine Arts Center ticket office.