FUN
The Little Rock Convention & Visitors Bureau, in partnership with the Downtown Little Rock Partnership and city officials, celebrates the pending five-year anniversary of the River Market Entertainment District with a birthday bash, 6-8 p.m. Friday with live entertainment. Some River Market establishments will offer special discounts and promotions. Parking in the parking garage at 500 E. Second St. will be free.
Designation as an entertainment district allows patrons 21 and older who have purchased official wristbands and cups to carry their alcoholic beverages in public spaces and in and out of local businesses within the district boundaries. Visit littlerock.com/river-market/play/rmed.
CAR & BIKE SHOW
The Cedar Mountain Boys & Girls Club holds its eighth annual Car & Bike Show-Club Fest, 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Saline County, Riverside Club, 1810 Citizens Drive, Benton. The festival includes a Kids & Kars Show and showcases battery operated cars (Power Wheels), four-wheelers, motorcycle, bikes and more, with “family-friendly” activities, vendors and live entertainment.
All vehicle types are welcome, including Classics, Street Rods, Imports, Rat Rods, Military, Customs, Off Roads, Tractors, Bikes and Jeeps. Professional judges will hand out more then 80 awards across several class categories. Kids & Kars participants must be under 13 and accompanied by a parent.
Tickets are $5. All proceeds benefit The Boys & Girls Clubs of Saline County, Cedar Mountain Club. Visit weblink.donorperfect.com/BGCcarshowClubFest.
MUSIC
Bluegrass & fried chicken
Ozark Folk Center State Park, 1032 Park Ave., Mountain View, hosts its annual Bluegrass & Fried Chicken Festival Friday-Saturday.
In the park’s 1,000-seat indoor Ozark Highlands Theater, the Music Roots Ensemble opens the Friday music lineup at 7 p.m., followed at 7:20 by the Charla Freeland Band, runners-up in the most recent International Bluegrass Band Championship, and at 8:45, the champions, the Waddington Brothers Band.
For the Saturday matinee, National Old Time Banjo champion Lillyanne McCool and her band Ozark Legacy kick things off at 1 p.m., followed at 2 by the Harman & Ruble Band and at 3 by the Finley River Boys.
The Saturday evening show starts at 7 p.m. with the Waddington Brothers, followed at 8:40 by Authentic Unlimited, winners of the International Bluegrass Music Award for vocal group of the year and new artist of the year.
Tickets are $25 for the Friday evening show, $35 for either the Saturday matinee or evening show, $50 for both days, and include admission to the Folk Center’s Craft Village. Visit OzarkFolkCenter.Ticketleap.com.
The Folk Center’s Skillet Restaurant will serve its fried chicken buffet between music shows — a 4-7 p.m. dinner buffet each day; on Saturday, a 8-10:45 a.m. breakfast buffet and an 11 a.m.-4 p.m. lunch buffet. Cost is $13 for breakfast, $14 for lunch and $16 for dinner.
Visit OzarkFolkCenter.com.
Champion banjo player Lillyanne McCool leads her band, Ozark Legacy, to kick off the Saturday matinee musical portion of the annual Bluegrass & Fried Chicken Festival at the Ozark Folk Center. (Special to the Democrat-Gazette/Evangeline Grace)
“Glimmer 1,” “After,” “Daylight” and “Nocturne,” tapestry-based works by Heidi Carlsen-Rogers, are part of the “Glimmer” exhibition at the Arts & Science Center for Southeast Arkansas in Pine Bluff. (Special to the Democrat-Gazette)
ART
Large-scale tapestries
“Glimmer,” large-scale tapestries by Heidi Carlsen-Rogers, goes on display with a 5-7 p.m. reception Thursday at the Arts & Science Center for Southeast Arkansas, 701 S. Main St., Pine Bluff. The tapestries represent “a tranquil 24-hour simulated period of what it might feel like to walk through the garden at different times of day with background colors referencing dawn, daylight, high noon, dusk and nocturne,” according to a news release. This exhibition is up through Jan. 10. Admission is free. Gallery hours are 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Friday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday. Call (870) 536-3375 or email khaynie@artx3.org.
THEATER
Benton seasons
Benton’s Royal Players open their 2024-25 season with a fifth annual Royal Haunted House, Oct 17-31, at the Royal Theatre, 111 S. Market St., Benton.
The rest of the season (exact dates to be announced):
◼️ December: “Meet Me in St. Louis” (music and lyrics by Hugh Martin and Ralph Blane, book by Hugh Wheeler, based on the 1944 film and the 1942 novel by Sally Benson)
◼️ March: “Into the Woods” (music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, book by James Lapine)
◼️ April: “Rumors” by Neil Simon
◼️ June: “The Sound of Music” (music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse)
◼️ September 2025: “Jekyll & Hyde” (music by Frank Wildhorn, lyrics by Wildhorn, Leslie Bricusse and Steve Cuden, book by Bricusse, based on the Robert Louis Stevenson classic).
Meanwhile, the theater group’s Young Players open their 2024-25 season at the Royal Theatre Sept. 5-15 with “Matilda The Musical” (music and lyrics by Tim Minchin, book by Dennis Kelly, based on the children’s classic by Roald Dahl).
The rest of the lineup (some exact dates to be announced):
◼️ January: “The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical” (music and lyrics by Rob Rolbicki, book by Joe Track, adapted from the bestseller by Rick Riordan)
◼️ Feb. 13-23: “Seussical Jr.” (music by Lynn Ahrens, lyrics by Stephen Flaherty, book by Ahrens and Flaherty, based on characters created by Dr. Seuss)
◼️ July: “Newsies” and “Newsies Jr.” (music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Jack Feldman, book by Harvey Fierstein).
TICKETS
‘Dear Evan Hansen’
Celebrity Attractions puts tickets — $34-$114 — on sale at 10 a.m. Monday for performances at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 11, 2 and 7:30 p.m. Oct. 12 and 1 p.m. Oct. 13 of the Tony- and Grammy-winning musical “Dear Evan Hansen” (music and lyrics by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, book by Steven Levenson) at Robinson Center Performance Hall, 426 W. Markham St., Little Rock. Call (501) 244-8800 or visit CelebrityAttractions.com or Ticketmaster.com. It follows a special charity presale through Sunday; $5 of every ticket sold supports the Broadway Bound Awards of Central Arkansas, part of the National High School Musical Theatre Awards (aka the Jimmy Awards). Visit CelebrityAttractions.com for details.
