Hesston College will host its 48th annual Thanksgiving Weekend celebration Nov. 26 to 28. The public is invited to attend several events for all ages that have become Hesston College traditions.
Hesston’s Thanksgiving Weekend allows students’ families and prospective students a glimpse of the Hesston Experience and community. Prospective students are welcome for a full campus visit weekend, including an academic and Student Development open house on Friday, Nov. 27, campus tour and spending the night in the dorms. Siblings of current students are especially invited to attend.
A complete weekend schedule and registration information can be found on the Hesston College website or by calling the Special Events office at 866-437-7866 or the Admissions Office at 800-995-2757.
Weekend event highlights include:
The annual Thanksgiving evening Masterworks concert will feature the Hesston College Bel Canto Singers, Chorale and Chamber Orchestra for Joseph Haydn’s The Creation at 7:30 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 26 in the Hesston Mennonite Church Sanctuary on the Hesston College campus. The 75-minute concert tells the Genesis story with featured soloists Holly Swartzendruber, soprano; Matthew Schloneger, tenor; Doyle Preheim, bass; along with an orchestra and an 85-voice chorus of students and community members. The concert is $10 for adults, $5 for students and free for Hesston College students. Tickets are available at the door or in advance at the Hesston College Bookstore, 620-327-8104.
Students, faculty and staff will display their talents through song, skits and video at a 9:45 p.m., talent show Nov. 26, at Hesston Mennonite Church. Admission is free.
Seasoned and casual runners and walkers can work off their Thanksgiving feasts during the 24th annual Thanksgiving two-mile run/walk: The Howard Hustle at 11 a.m., Friday, Nov. 27. An early entry fee of $20 is being offered to registrants before Nov. 20. The fee after Nov. 19 is $25. Participants will receive long-sleeved tech shirts and a race number. Proceeds will be donated to the Hesston College Wellness Equipment Project. Individuals may donate a gift to the project without participating in the run. Medals will be given to overall and age group winners, and door prizes will be given to winners and participants as well. Registration information can be found online.
The college’s music ensembles, Bel Canto Singers, Chorale and Chamber Orchestra, will perform pieces from their fall repertoire in a 2:30 p.m., concert Nov. 27, in the Hesston Mennonite Church Sanctuary.
A book signing and readings will be held at 4 p.m., Nov. 27, in the lower level of Northlawn. Faculty members will read from their recent publications, including My Calling to Fulfill: The Orie O. Miller Story, a biography by John Sharp; Andre Swartley from his fiction The Wretched Afterlife of Odetta Koop and an essay “The Case for Mennonite Horror,” and Michele Hershberger’s theological essay from the book Fully Engaged.
Weekend guests are invited to the Dyck Arboretum of the Plains’ annual luminary walk from 5:30 to 8 p.m., Nov. 27 and 28, with the theme “Tis the Season for Giving.”
The women’s basketball team will host Colby Community College at 6 p.m., Nov. 27 and the men’s basketball team will host Bethel College JV (Bethel, Kan.) at 8 p.m. Both the women’s and men’s basketball teams will host Pratt Community College on Nov. 28 at 2 and 4 p.m.