Blakemore Trio Concert

St. Andrew’s-Sewanee School will host the Blakemore Trio at 7 p.m., today (Friday), Nov. 1. in McCrory Hall for the Performing Arts. The program includes compositions by Beethoven and Brahms, as well as a piece by contemporary composer Paul Osterfield. 

Amy Dorfman, Carolyn Huebl and Felix Wang, each acclaimed performers in their own right, formed the Blakemore Trio when their artistic paths crossed at the Blair School of Music at Vanderbilt University in 2002. Since then, the trio has developed a national reputation, performing on chamber series throughout the country. 

The event is free and open to the public.

“Ring Round the Moon” Opens Nov. 8

Theatre/Sewanee will present Jean Anouilh’s comedy “Ring Round the Moon,” adapted by Christopher Fry, at 7:30 p.m., Friday and Saturday, Nov. 8–9, and at 2 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 10, in the Tennessee Williams Center. Performances are also scheduled at 7:30 p.m., Thursday–Saturday, Nov. 14–16. 

“Ring Round the Moon” is described as a playful romp, a charade with music. It features plots and counterplots involving ballet dancers, butlers, millionaires and a multitude of charming intriguers. 

Heading the large cast is Oliver Crawford as the twin brothers, Hugo and Frederic. He is joined by Pagie Wilson as an innocent, young ballet dancer and Sarah Weldon as her overbearing, brassy mother, along with Charlotte LaNasa as a spoiled millionairess and Hyatt Pyle as an eccentric patron of the arts.

Elise Anderson will appear as the mistress of the millionaire (played by Peter Smith), who has been carrying on a with her lover’s secretary, played by Cody Snead. Karen Pelfrey Smith is the dowager aunt of the twins, with Megan Quick as her faded companion and Jack Russell as a crumbling butler, aided by Audrey Tchoukova and Alex Linton as bumbling footmen.

“Ring Round the Moon” is directed by Peter Smith, assisted by Beckett Scott. Scenery and lighting are designed by Dan Backlund and costumes designed by Josie Guevara-Torres. Courtney World is the choreographer, with stage management by Ruth Guerra and technical direction by John Marshall, assisted by Samantha Gribben. The event is free, but reservations are suggested by emailing <mcook@sewanee.edu>. 

Community Chest Spotlight: Folks at Home

The 2013-14 Sewanee Community Chest Fund Drive is underway. The power of people helping people makes a difference in the life of the community. Sponsored by the Sewanee Civic Association, the Community Chest raises money yearly for local charitable organizations serving the area. This year’s goal is $108,000.

This week’s focus is on Folks at Home (F@H). F@H began as a grassroots project sponsored by Otey Memorial Parish. In 2010 the organization began its first full year of operation. Folks at Home is a local nonprofit organization developed for and dedicated to assisting its members in continuing a dignified and comfortable lifestyle in the community through coordination of services they need during elder years. Anyone of any age is invited to participate. 

Services offered by F@H include providing information and referrals for those with serious illnesses and life transitions, to in-home visits and help with chores and transportation. The organization also offers pro bono services (scholarships) for those members with long or short-term needs. In 2012 more than 85 individuals benefited from more than 1,527 services. 

Volunteers were responsible for the success of many of these services. In 2012 more than 30 community volunteers provided more than 422 hours of service. Forty-four students provided more than 277 service hours through in-home visits, task assistance and telephone contact. In addition, there were more than 80 vetted vendors available for hire to provide many other services.

F@H provides services at no cost to the recipients. These services include access to the equipment exchange and pro bono services. In addition F@H provides services to members who pay an annual membership fee. In 2012, 34 individuals benefited from the equipment exchange, and 25 individuals received pro bono services. Funds from the Community Chest support the work that F@H does.

For more information, contact director Kathleen O’Donohue at <folks​athomesewanee@gmail.com>, phone 598-0303, or drop by for a visit in the “Blue House” at 400 University Ave. 

The Community Chest is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, and donations are tax-deductible. Send donations to Sewanee Community Chest, P.O. Box 99, Sewanee, TN 37375. For more information, go to <www.sewaneecivic.wordpress.com>.

University Welcomes Alumni for Homecoming Weekend

Homecoming at the University of the South is today through Sunday, Oct. 25–27. More than 1,000 Sewanee alumni are expected to be on the Mountain this weekend. This is a reunion year for alumni with class years ending in “3” and “8”; those classes will have special events in addition to the all-alumni offerings. In addition, reunion events will celebrate 40 years of women at Sewanee, and the 1958 and 1963 undefeated football teams.

The registration desk at the McGriff Alumni House will be open today (Friday) until 6 p.m., and Saturday, Oct. 26, from 8 a.m. to noon. The weekend will be filled with social, educational and recreational opportunities planned to appeal to all alumni.

Academic offerings include the opportunity to sit in on classes and to hear presentations on the Carey pre-business program by Chip Manning, C’82, director of the Babson Center for Global Commerce; a Civil War talk, “A Rite Sharp Little Fight: The Skirmish at Sewanee, July 4, 1863,” by Merritt Blakeslee, C’68; and a talk about “The Forest Unseen” by David Haskell.

Arts events include Friday afternoon readings at IONA; an artist’s talk and reception with Tony Winters, C’76, whose exhibition is on display in the Carlos Gallery; a screening of “Walker Percy: A Documentary Film” and reception with Walker Percy’s grandson, Jack Moores; and a book signing by author Ben Walker, C’68, of his two novels, “Winds of the South” and “Sentimental Journey.”

Active and outdoor offerings include a hike of the new Caldwell Rim Trail overlooking Lost Cove led by favorite professors, the annual fun run and a morning bike ride for alumni and friends, and numerous varsity athletic events. A grand opening celebration of the Domain being certified as a Tennessee Arboretum will be held Saturday morning at the Arboretum map on the corner of Georgia and University avenues.

Vice-Chancellor John McCardell and his wife, Bonnie, will welcome alumni at events throughout the weekend, including a Welcome Home Reception this afternoon (Friday) and the Alumni Awards Brunch on Saturday.

A memorial service Sunday morning will remember alumni, faculty, staff, and community members at St. Augustine’s Stone outside All Saints’ Chapel.

The full schedule of events can be found from the Sewanee alumni gateway page at <www.sewaneegate​way.com/>.

SUD Works to Repair Leak at Water Tower

At the Oct. 22 meeting of the Board of Commissioners of the Sewanee Utility District of Franklin and Marion Counties, the board heard a report about the leak in the water tower near the University Farm, learned about the status of the automated meter reading effort, and reviewed the capital improvements budget.

A very small leak was discovered in the water tower on Breakfield Road on Oct. 17, SUD manager Ben Beavers reported. The tank is leaking about 5 gallons per minute, Beavers estimated, but it is impossible to tell exactly how much is escaping as the water dissipates before reaching the ground. 

“We won’t know what caused the leak until we get it drained,” he said. A contractor from Shelbyville will be coming to Sewanee during the week of Oct. 28 to repair the leak.

Beavers said the 365,000-gallon tank will have to be completely drained before it can be repaired. The contractor will weld a plate on the inside of the tank at the site of the leak, weld a plate on the outside of the tank, and then paint the patches. 

Once the leak is fixed, SUD will refill the tank with a water and bleach mixture (300 ppm/bleach) to sterilize the tank. SUD will then neutralize the bleach and drain the tank; they will refill the tank and take a bacteriological sample to ensure that the water is safe.

“This leak isn’t affecting our operations,” Beavers said. “We can hardly see a drop in the tank level.”

Beavers said that during the tank’s repair, SUD will pump water from the water tank at St. Andrew’s-Sewanee School. During this time, he said he expects customers in the Jump Off and Midway areas will have slightly increased pressure; customers in Sewanee will have slightly reduced pressure.

“I expect the entire process to take no more than three or four days,” he said. The estimate for the repairs is about $3,400.

When questioned by a board member about the possibility of repainting the entire water tower now, Beavers noted that the estimated cost for that project is $60,000. Repainting is scheduled for 2015.

As part of the manager’s report, Beavers noted that numerous lines in the Oak Street and Magnolia Street area of Sewanee have been replaced because of the poor condition of the pipes. Old galvanized pipe had corroded significantly restricting water flow. Residents in the area now have improved water pressure unless they have galvanized pipe inside their homes.

The new meters for the automated meter reading (AMR) program are on order. The software that manages the AMR program will be installed before Thanksgiving, Beavers said. The first residential AMR meters to be installed will be in the Jump Off and Midway areas. 

The board reviewed the capital improvements budget for 2013, 2014 and beyond. Beavers explained that once the AMR system is in place and the leaks in the system repaired, there are not any major problems with the system.        —Reported by Laura Willis

Benefit Concert for Children’s Center

Oboist Rebecca Van de Ven will perform a recital at 3 p.m., Sunday, Oct. 27, in St. Luke’s Chapel. The event is free, and all donations will benefit the Sewanee Children’s Center. 

Van de Ven will be joined by the principal bassoonist of the Huntsville Symphony Orchestra, Hunter Thomas, as well as Sewanee faculty members Bernadette Lo on piano and Katherine Lehman on violin. The performers will collaborate on two trios with a variety of other pieces. 

Come support the Sewanee Children’s Center and enjoy an afternoon of music.

DuBose Lectures Offered on Thursday

The 2013 DuBose Lectures will feature Ellen F. Davis, the Amos Ragan Kearns Distinguished Professor of Bible and Practical Theology at Duke Divinity School. Her lectures will be at 9 a.m., and 2:30 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 31, in Guerry Auditorium. These are free and open to the public.

The annual DuBose Lectures and alumni/ae gathering were endowed by an initial gift from the Rev. Jack C. Graves and substantially increased by a gift from Margaret (Peggy) A. Chisholm of Laurel, Miss., and New York City. The lectures memorialize William Porcher DuBose, second dean of the School of Theology, and focus on a topic of wide appeal in the church. This year’s topic is “Biblical Prophecy and Perspectives for Contemporary Ministry.”

Davis’ lectures will highlight prophetic voices in both Testaments that provide theological perspectives essential for faithful Christian living and the work of ministry. The 9 a.m. lecture, “Destroyers of the Earth: Economic Critiques of Empire,” will focus on critiques of two ancient commercial empires, Tyre (Ezekiel) and Rome (Revelation), critiques that still address an incisive word to today’s culture.

The 2:30 p.m. lecture, “Out of Chaos, Against Complacency: Prophetic Arts of Peacemaking,” will focus on the poetry of Jeremiah along­side the work of contemporary artists (visual and verbal) and explore how artists may exercise a unique service to the faith community by shaking them out of complacency, framing images of realistic hope and sowing the seeds of peace even in the midst of war and other kinds of social chaos.

Davis, the author of eight books and many articles, focuses her research on how biblical interpretation bears on the life of faith communities and their response to urgent public issues, particularly the environmental crisis and interfaith relations. Her most recent book, “Scripture, Culture, and Agriculture: An Agrarian Reading of the Bible” (Cambridge University Press, 2009), integrates biblical studies with a critique of industrial agriculture and food production.

In conjunction with the DuBose lectures, the School of Theology Programs Center is sponsoring a three-day event that will gather church leaders, practitioners of sustainable agriculture and people involved with food justice issues. 

The full schedule of events for the week is available at <www.theology.sewanee.edu>.