LITTLE ROCK — 1 WHEE!
The Arkansas State Fair and Livestock Show, “Ridin’, Rockin’ and Livestockin’,” returns for 10 days of carnival rides, animal shows, music and fair food, Friday-Oct. 21 at the State Fairgrounds, 2600 Howard St. at Roosevelt Road, Little Rock. America, the Ohio Players and a Pink Floyd tribute band perform this weekend. Gates open at 11 a.m. daily; gate admission is $8, $4 for children 6-21 and senior citizens 60-plus, free for kids under 6; parking is $5 per vehicle. Call (501) 372-8341; find a complete schedule at arkansasstatefair.com. See story Page 4E.
2 YEEHAW!
Country singer Brad Paisley will bring his “Virtual Reality World Tour,” with special guests the Band Perry and Scotty McCreery, to North Little Rock’s Verizon Arena at 7:30 p.m. today. Tickets: $35.50, $54.50 and $64.50. Call (800) 745-3000 or visit ticketmaster.com or livenation.com. The arena is using its paperless ticket system. Donors of nonperishable food items or cash to the Arkansas Rice Depot will be eligible to win two meet-and-greet passes; visit ricedepot.org. See story Page 8E.
3 ACTION!
The Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival kicks off Friday and continues through Oct. 21, primarily (due to storm damage to the roof of the Historic Malco Theatre building) at the Arlington Resort Hotel & Spa, Central Avenue and Fountain Street, Hot Springs. The hotel will host the opening- and closing-night films and filmmaker receptions for the 21st annual festival, along with the majority of the screenings. Call (501) 538-2290; for a complete schedule and more information, visit hsdfi.org. See story Page 5E.
4 CHOO CHOO!
Wildwood Park for the Arts celebrates autumn with railroad displays, hayrides, crafts and music at its annual Harvest Festival, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday and noon-6 p.m. Sunday. Sunday, musicians will compete in the Arkansas Pickin’ & Fiddlin’ Championship. General admission to the park, 20919 Denny Road, is $10, $5 for children 6-12. Call (501) 821-7275 or visit wildwoodpark.org.
5 OOH!
Ballet Arkansas opens its 2012-13 season with “American Images,” six dances (five new, one reprise) commissioned by the ballet company that “explore America, the American spirit, and the American Dream,” in three concerts: 7:30 p.m. Friday, 4 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday at Wildwood Park for the Arts, 20919 Denny Road. It’s part of the aforementioned Harvest! Festival. Tickets are $30, $15 for children 12 and younger for the Friday opening-night gala, with a post-performance reception for dancers and choreographers; $25 and $15 for the matinees. Call (501) 223-5150 or visit balletarkansas.org.
Meanwhile, Arkansas Festival Ballet opens its 2012-13 season with “At the Barre,” 7:30 p.m. today and Friday and 2 p.m. Sunday at the Arkansas Academy of Dance/Arkansas Festival Ballet studios in the Breckenridge Village Shopping Center, Interstate 430 and North Rodney Parham Road. There will be a reception one hour prior to each curtain. Tickets are $20, $15 for children and students. Call (501) 227-5320 or e-mail info@arkansasdance.org.
6 LAAAA!
In their season-opening concerts, the Arkansas Chamber Singers and conductor John Erwin ask “How Can I Keep From Singing” (the apparent answer is, they can’t), 7:30 p.m. Friday at St. James United Methodist Church, 321 Pleasant Valley Road, Little Rock, and 3 p.m. Sunday in the Great Hall, Clinton Presidential Center, 1200 President Clinton Ave., Little Rock. The program includes songs and pieces by Antonin Dvorak, Gioacchino Rossini, Johannes Brahms, Franz Schubert, Edward Elgar and Eric Whitacre. Tickets are $15, $10 for senior citizens and students in advance; $18 and $12 at the door. Call (501) 377-1121 or visit ar-chambersingers.org.
7 WOOF!
Also part of Harvest Festival, at 8 a.m. Saturday, you can participate in the Paws on the Pavement RunWILD 5K race from the Promenade at Chenal to Wildwood’s gates. A 1K fun run is planned along Wildwood’s paved trails at 9:30 a.m. Both races benefit Central Arkansas Rescue Effort for Animals. Registration is $25 in advance, $30 on race day, $20 and $25 for the 1K with reduced rates for teams and families. Call (501) 603-2273 or visit careforanimals.org.
For a less athletic way to support your fourlegged friends, CARE’s Paws in the Vineyard wine tasting event will be 6-9 p.m. today at 1700 Winslow Dr. Tickets are $50. Call (501) 603-2273.
8 YIPPEE!
Prepare for an evening of country food, music and fashion as the Hearts & Hooves Therapeutic Riding Center hosts its annual Hearts & Hooves Hoedown, 6 p.m. Saturday. The fundraiser includes music by Chuck Gatlin and Canvas, dinner, dancing, auctions and a fashion show by the center’s young equestrians. The center is at 2308 Kellogg Acres Road, Sherwood. Tickets are $65. Call (501) 834-8509.
9 BOO!
It’s no ordinary 2nd Friday Art Night as the Old State House Museum, 300 W. Markham St., celebrates the Day of the Dead, 5-8 p.m. Friday. The museum will present an evening of Mexican music and refreshments as well as the chance to sculpt a skull or make a memento shadowbox. Admission is free. Call (501) 324-9685 or visit oldstatehouse.com.
10 ENCORE!
Opera lovers will get two chances to catch elaborate productions longdistance as The Met: Live in HD series starts up again. The first production, Donizetti’s L’Elisir d’Amore, begins at 11:55 a.m. Saturday, with a live broadcast of the Metropolitan Opera performance. The series will be shown at Breckenridge Village Stadium 12, 1200 Breckenridge Drive, (501) 224-0992; at Tinseltown Benton, 17314 Interstate 30, Benton, (501) 776-2282; and Cinemark Towne Centre, 201 Skyline Drive, Conway, (501) 450-7558. Tickets at Breckenridge are $24, $22 for ages 65 and older and $18 for children; $22, $20 and $15 at other locations. Visit fathomevents.com.
On Sunday, the University of Central Arkansas will show an encore of the performance as part of its Captured Live from the Met series, 2 p.m. in Donald W. Reynolds Performance Hall. Tickets are $15. Call (501) 450-3265.
Weekend, Pages 31 on 10/11/2012