THE WEEKEND TEN

The top things to do and places to be

— 1 BYE!

Country duo Brooks & Dunn have roped in special guest Miranda Lam bert for

’their “Last Rodeo” farewell tour, coming to North Little Rock s Verizon Arena at7:30 p.m . Saturday.

Regular -seat tickets are $35, $49.75 and $69.75 plus handling charges;

“rodeo seats” in the upper deck are $25, $75 for fourplus handling charge.

Call (800) 745-3000 or visit Ticketmaster .com or livenation.com .

2 B-E-E

Six misfit youngsters get their moment in the spotlight in the musical The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee - music and lyrics by William Finn, book by Rachel Sheinkin - opening at 7:30 p.m. today at the Weekend Theater, West Seventh and Chester streets, Little Rock. Karen Q. Clark, Jay Clark, Dustin Ashley Beam, Julie Atkins, Sarah Scott Blakey and Carl Carter play contestants hoping to go on to the national spelling bee in Washington. Additional performances; 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday and Aug. 19-21 and Aug.

26-28 and 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 22 and 29. Tickets are $18, $14 for students and senior citizens 65 and older. Call (501) 374-3761 or visit weekendtheater.org.

3 BRIDES

The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Bridal Show, the biannual one-stop-shopping event for brides-to-be, fills the Statehouse Convention Center with an army of photographers, caterers, florists and other professionals this weekend. The show itself is 12:30-5 p.m. Sunday with the runway fashion show starting at 4 p.m. Admission is $5 in advance and $7 at the door.

Call (501) 378-3807 or visit arkansasbridalcommunity.com.

4 BUZZ

Honey-makers will soak up all the attention at the Little Rock Zoo’s Bee Aware event, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday at the Carousel Pavilion. The Lady Beekeepers of Arkansas will participate in the celebration, which will include educational information, an observation beehive, honey recipes and entertainment. And as an extra incentive to get out in the heat, through Aug.

31, admission is $5 any day a Fox 16 meteorologist forecasts the day’s high will be at least 95 degrees. Otherwise, admission is $10, $8 for ages 65 and older and children 1-12. Call (501) 666-2406 or visit littlerockzoo.com.

5 BOULDERS

How did Pinnacle Mountain get there? Visitors can find out at Pinnacle Mountain State Park’s Geology Weekend, Friday-Sunday. Through a series of programs, interpreters will teach visitors about the park’s rocks and geological history. Most events are free, but the Geo-boating tour, 4 p.m. Saturday, is $9 per two-person paddle boat rental. Call (501) 868-5806.

6 BAND

The North Little Rock Community Concert Band will close its 2010 summer concerts-in-the-park season at 7 p.m.

Friday at the amphitheater in Lakewood Village, off McCainBoulevard in North Little Rock. Rico Belotti will conduct a program called “A Night of Nobility,” featuring marches honoring royalty by John Philip Sousa and Karl King, plus John Higgins’ Big Band Signatures and a Tribute to Elvis, arranged by James Christianson. Admission is free; bring lawn chairs or blankets. Call (501) 758-2576 or visit northlittlerockband.com.

7 BLUEGRASS

More than 100 musicians from at least four states will turn the grass blue in Eureka Springs for the city’s eighth annual Bluegrass Festival, today-Sunday. The centerpiece will be a concert at 7:30 p.m. Saturday in the City Auditorium, 36 S. Main St., with headliner Mike Wilkins, replacing Melvin Goins, and featuring Mr. Big, Arkansas Red, Tim Crouch and Retro and Smiling. Tickets are $10. Admission to the other 20 shows, most of them in Basin Spring Park, will be free. Call (888) 582-2220 or visit eurekaspringsbluegrassfestival.com.

Meanwhile, five miles north of Harrison, the 39th annual Northwest Arkansas Bluegrass Festival will be taking place at Beacon Park on Ridgeway Loop, just off U.S. 65, today-Saturday, kicking off at 6:30 p.m.

each day, with a 1:30-5:15 p.m. Saturday matinee. Admission is $8 to the all-gospel show today, $10 Friday, $12 all-day Saturday; a three-day pass is $25. Call (870) 426-3477, (870) 715-7246 or (870) 741-1789.

8 BET

Gamblers are hoping luck will be a lady, and two ladies are each hoping to land a gambler in Guys and Dolls - music and lyrics by Frank Loesser, book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows, based on characters createdby Damon Runyon - at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday and Aug. 26-28 and 1:30 p.m. Aug. 29 at the Center on the Square, 111 W. Arch St., Searcy. Doors open at 6:15 and the buffet opens at 6:30, 12:30 for the Aug. 29 matinee. The Aug. 26 show is a “Pizza Playhouse.” Sponsors are the Devore Team of Re/Max Realty, Liberty Bank and B&B Oil Co. Dinner-and-show tickets are $27, $24 for senior citizens; for the Sunday matinee, $24 and $21; show-only, $13.50; for the Aug.

26 “Pizza Playhouse,” $18. Make required reservations 24 hours in advance. Call (501) 368-0111 or visit centeronthesquare.org.

9 BYGONE

Knights, ladies and jesters will enjoy a resurgence at the Blackthorn Village Renaissance Faire, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday-Sunday. The old world entertainment will include a juggler, magician, gypsy dancers,sword fighters, a Pirate Queen Contest and a jousting championship competition. The fair will be on Rapert Road, just south of Middlebrook Road and east of Maynard in Randolph County. Admission is $5, free for children under 10.

Call (870) 647-1016.

10 BRIGHT

Giant, vivid ceramic sculptures have moved into the Arkansas Arts Center for its latest exhibit, “Bigger, Better, More: The Art of Viola Frey.” The collection includes ceramic figures, some up to 10 feet tall, as well as paintings, plates and drawings by Frey. It will be on display Friday-Nov. 28. Admission is $7, $4 for children. Call (501) 372-4000.

Across the river, the THEA Foundation opens its “Classroom to Canvas: An Art Teacher Exhibition,” with a special reception, 5:30-8 p.m. Friday. Classical guitarist Devin Matthews will provide music 6-7:30. The exhibit continues until Aug. 27. Hours at the gallery, 401 Main St., North Little Rock, are 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday. Admission is free. Call (501) 379-9512.

Weekend, Pages 31 on 08/19/2010

Upcoming Events