After the Last Farmers Market: Murray's November Moves to Campus
October 22, 2026
October 22, 2026
Saturday, Oct. 31, is the last Downtown Farmers Market of the season on the Court Square. Murray Main Street runs the market on Saturdays from May through October, 7 a.m. to noon. Downtown has one event in November, Third Street Beerfest on Nov. 7. After that, the season comes back to the square with Main Street Merriment, which Murray Main Street lists for the first weekend in December, with the tree lighting, ice skating and Santa.
That leaves about five weeks between the two. Most of what is on the calendar in that stretch takes place at Murray State, and nearly all of it is free. The university events calendar for November is mostly music students performing for whoever comes in, along with film screenings, faculty talks and an art sale. Read with a resident's eye, it works as Murray's November social calendar.
The table below lists the free concerts and talks on the Murray State calendar from Thursday, Oct. 29 through mid-November. Free film screenings and more senior recitals are covered further down. Every event in the table has the same ticket price, which makes the venues and start times the useful part.
| Date | Event | Venue | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thu., Oct. 29 | Humanities+ talk, "The Science Behind the Scare" | Faculty Hall 208 | 4:30 p.m. |
| Fri., Oct. 30 | Concert Choir & Vox Lumina | Performing Arts Hall | 7:30 p.m. |
| Sun., Nov. 1 | Joint Senior Recital | Farrell Recital Hall | 3:30 p.m. |
| Mon., Nov. 2 | Quad State High School Honor Choir | Lovett Auditorium | 6:30 p.m. |
| Tue., Nov. 3 | Humanities+ "Life Lab" | Pogue Library, Breathitt Room | 4 p.m. |
| Mon., Nov. 9 | MSU Jazz Concert | Calendar lists no venue | 7:30 p.m. |
| Tue., Nov. 10 | Percussion Ensemble | Old Fine Arts Performing Arts Hall, 2nd floor | 7:30 p.m. |
| Wed., Nov. 11 | Fall Brass Chamber Recital | Old Fine Arts Performing Arts Hall, 2nd floor | 7:30 p.m. |
| Thu., Nov. 12 | Choral Collage Concert | Calendar lists no venue | 7:30 p.m. |
| Tue., Nov. 17 | Symphonic Band & Wind Ensemble | Lovett Auditorium | 7:30 p.m. |
The jazz program on Nov. 9 brings the MSU Jazz Orchestra, MSU Jazz Band, Blue Jazz Combo and Gold Jazz Combo onto one bill. Nov. 10, 11 and 12 bring percussion, brass and choral music on three nights in a row. Senior recitals fill some Sunday afternoons too, on Nov. 1, 8 and 15.
The quiet weeknights are the easy part of November in Murray. On two days, the campus and downtown calendars land on top of each other.
The day opens with the Doggie Day Spa at the William "Bill" Cherry Exposition Center, 8 a.m. to noon. Prices run from $20 to $190.
At noon, Murray Main Street's Third Street Beerfest begins at North 3rd and Main and runs until 6 p.m. The Eventbrite listing includes ten 8-ounce beer pours and a 16-ounce stadium cup with each ticket. Wine and cocktails cost $5 at The Copper Leaf Bar, and the event is 21 and older. Tickets were listed from $28.52 with an early-bird discount applied, so expect that price to change before the day.
The men's basketball team also hosts Northwestern State at the CFSB Center that day. The tip time is still listed as TBA. The evening ends at 7 p.m. in Faculty Hall 208 with Post Mortem, the last film of the fall Cinema International series.
The farmers market won't be on the Court Square that morning. It is the first Saturday of the off-season.
From 6 to 9 p.m., the Annual Holiday Art Auction takes over the sixth floor of the Clara M. Eagle Art Gallery. According to Murray State's 2025 announcement, the silent and live auctions sell original artwork donated by faculty, staff, students, alumni and local and regional artists. Proceeds fund Department of Art & Design student scholarships. That 2025 notice also asked attendees to register in advance. The Murray State News reported in 2023 that the auction had been accepting donated work for 30 years. For a lot of local families, it is where the holiday shopping starts.
Anastasia: The Musical opens the same night, and the Racers men host Texas Southern at the CFSB Center, tip time TBA. With the auction, the musical's opening night and a home game all on the calendar, Nov. 13 is the busiest evening of the month.
The university calendar shows Anastasia on Nov. 13, 14 and 15 only. The Department of Global Languages and Theatre Arts' ticket page lists a second weekend:
The calendar also lists 7 p.m. start times for the Friday and Saturday shows, while the ticket page says 7:30. The ticket page is the one to go by.
The production, directed by Wayne Shields-Hogue, plays at Playhouse in the Park in Murray, not in a campus theater. Adult tickets are $20, seniors over 60 pay $19, students ages 13 to 18 who are not at MSU pay $18, and children 12 and under pay $17. All seating is general admission. The box office opens 60 minutes before curtain, and unclaimed tickets are released five minutes before the show starts. Each performance has its own listing on Universe, so make sure you pick the right date. The box office is at 270-809-4421.
If Nov. 13 is too crowded, the second weekend is a quieter way to see the show. Nov. 21 also has a women's home game, covered below.
Cinema International is free and open to the public. Films screen at 7 p.m. on Thursdays and Saturdays in Faculty Hall room 208, and a faculty member leads a discussion afterward. The fall 2026 series began Sept. 10 with Little Amélie and has two films left. Exhuma plays Thursday, Oct. 29, and again Saturday, Oct. 31. Post Mortem closes the season on Nov. 5 and 7.
Room 208 is busy on Oct. 29. The Humanities+ talk by Dr. Megan St. Peters, "The Science Behind the Scare: Physiological Responses to Horror Films," runs there from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m., before the 7 p.m. screening. On Oct. 31, Exhuma starts at 7 p.m., the evening after the last farmers market. After Nov. 7, there are no more Thursday or Saturday screenings until a new series is announced.
After the Symphonic Band & Wind Ensemble concert at Lovett Auditorium on Nov. 17, there are no more free concerts on the calendar this month. The CFSB Center takes over for the rest of November. Fall Scholars Week runs Nov. 16 to 20 during the day, 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Racers home games, from the men's and women's schedules:
All tip times are still listed as TBA. The women's games on Nov. 21 and Nov. 28 are the only home games on the last two Saturdays of the month. The men's game against Washington State on Monday, Nov. 30 falls just before Main Street Merriment brings the season back to the Court Square.
Event times and ticket details can change, so check the university calendar or the event's own page before you head out.
If November evenings on campus have you thinking about how close you'd like to live to Lovett Auditorium, Playhouse in the Park or the CFSB Center, I know those streets well and would be glad to talk it over. Tammy Cothran is here whenever you're ready. Let's Connect.
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