THE WEEKEND TEN

The top things to do and places to be

Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey presents “Super Circus Heroes,” 7 p.m. today-Friday, 11 a.m., 3 and 7 p.m. Saturday and 1 and 5 p.m. Sunday at North Little Rock’s Verizon Arena.
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey presents “Super Circus Heroes,” 7 p.m. today-Friday, 11 a.m., 3 and 7 p.m. Saturday and 1 and 5 p.m. Sunday at North Little Rock’s Verizon Arena.

1 CLOWNS

Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey finds the super in superlative as it presents “Super Circus Heroes,” 7 p.m. today-Friday, 11 a.m., 3 and 7 p.m. Saturday and 1 and 5 p.m. Sunday at North Little Rock’s Verizon Arena. Tickets are $10-$60 plus any handling fees. Admission to the All-Access Preshow, an hour before each show, is free to all ticket holders. Call (501) 975-9000 or visit Ringling.com or Ticketmaster.com.

2 CASH

Three Country Music Hall of Fame members -- Loretta Lynn, Reba McEntire and Bobby Bare -- take to the stage of Arkansas State University's Convocation Center for the fourth annual Johnny Cash Music Festival at 7 p.m. Friday. The event is sold out. Call (888) 278-3267 or visit tickets.astate.edu or visit johnnycashmusicfest.com. See story on Page 4E.

3 CAKES, ETC.

Brides are invited to turn out in force for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Fall Bridal Show, 12:30-5 p.m. Sunday at the Statehouse Convention Center, 426 W. Markham St., Little Rock. With 120 photographers, caterers, DJs, reception sites and every other wedding-related business on hand, brides can find help in planning their big day from start to finish. The show also includes the Nearly Newlywed Game, Best Dressed Groom, giveaways and the 4:30 p.m. fashion show. Tickets are $7 in advance, $10 at the door. VIB (Very Important Bride) tickets are $30 and include souvenirs and reserve seating for the fashion show. Call (501) 378-3807 or visit arkansasbridalcommunity.com.

4 COMICS

Superheroes unite at the River City Comic Expo, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday at the Metroplex, 10800 Colonel Glenn Road, Little Rock. Collectors and vendors will sell books old and new while artists including Larry Hama and Renee Witterstaetter will be on hand for autographs and special drawings. Admission is $5, free for children 13 and under. Call (501) 492-9007 or visit rivercitycomicexpo.com. See story on Page 5E.

5 CARICATURES

More than 75 central Arkansas lawyers and law professionals will spoof state and national people and politics in the Pulaski County Bar Association's biennial Gridiron musical production, this year titled "Gridiron Gridlock," continuing at 8 p.m. today and Saturday and 7 and 9 p.m. Friday at the Arkansas Repertory Theatre, 601 Main St., Little Rock. Tickets are $30 and $35. Call (501) 378-0405 or visit therep.org.

6 CRAWL

Spend a few hours gleaning watermelons and help the Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance in the fourth annual Watermelon Crawl, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday at Scott Melons and More, Arkansas 391 in Scott. What you pick goes to the alliance's six food banks that service more than 800 food relief agencies in all 75 counties; last year's crawl gathered almost 42,000 pounds of watermelon. What you get: watermelon for the volunteers, lunch provided by Performance Food Service, water and ice provided by Sam's Club. There will be games and prizes. Get directions and register online at ARHungerAlliance.org (find the "get involved" button at the top, scroll down to "volunteer"). Call (501) 399-9999, email mshope@arhungeralliance.org or cmcnally@arhungeralliance.org or visit the Facebook page, facebook.com/events/1450692581869232.

7 CRUISE, BIKE, HIKE

It's a morning of pedaling and scrambling when the Bike & Hike for ALS kicks off, 7 a.m. Sunday at the Dam Riverboat Co., 100 Riverfront Park Drive, North Little Rock. This fundraiser for ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) Arkansas includes a 3 1/2-mile hike up and down Pinnacle Mountain, sandwiched between two 18-mile bike rides. Registration is $45, $35 for ages 17 and under and costs increase $5 after Friday. There's also a Riverboat Cruise for ALS departing from the same spot at 8 a.m. Tickets are $30 in advance, $37.50 at the door. Call (501) 470-8559 or visit bikehikeforals.com.

8 COALITION

A trot over the Big Dam Bridge helps nursing mothers in the Milk Run 5K. This competitive race benefits the Arkansas Breastfeeding Coalition, paying for programs and support groups. The race starts at 7 a.m. Saturday at Murray Park's boat launch in Little Rock and is open to all ages. Registration is $25, free for children under 12. Call (501) 350-2353 or visit arbfc.org.

9 CONCERTS

The sounds of banjos and fiddles and guitars will fill the hills during the Eureka Springs Bluegrass Festival, today-Saturday. It all starts with a watermelon social, 7 p.m. today in Basin Spring Park. A long list of musicians will perform free concerts in the park, noon-6 p.m. Friday-Saturday, while groups including Karl Shiflett and Big Country Show and Melvin Goins with Retro & Smiling will perform in The Auditorium, 36 S. Main St. Auditorium shows start at 7 p.m. and are $20, $12 for children 16 and under or $35 and $20 for both nights. Call (479) 253-7333 or visit eurekasprings.org.

• Bluegrass band BlueRoad (lead guitarist Dylan Smith, Greg Fleming on mandolin, Hayden Bramlett on banjo, Josh Hollifield on bass and Matt Southern on rhythm guitar) will headline a concert, the Arts Council of Mississippi County's 2014-15 season opener, at 7 p.m. Saturday at the Ritz Civic Center, 306 W. Main St., Blytheville. Tickets are $15 in advance, $20 at the door. Call (870) 762-1744 or visit artsmissco.org.

• Country band Drake White and The Big Fire, with "special guest" Leith Loftin, open the Grand Prairie Center's 2014-15 Performance Series at 8 p.m. Saturday at the Phillips Community College of the University of Arkansas, 2709 U.S. 165 South, Stuttgart. The concert is in conjunction with the Mack's Prairie Wings' Fall Festival. Tickets are $15. Call (870) 673-4201, Extension 1895, or visit pccua.edu.

10 CONGRATULATIONS!

Violet Hensley, a fiddle player and fiddle maker closing in on her 100th birthday, will take to the Music Auditorium stage at Mountain View's Ozark Folk Center State Park, 7 p.m. Saturday. Tickets are $12 and are available only on the day of the show. Call (870) 269-3851.

Weekend on 08/14/2014

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