Hope College will host its 68th annual Nykerk Cup competition on Saturday, Nov. 9, at 8 p.m. in the Holland Civic Center, located at 150 W. 8th St.

The event, one of a variety of activities scheduled during the college's Parents' Weekend, will feature approximately 200 members of the freshman and sophomore classes competing in song, plays and oration. The participating classes this year are the freshman Class of '06 and the sophomore Class of '05.

The public is invited. Admission is free. The competition, first held on March 16, 1936, is named in honor of the originator of the program, John Nykerk, a professor, college dean and founder of the Hope College department of music. The event is continuously staged before a large audience.

This year's competition will be carried live on local cable channel 15.

The sophomore song will be "Grease Medley," words and music by Warren Casey, Jim Jacobs and John Farrar; arranged by Mac Huff and Mark Brymer, with additional arranging by senior Erryn Jenks of Lincoln. The sophomore song will be coached by Jenks and senior Courtney Beechick of Barrington, Ill.

The sophomore song morale coaches are seniors Matt Zwier of Portage, Justin Janik of Tinley Park, Ill., and Eric Jones of Grand Rapids.

The freshman song will be "It's Only a Paper Moon," words and music by Billy Rose and E.Y. Harburg; arranged by Kirby Shaw. The freshman song will be coached by juniors Samantha Hyde of Kalamazoo and Annie Gonzalez of Valparaiso, Ind.

The freshman song morale coaches are juniors Marty Jordan of Whittemore and Wylie Douglass of Libertyville, Ill.

The sophomore play will be "Peter Vanderpan from Dutchy Dutchy Land," written and coached by seniors Jordana Blondin of Grand Blanc and Anne Oppenhuizen of Grandville.

The sophomore play morale coaches are seniors Dan Hendricks of Novi, Nick Denis of Saint Clair Shores, and Chad Sampson of Portage.

The freshman play is "Clue," written and coached by juniors Rebecca Barry of Gurnee, Ill., and Marjorie Behm of Redford.

The freshman play morale coaches are juniors Scott Hinze of Shelby, David Pridmore of Novi, Mike Polk of Center Line, and Seth DeVries of Fishers, Ind.

This year's oration theme is "From the Inside Out."

The sophomore orator will be Jessica Henneman of Ludington, and her speech is titled "Authenticity Defined." She will be coached by senior Kristi Cummings of Howard City.

The freshman orator will be Anne Bast of Grand Rapids, and her speech is titled "Beneath the Surface." Bast will be coached by juniors Meridith DeAvila of Holland and Leslie Skaistis of Bloomfield Hills.

The general chair of Nykerk is senior Hillary Noordeloos of Rockford. Serving as general chair-elect is junior Kristi Creswell of Grand Rapids. The senior treasurer is Abbie Gonzales of Holland. The junior treasurer is Kendra Slotten of Grand Ledge.

Annie Hilbrecht of Kalamzoo is the senior publicity chair. The junior publicity chair is Kristina Martinez of Holland. The secretary for the 68th annual Nykerk Cup competition is senior Lisa Hardy of Midland. Juniors Cory Mc Call of Portage and Kimberly Roush of Traverse City are the production coordinators.

The weekend will feature a variety of other performances and presentations in addition to the Nykerk Cup competition.

The college's Wind Symphony and Jazz Ensemble I will perform on Friday, Nov. 8, at 7 p.m. in Dimnent Memorial Chapel, located on College Avenue at 12th Street. Admission is free.

The football team will host Olivet College on Saturday, Nov. 9, at 1 p.m. at Holland Municipal Stadium, located on Fairbanks Avenue between 13th and 16th Streets. Tickets for the game are $4 for general admission, $1 for students high school age and younger, and $6 for reserved seating.

The Faculty Recital Series will continue on Sunday, Nov. 10, at 3 p.m. in Wichers Auditorium of Nykerk Hall of Music. Admission is free.

The gallery of the De Pree Art Center is featuring an exhibition of 40 paintings by Bruce McCombs of the art faculty depicting views and architectural details of campus through Sunday, Nov. 17. The De Pree Art Center is located on Columbia Avenue at 12th Street, and the gallery is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is free.