March 30, 2023

East Mississippi Community College’s annual Pine Grove Arts Festival returns to the college’s Scooba campus April 11 and April 13, with activities on the Golden Triangle campus taking place April 18.

SCOOBA CAMPUS

The festival kicks off April 11 on EMCC’s Scooba campus with a ping-pong tournament for students from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. in the Wellness Center. Later that evening, the annual Beauty Revue will take place in Stennis Hall auditorium beginning at 7 p.m. Tickets are $5 and the public is welcome to attend.

Contestants from EMCC’s Scooba and Golden Triangle campuses will compete for the title of “Most Beautiful” during Beauty Revue, the college’s annual pageant. In addition, the “Most Beautiful” winner and the four contestants with the next highest scores will be named the “Top 5 Beauties.”

“Our pageant is popular because it is so well run,” said EMCC Director of Accounting Tonya Hunt, who chairs the pageant. “Kudos to our staff who volunteer and the members of the event committee for the outstanding job they do each year.”

Last year, Hunt received the “Outstanding Judge Award” by the Mississippi Association of Pageant Judges for her expertise in judging and insight into the makings of a successful pageant. In 2016-17, the event garnered the “Outstanding Pageant Award” by that body.

Pine Grove festivities wrap up on the Scooba campus Thursday, April 13, with “An Afternoon of the Arts” from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., with events both inside and outside Aust Hall.

“All of the events Thursday are open to the public and we hope community members come out and celebrate the arts with us,” said EMCC art instructor Lisa Spinks, who chairs the Scooba Pine Grove committee.

The event will include performances by members of the Scooba campus Concert Choir and the Mighty Lion Jazz Band. Writers will read from their works during a writers’ symposium. Writers who would like to participate can email Shannon Pendergrass at spendergrass@eastms.edu to be included.

EMCC alumna Linda Kay Chandler, class of 2000, will be the featured artist for the event. A 2006 graduate of Mississippi State University, Chandler is an accomplished painter whose art will be on display in the Aust Hall gallery during the event. She is also an author, and will read selections from “Linda Kay’s Book of Poetry” during the writers’ symposium. A reception for Chandler will take place in the gallery afterwards.

GOLDEN TRIANGLE CAMPUS

Pine Grove Arts Festival events for students on the Golden Triangle campus will take place April 18 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. outside the student union. 

Members of the Golden Triangle Concert Choir will perform, as will members of the Mighty Lion Jazz Band. Recruiters from the military branches and universities will have information booths set up. Hamburgers and hotdogs will be available to students as well.

Members of the choir will serve cotton candy and the Student Government Association is expected to provide popcorn. Volleyball will be available and students will have the opportunity to test their baseball-throwing skills on the dunking booth that will be manned by EMCC faculty.

“This is always a fun event that we look forward to every year and we are encouraging students to come out and enjoy the day,” said EMCC music instructor Jamie Taylor, who is chair of the Golden Triangle Pine Grove Arts Festival committee.