eInside Events

Planning Committee for the Emerging Center for the Study of Gender and Sexuality

An open forum will be held on Sept. 9 to
discuss goals for the Center for the Study
of Gender and Sexuality.

Kent State University students, staff, faculty, administrators and community members are invited to an open forum on Wednesday, Sept. 9, from 6-8 p.m. to discuss the creation of and goals for the Center for the Study of Gender and Sexuality. The forum, which will be followed by a free reception, will take place in Room 317 at the Kent Student Center, and also will provide updates on developments in Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Studies and Women’s Studies.

This summer, a planning committee composed of faculty, staff and students developed a comprehensive plan outlining the mission, vision and values of the emerging center.

Attend this forum to meet members of the planning committee, the director in charge of developing the center and other people interested and involved with LGBT Studies, Women's Studies and the proposed center. Share your ideas and get involved as we move forward on developing new course offerings, research, grant opportunities and scholarly programming on the study of gender and sexuality.

The reception is hosted by the dean of the College of Arts and Sciences.

Black Squirrel Festival Features Music, Food and Freebies

Kent State tradition brings together students, faculty, staff and the Kent community

Students line up to try Kent State University’s food truck,
Fork in the Road, which is one of many features at this
year’s Black Squirrel Festival.

A Kent State University tradition for 34 years, the annual Black Squirrel Festival will take place Friday, Sept. 11, from noon-6 p.m. on the Student Green and Risman Plaza. The Black Squirrel Festival, which is hosted by Kent Student Center Programming, attracts more than 3,000 students, faculty and staff, as well as members of the Kent community. The event includes music, a flight simulator, caricature artists, food, local vendors, student organizations and thousands of giveaway items.

The first 2,500 people to arrive at the event will receive a Black Squirrel Festival T-shirt. The T-shirts can be used to participate in the first-ever Kent State Color War taking place on Manchester Field from 2–3 p.m. The Color War involves students using dyed blue and gold powder to douse their opponents. Other official event freebies include sunglasses, coffee mugs and headphones.

“This is the event of the year in terms of free stuff,” says Charlie Wilson, a senior accounting major at Kent State. “My friends and I will for sure be out there again this year.”

The Kent State food truck, Fork in the Road, will be on site from noon-4 p.m. serving up some festival favorites. Dining plans are valid at the food truck. Beach Boyz Entertainment will spin music favorites throughout the event.

The Black Squirrel Festival also offers students a chance to learn about student organizations, explore different university departments and learn more about the Kent community. Local vendors will have everything from coupons to clothing, jewelry and of course more free stuff. Many of the more than 370 student organizations will be set up at the event to recruit new members and encourage students to get involved.

John Camargo, student manager for Kent Student Center Programming, says the Black Squirrel Festival is an excellent opportunity for students to revisit with student organizations or catch up with some that they did not have a chance to talk with during the back-to-school Blastoff event.

“Blastoff was only two hours,” Camargo says. “Black Squirrel Festival is all day and gives students the opportunity to visit more of the tables.”

Kent Student Center Programming’s popular late-night movie program, Real Late Reels, will be showing Disney’s Cinderella at 9 p.m. The movie will be projected drive-in-movie-style on the Student Green. Watch the trailer at www.youtube.com/watch?v=20DF6U1HcGQ.

If it rains during the day, the festival will move indoors to the ballroom on the second floor of the Kent Student Center, and the movie will still be shown at 9 p.m., but it will be in the Kent Student Center Kiva.

For more information about Kent Student Center Programming, visit www.kent.edu/kscprogramming.

WKSU and the Hudson Library and Historical Society Present Terry Pluto and Amanda Rabinowitz

Amanda Rabinowitz (pictured), “Morning Edition” host,
and Terry Pluto, sports columnist and Northeast Ohio
legend, will bring their show live to the Hudson Library
and Historical Society on Sept. 30 at 6:30 p.m.

Each week, sports columnist and Northeast Ohio legend Terry Pluto brings his talents to WKSU. “Morning Edition” host Amanda Rabinowitz is his regular partner, engaging the audience with insights, predictions and general observations on the health, well-being and success of the region’s beloved teams. Despite a general lack of championship rings, Cleveland sports franchises inspire fans who are recognized for their loyalty and enthusiasm.

On Wednesday, Sept. 30, at 6:30 p.m., Pluto and Rabinowitz bring their show live to the Hudson Library and Historical Society (located in Hudson’s First & Main shopping district). The free event begins with the duo discussing the fates and fortunes of the Indians, Browns and Cavs before opening the conversation to the audience with a spirited question-and-answer session. Seating is limited and registration is required. “An Evening with Terry Pluto and Amanda Rabinowitz” is co-presented by WKSU and the Hudson Library and Historical Society. Information and registration is available at www.WKSU.org/events or www.hudsonlibrary.org.

Representatives from Hudson’s The Learned Owl Book Shop will be on hand to sell copies of Pluto’s books.

Support for this event is provided by Dave Walter BMW and Dave Walter VW.

Pluto is a sports columnist for The Plain Dealer. He has twice been honored by the Associated Press Sports Editors as the nation’s top sports columnist for medium-sized newspapers. He is a nine-time winner of the Ohio Sports Writer of the Year award and has received more than 50 state and local writing awards. In 2005, he was inducted into the Cleveland Journalism Hall of Fame. He is the author of 23 books, including Loose Balls, which was ranked number 13 on Sports Illustrated’s list of the top 100 sports books of all time. He was called “Perhaps the best American writer of sports books” by the Chicago Tribune in 1997. His latest book is Glory Days in Tribe Town: The Cleveland Indians and Jacobs Field 1994-1997.

Rabinowitz has been a reporter, host and producer at WKSU since 2007, and has been in broadcasting for 12 years. She is the daily news anchor for WKSU's “Morning Edition” and was named assistant news director in 2011. Rabinowitz has been honored by the Radio-Television News Directors Association with two Regional Murrow awards and has won awards from the Press Club of Cleveland, Ohio Professional Writers and the National Federation of Press Women. Rabinowitz came to WKSU following an eight-year term at WJER-AM/FM in Dover, Ohio, where she won an Ohio Associated Press Broadcasters award for Best Reporter in the state.

WKSU is an award-winning public radio station and service of Kent State University that broadcasts to 22 counties in Northeast Ohio from the station’s primary signal at 89.7. For more information about WKSU, visit www.wksu.org.

Kent State’s Office of Global Education Hosts Education-abroad Expo 2015

Kent State University students take a break from studying
to explore the city during an education-abroad trip. Kent
State's Education-abroad Expo takes place Sept. 17 at the
Kent Student Center.

Kent State University’s Office of Global Education will host an Education-abroad Expo on Sept. 17 from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on the second floor of the Kent Student Center.

The annual Education-abroad Expo enables Kent State students and faculty members to easily explore the many opportunities and resources that the university offers to participate in a rewarding education-abroad program.

An education-abroad experience is essential in today’s global economy for a complete, well-rounded education and provides a framework for greater personal growth and professional success.

For more information about Kent State’s Office of Global Education, visit www.kent.edu/globaleducation.

Get Free Tickets, Free Food for Golden Flashes Home Opener on Sept. 12!

Portage County’s largest fireworks show, presented by
AMETEK, will take place following the Golden Flashes
football season home opener at Dix Stadium on Sept. 12.

The Kent State University Golden Flashes will take on Delaware State University in the football season home opener at 6 p.m. on Sept. 12 at Dix Stadium on the Kent Campus.

Kent State faculty and staff receive a free ticket to attend the game and a free ticket for any dependent under the age of 18. Additional tickets can be purchased for only $7! Parking in the east or west lot at Dix Stadium is free with a valid Kent State parking pass. Pizza, soda and water will be provided.

Look for the faculty/staff tent at the west front entrance of Dix Stadium for your tailgating fun. Pre-game activities will include the Golden Flashes Walk – players entering the stadium – at 4 p.m., two live bands, Kent State mascot Flash appearance and giveaways. Game kickoff time is 6 p.m., and stay for Northeast Ohio’s and Portage County’s largest fireworks show, presented by AMETEK, which will start around 9 p.m.

Faculty and staff can pick up their tickets at the Memorial Athletic and Convocation (MAC) Center ticket office prior to the game or at gate A at Dix stadium (the farthest gate on the right as you are looking at the stadium).

For more information, email Keith Dea at kdea@kent.edu or call 330-672-4269.

To learn more about Kent State’s Department of Intercollegiate Athletics, visit www.kentstatesports.com.

Kent State University Bookstore Hosts Author Signing, Sept. 12

The Kent State University Bookstore will host Mike Kostensky
for an author signing on Sept. 12.

Mike Kostensky, a Brimfield trustee and owner of Mike's Place Restaurant, celebrates his first published novel The Island of Macbeth – a story of an island that secedes from the United States and the man caught right in the middle of it.

The Kent State University Bookstore will host Kostensky for an author signing on Sept. 12 from noon-2 p.m. The bookstore is located in the Kent Student Center. For more information about the event, contact Nikki at 330-672-2762.

The Cashore Marionettes on Stage at Kent State Tuscarawas

The internationally acclaimed Cashore Marionettes will kick
off the 2015-2016 Kent State University at Tuscarawas
Performing Arts Center at 2 p.m. on Sept. 12.

The internationally acclaimed Cashore Marionettes will kick off the 2015-2016 Kent State University at Tuscarawas Performing Arts Center at 2 p.m. on Sept. 12. Unmatched in artistry, grace and refinement of movement, the Cashore Marionettes redefine the art of puppetry. The performance combines virtuoso manipulation, humor and classical music. It is a show that will certainly delight the whole family.

Tickets for the Cashore Marionettes are $18 and can be purchased at the Performing Arts Center Box Office, online at www.kent.edu/tusc/pac or by calling 330-308-6400. The box office is open Monday through Friday, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Free parking is available for all shows.

The moving and humorous performances of the Cashore Marionettes have astounded audiences in Europe, the Far East and across North America, including stops at the Kennedy Center, Annenberg Center, Kravis Center and many others. The program, Simple Gifts, is a series of touching portrayals and poignant scenes from everyday life set to stunning music by such composers as Vivaldi, Strauss, Beethoven and Copland. Through a combination of virtuoso manipulation, beautiful music, theatrical illusion and artistic insight, the original vignettes presented in Simple Gifts provide an entertaining and sensitive vision of what it is to be human. The performance explores a range of emotions with characters and actions that are amazingly convincing.

The marionettes are engineering marvels and the quality of movement is extraordinary. Cashore has received numerous awards for his artistry, including a Pew Fellowship for Performance Art, based upon his artistic accomplishment; a Henson Foundation Grant, an award intended to help promote puppetry to adult audiences; and a Citation of Excellence from the UNIMA-USA, the highest honor an American puppeteer can receive. The Cashore Marionettes are so well conceived and projected, the movement so convincing, the illusion so powerful, that the result is a compelling and unforgettable theatrical experience.

Main Street Kent Presents Fifth Annual Kent International Festival

Event features food trucks, beer garden and multicultural performances

Main Street Kent will host the fifth annual International
Festival on Saturday, Sept. 12, from noon to 7 p.m.

Downtown Kent will be transformed into a cultural melting pot when Main Street Kent hosts the fifth annual International Festival on Saturday, Sept. 12, from noon to 7 p.m. The event will take place at the Hometown Bank Plaza and on North Water Street, which will be closed from Main Street to Columbus Street for the festivities. Admission to the festival is free.

A variety of ethnic foods will be available for purchase from Hobo’s Gumbo, Jones Bones BBQ, Oasis Grille, The Orange Truk, Premier Crepes and Wholly Frijoles Mexican Street Food. Attendees also will be able to enjoy an international beer garden hosted by the Kent Jaycees at the Hometown Bank Plaza, where a selection of international beers will be available for purchase. A limited supply of commemorative glasses will be available as well, featuring the black squirrel with the multicolored tail!

This is a family-friendly event that features merchandise vendors, art activities, entertainment and fun for all ages.

Live performances will be featured at the Hometown Bank Plaza, including Sho-Jo-Ji Japanese dance, Naser Madi Mediterranean guitar, Barefeet Dance Tribe, Reality Check Dance Team, Elianae Stone Bellydancing, Camp Halim African Cultural Arts and more! The final entertainment schedule will be posted on the Main Street Kent website at www.mainstreetkent.org closer to the date of the event.

Want to take a trip around the world while in downtown Kent? Go for it! Take the Passport Excursion during the International Festival. Come downtown to the event and pick up your free passport at the entrance, and at your leisure, go explore special offerings from around the world at participating downtown businesses. You will enjoy treats and activities from Italy, Turkey, Japan, India, Sweden, Cuba and more! Participating businesses will have a special ethnic offering from a faraway country for all passport holders. Stops include Belleria, Carnaby Street Style, Destination Kent Visitor Centre (located on Erie Street across from the Kent State University Hotel and Conference Center), Empire, Gracylane, HOME International Markets, Kent Cheesemonger, Kent Cycle, Kent Natural Foods Co-Op, Kent State Hotel and Conference Center, McKay Bricker Framing and Black Squirrel Gifts, Off the Wagon, Pita Pit, Scribbles Coffee, Secret Cellar, Standing Rock Jewelers, the Local Public House and Troy Grille. Once you have completed the tour, bring your passport back to the event entrance for a prize. All completed passports will be entered in a drawing to win a grand prize -- kids’ grand prize will be provided by HOME International Markets and adults’ grand prize will be provided by the Local Public House.

This event is generously sponsored by Kent State, NEOMED, PARTA and Hometown Bank.

Main Street Kent is a nonprofit organization focused on the revitalization of downtown Kent. It is an affiliate of the national Main Street program and the Heritage Ohio program.

“Run the World 5K” Scheduled for Sept. 12

Event will support education-abroad scholarships at Kent State

Kent State University will host the inaugural “Run the
World 5K,” a run/walk international-themed race, on
Sept. 12 on the Lefton Esplanade at the Kent Campus.
Registration proceeds will support education-abroad
scholarships at Kent State.

Kent State University will host the inaugural “Run the World 5K,” a run/walk international-themed race, on Saturday, Sept. 12, on the Lefton Esplanade at the Kent Campus. Registration proceeds will support education-abroad scholarships so that Kent State students can better afford the experience of short- or long-term education-abroad programs.

Registration is open to the public, and participants may run, jog or walk through the beautiful, tree-lined course along the scenic Lefton Esplanade. Strollers are welcome. Packet pickup begins at 7 a.m., and the race begins at 8:30 a.m. The start and finish line will be located at Risman Plaza (in between the Kent Student Center and University Library).

"This event appeals to both runners and non-runners alike and offers Kent State and the city of Kent a chance to come together and celebrate our international community and encourage our young scholars to get out there and see the world beyond Northeast Ohio," says Ed Butch, race director and senior academic advisor in Kent State’s College of Arts and Sciences.

Participants can register online at www.kent.edu/RunTheWorld. Registration is $25 and includes a tech T-shirt and a finisher’s medal. All participants are invited to the Kent International Festival in downtown Kent as a post-race party. The festival is hosted by Main Street Kent and will have international food for purchase and free entertainment. Race-day registration is available starting at 7 a.m., payable by cash or check. Awards will be given to the top female and male runners, as well as age group categories.

“Studying abroad is not just about visiting another country; it’s about expanding our students’ ability to think critically about themselves and the world in which they live so that they can become better global citizens,” says James Blank, Ph.D., dean of Kent State’s College of Arts and Sciences. “Supporting this race means supporting our students to enable them to have the most rewarding and potentially life-changing experiences of their academic career at Kent.”

For questions about the race or sponsorship opportunities, visit www.kent.edu/runtheworld or contact Butch at 330-672-8976 or ebutch@kent.edu.