Tickets for NAC’s annual Arts Ball: I Want My 80’s! are now on sale! Bring your big hair and be a part of the 80’s flashback fun, Saturday, October 6, 7-10pm at the Mill Room behind Banita Creek Hall. We will be dancing to videos, getting our Glamour Shot photos and seeing special performances by 80’s icons! Go to our website and click on the sponsor link for information. Or here: https://givebutter.com/FNtAcF.
The late great Nacogdoches Film Festival has disbanded and donated their balance of $640 to NAC as sponsor of the 2025 Arts Ball! They also donated leftover event t-shirts and two posters from the 2020 festival that have ORIGINAL AUTOGRAPHS from GEORGE FOREMAN and RUTH BUZZI, both stars we lost in 2025. According to former film festival president Ron Johnson, “We are delighted to donate our cash balance and merchandise to Nacogdoches Arts Collaborative to continue their programs that add so much to the arts scene in our community.” Come on back for the ball, Ron!
The big annual ArtFest event will be held Saturday, September 27 9-2 in Banita Creek Park, next to the Farmer’s Market. The move is due to construction downtown. This coincides with Family Weekend at SFASU and crowds are expected. Vendor information is available here: https://nacartscollab.com/vendors.
SEPTEMBER VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT: Meet Les Neal!
Les Neal is the new president of the NAC board. “I’m flattered, honored and humbled.” he said. This retired security professional returned to Nacogdoches in 2023 after a long career in Southern California, and he seeks to spread the word that the arts should be part of everybody’s life. His own is a perfect example.
Originally from Port Lavaca, Texas, Les moved to Houston with his family after his widowed mother remarried. “It was the middle of my junior year in high school and I was pulled away from everyone I’d known since kindergarten, and thrust into a new school in a new town. It was awful.” He needed an elective and on a whim, chose Speech. That class was taught by the school drama teacher and soon, Les made his stage debut in a small role in a school production of “Romeo & Juliet”. It was his initiation to the arts, and he fell hard.
Les came to Nacogdoches in the early ’70s to pursue a BFA in theater at SFA. After a few semesters, he was inspired to break from his studies, and moved to Nashville to train as a Methodist missionary. Putting himself through school there, he worked nights as a bodyguard for celebrities performing at Opryland USA, including Roy Acuff, Tanya Tucker and Jim Stafford. He decided that he was not meant for missionary work. So Les returned to SFA to complete his theater degree, graduating in 1976. “I knew I was never going to be someone who worked three jobs in order to act.” After a miserable stint in retail, Les accepted a job as a locksmith trainee. Soon, Les wanted more challenges. He moved to Los Angeles for a better job. “Over 42 years, I went from an entry-level trainee to the executive suite. My acting skills were repurposed and I found ways to use them in business, in public speaking and in negotiations. That training was not wasted.” Not long after his move west, he met Cheri, a now-retired public school teacher who is the love of his life. They have been married 34 years.
“When we lived in Southern California, we supported local arts organizations regularly. We loved the theater and we liked collecting art. Since we moved to Nac in 2023, I’ve gotten involved with the NAC writing group and volunteered at various NAC events, including the Arts Ball. The arts are not just for professionals. Practicing any art is important for one’s development as a person. So paint a picture, take a photo, audition for a play or a choir, dance the tango or recite a poem you’ve written. These kinds of activities enhance your life, lift your spirit, and bring joy to others.”