LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Kids, youth, and others are invited to participate in Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. Those interested in participating should plan to attend the rehearsal call-out session on Thursday, October 29th at 6:30p at the Tippecanoe Arts Federation, 638 North Street, Lafayette (enter the side door and go to the lower level).

The annual Dickens of a Christmas will be held in Downtown Lafayette-West Lafayette on Saturday, December 5 from 10:00a–9:00p. During this event, scenes from A Christmas Carol are enacted at various sites throughout the Downtown Lafayette.

Practice sessions are ready to begin.

Questions should be directed to Jane Ness at Greater Lafayette Commerce, 765/742-4044 or Peg Black, Dickens players’ coordinator, at 765/742-8619.

LAFAYETTE, Ind. — The Civic Theatre of Greater Lafayette is asking local playwrights to submit their original works for possible inclusion in the 2009-2010 Staged Reading Series. At least one original script will be included in the series over the course of the full season.

In the two years that the Staged Reading Series has been part of Civic Theatre, at least one of the slots in its season has been filled by an original script written by a local playwright.

In the 2007-2008 season, two original one-act plays were part of the season: Pia Zadora Sings Gershwin by Deborah Gray and A Very Bad Day for Brandon Butterworth by Scott Haan.

In the 2008-2009 season, Steve Gooch’s original full-length play In the Weeds had its world premiere in March. The Scott Haan original script has since been published and produced around the country.

Here are the original script submission guidelines:

• Full script submissions are preferred.
• Civic Theatre of Greater Lafayette will accept a query/synopsis with a 5-page dialogue sample.
• Enclose a self-addressed stamped envelope or self-addressed stamped postcard with the submission for response.
• Electronic submissions are preferred. Send manuscripts to steve@lafayettecivic.org.
• Submissions may also be sent via physical mail to: Civic Theatre of Greater Lafayette, Attn.: Staged Reading Committee, 313 N. 5th Street, Lafayette, IN, 47901
• There is no cost to submit an original script; however, playwrights are limited to submitting no more than 3 scripts.
• Deadline for submissions: July 31, 2009
• Response date: No later than September 1, 2009
• Chances of being selected: At least one original script per year is included in the Staged Reading Series out of the entire pool of submissions.
• Contract: There are no royalties paid at this time.
• Cast size: 10 or fewer actors are preferred.
• Geographic requirements: Playwrights must reside in the 14-county area served by the Tippecanoe Arts Federation — Benton County, Carroll County, Cass County, Clinton County, Fountain County, Howard County, Jasper County, Montgomery County, Newton County, Pulaski County, Tippecanoe County, Tipton County, Warren County and White County.

Civic Theatre of Greater Lafayette is community theatre located in downtown Lafayette, Indiana. Its home is the historic Monon Depot Theatre. The house has a seating capacity of 155.

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — The Purdue student chapter of the National Association of Home Builders will hold a callout Wednesday (Feb. 25) for students interested in learning about a course that provides an opportunity to participate in a residential construction, design and planning competition.

The callout will be held at 6 p.m. in the construction laboratory in the basement of Knoy Hall, Room B038. Students from any major can attend and receive information about the BCM 362 “Construction Competition” course, which will be offered in fall 2009.

Dale Koehler, organizer of the competition course and an associate professor in the Department of Building Construction Management, said he is especially interested in attracting students studying finance, marketing, interior design, computer graphics and construction management. The course is limited to 20 students, and they are selected through an interview process.

Offered as an elective in the Department of Building Construction Management, it is a multidisciplinary course where students work as a team to create a proposal for a residential development project in a specified city. Students spend the semester researching the city, conducting a market analysis, and developing a detailed plan for the project, including financing, sales and marketing, scheduling, estimating, land development and project management.

Near the end of the semester, six students are selected from the class to represent Purdue at the National Association of Home Builders Residential Construction Management competition, which is held in conjunction with the International Builders’ Show. The team creates a detailed portfolio of information that is submitted to judges prior to the show. Students on the team travel to the show to present their plan to industry members, who serve as judges.

The 2010 show will be held in Las Vegas. The Purdue student chapter of the National Association of Home Builders has participated in the competition for more than 15 years. This year, they placed sixth out of 37 teams that competed.

The construction competition course is part of the residential construction management specialization within the Department of Building Construction Management. Specializations also are offered in disaster restoration and reconstruction, electrical construction management, mechanical construction management, demolition construction management, and health-care construction management.

LAFAYETTE, Ind. — The organizational meeting for the 2009 Lafayette Farmers Market will be held on Thursday, February 5 at 5:30p in the board room of the Swezey Commerce Center, 337 Columbia Street, Lafayette, IN.

The Lafayette Farmers Market is one of the oldest Farmers Markets in Indiana.

The Farmers Market season is from May 2, 2009 through October 31, 2009. The Market will be held on Tuesdays and Saturdays from 7:30a–12:30p in downtown Lafayette on 5th Street between Main and Columbia Streets. New this year will be a Market on the Purdue Campus by the Dauch Alumni Center on Thursdays from 3:00p–6:30p from June 4 through August 13. The Thursday Market will then move to the downtown location from 4:00p-7:00p from August 20 through October 29.

The Lafayette Farmers Market is organized by the Downtown Development Council of Greater Lafayette Commerce. If you are interested in being a vendor for the 2009 season and would like more information regarding the Market or want to receive a Vendor Contract , please call Jane Ness at 765/742-4044. Vendor Contracts will also be available on-line at www.LafayetteFarmersMarket.com following the meeting.

LAFAYETTE, Ind. — An information session and rally for participation is being planned to spur the creative imaginations of area residents.

At 6 p.m. Oct. 16, an informational call-out meeting for the “Tippecanus Rex” project will be held at the Tippecanoe Arts Federation, 638 North St., Lafayette. The project will highlight visual, performing, musical and literary art that addresses invented natural history of the Tippecanoe County region, through imaginative interpretation and fantastic fabrication.

All interested artists, writers and performers, as well as all arts and culture organizations in the Region 4 Arts Partnership, are invited to attend, hear about the project, and brainstorm ideas for participation and collaboration.

“Tippecanus Rex” will be presented from April 1 through May 10 at the Tippecanoe Arts Federation. In conjunction with its “Urban Legends and Rural Myths” exhibition, Purdue Galleries is partnering with the Tippecanoe Arts Federation to present this community-wide celebration of the “(un)natural” history of Tippecanoe County. Residents of all 14 counties in the Indiana Region 4 Arts Partnership served by TAF will be invited to submit entries to the project.

For more information, contact Craig Martin from Purdue Galleries at cdmartin@purdue.edu or (765) 496-7899; or contact Abigail Props from the Tippecanoe Arts Federation at taf@tippecanoearts.org or (765) 423-2787. All Purdue Galleries and TAF exhibitions and events are free and open to the public.