1 BROS
Country star Eric Church (left) and cohorts Dwight Yoakam and Brothers Osborne are set to rock North Little Rock’s Verizon Arena as part of The Outsiders World Tour, 7 p.m. Friday. Tickets are $37.50-$77. Call (800) 745-3000 or visit ticketmaster.com. See story on Page 4E.
2 BACON
The ever-popular pork product gets its due at the Little Rock Bacon Fest, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday. The State Fairgrounds will be rich with the scent of bacon, cooked in myriad creative ways by professionals and amateurs and scarfed down by visitors. In between bacon bites, there will also be music, a children's area and, at 9:30 a.m., a 5K fun run/walk. Admission to the festival is $8 in advance, $10 at the gate, free for children 8 and under with a paying adult. Registration in the 5K is $50 in advance, $55 on race day if slots are available. Call (501) 372-8341 or visit arkansasstatefair.com. See story on Page 5E.
• Teams of chefs and amateur cooks will create innovative entrees and desserts featuring Petit Jean bacon (which the company is donating for the occasion) for the second annual Bacon Bowl, 9 a.m.-noon Saturday at the Lawrence Plaza Ice Rink & Splash Park, 213-299 N.E. A St., Bentonville. Tickets, $8 in advance, $10 at the gate, include music, Petit Jean Meats sampling and other foods and beverages; vote for your favorites in each division as well as for the overall People's Champion. The winning team heads to the Bacon Division of the 2014 World Food Championships in Las Vegas, aiming for a prize of up to $60,000. Call (501) 993-7502, email thebaconbowl@gmail.com or visit baconbowl.net.
3 BUSHY-TAILED
Also in Bentonville on Saturday is the third annual World Championship Squirrel Cook-off on the downtown Bentonville City Square, where A and Second streets meet. From 9 a.m.-1 p.m., teams of chefs and amateur cooks from as far away as California, Michigan, Ohio and Georgia will prepare squirrel-based dishes for presentation to a panel of "local and internationally recognized food writers and bloggers, award-winning chefs, reality television stars and Bentonville and Arkansas dignitaries," who will decide who has the best recipe and name the winner. The public gets to sample; admission is free. Visit squirrelcookoff.com.
4 BOOKS
There are chances to support literacy across the age spectrum with two fundraisers offering refreshments and music. Reach Out & Read Arkansas, which coordinates with pediatricians to provide books to young children, hosts its Rx for Success benefit, 6:30-9:30 p.m. today at Next Level Events, 1400 W. Markham St., Little Rock. Tickets are $35 in advance, $40 at the door. Call (501) 226-9444 or visit reachoutandreadarkansas.org.
• On the adult end, Shine a Light on Literacy benefits Literacy Action of Central Arkansas' adult literacy and English as a second language programs. The party will be 6-8 p.m. today at the Governor's Mansion, 1800 Center St., Little Rock. Tickets are $50. Call (501) 372-7323.
5 BOTTOM FEEDERS
A mountain of fish with all the fixin's will be dished up at the 31st annual Camp Aldersgate Fish Fry, noon-3 p.m. Sunday at Camp Aldersgate, 2000 Aldersgate Road, Little Rock. This is a fundraiser for the camp, which provides camping opportunities for senior citizens and for children and youth with special needs or medical conditions. The day's events also include music, games, carousel rides and a kids' fishing derby. Tickets are $15, free for children 6 and under. Parking is available at Pediatrics Plus, 1900 Aldersgate Road, and OrthoArkansas, 10301 Kanis Road and shuttle service will be provided. Call (501) 225-1444 or visit campaldersgate.net.
6 BRILLIANT
Families, schools and church and community groups are invited to make a colorful, creative, dusty mess outside the Clinton Presidential Center in Little Rock at Thea Paves the Way, 8 a.m.-noon Saturday. This is the ninth year for the sidewalk chalk event, which will also include music and outdoor activities. Admission is free. Call (501) 379-9512 or visit theafoundation.org.
7 BREWS
It's a mix of foamy beer and furry friends at Brews and Barks, 2-5 p.m. Saturday at Diamond Bear Brewing Co., 600 N. Broadway, North Little Rock. The fundraiser for the Humane Society of Pulaski County includes craft beer tastings and the Hot Diggity Dawg Hot Dog Cook-Off. Dogs (on a leash, not in a bun) are welcome to attend. Tickets are $25 in advance, $30 at the gate. Call (501) 227-6166 or visit warmhearts.org.
8 BONES
It's a full-on rib feast at Smoke on the Water Ribba Ramma at Pine Bluff's Saracen Landing. The music by DJs, the Prison Band and Tragikly White, children's activities and plentiful barbecue will be 5-9 p.m. Friday and noon-10 p.m. Saturday. Admission is free. Call (870) 536-8175 or visit smokeonthewaterbbq.com.
9 BLEND
The River City Men's Chorus will croon classic tunes, including "Catch a Falling Star," "Mona Lisa," "Blue Suede Shoes," "Rock Around the Clock," "Rockin' Robin," a salute to doo-wop and a Mitch Miller singalong, opening their 2014-15 season with a program called "Heart and Soul: Music of the '50s," 3 p.m. Sunday, 7 p.m. Monday and Sept. 18 at Trinity United Methodist Church, 1101 N. Mississippi St. in Little Rock. David Glaze conducts. Admission is free; doors open one hour before "curtain" and it's a good idea to get there early to snag a seat and a parking space. Call (501) 377-1080 or visit rivercitymenschorus.com.
• The Last Southern Gentlemen Tour -- jazz pianist and paterfamilias Ellis Marsalis Jr. and his trombonist son, Delfeayo Marsalis, with Billy Williams, percussion, and Eric Wheeler, bass -- will play two Arkansas shows this weekend:
• 8 p.m. Saturday at The Auditorium, 36 S. Main St., Eureka Springs, to cap the annual Jazz Eureka festival; tickets are $25 to $47.50. Visit theauditorium.org.
• 7 p.m. Sunday at the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center, 501 W. Ninth St., Little Rock, for a "Jazz on Ninth Street" fundraiser for the Friends of the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center. Tickets are $25-$50. Call (501) 683-3620 or visit the website, tinyurl.com/pgcu2rq.
10 BANDONEON, BASS
And speaking of Latin music, Montreal-based Quartango -- Jonathan Goldman, bandoneon; Rene Gosselin, double bass; Stephane Aubin, piano; and Antoine Bareil, violin -- puts on a show titled "Body and Soul Tango Passion" at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Arkansas State University's Fowler Center, 201 Olympic Drive, Jonesboro. Argentine tango dancers Roxana and Fabian Belmonte will take part in the performance, and will also offer free pre-show tango lessons at 6:30 p.m. The show opens the university's 2014-15 Riceland Distinguished Performance Series. Sponsors are Jonesboro TV station KAIT-TV, Channel 8, and Crossing Cultures Magazine. Tickets are $30 and $20, $23 and $15 for senior citizens and students, with discounts for ASU faculty, staff and students with a current ID. Call (870) 972-2781 (ASU1) or (888) 278-3267 (ASU-FANS) or visit astate.edu/tickets or yourfowlercenter.com.
Weekend on 09/11/2014