1 SUNRISE
Everyone is invited to gather at the river for the 27th annual Community Easter Sunrise Service, 7 a.m. Sunday at First Security Amphitheater in Little Rock. The ecumenical celebration, presented by Pulaski Heights United Methodist Church, features participation by community leaders, choirs and musicians. Admission is free. Call (501) 664-3600 or visit phumc.com.
2 SEARCH Sherwood’s ThatChurch.com is hosting the 2015 Great Big Egg Drop — dropping thousands of plastic candy-filled eggs from a helicopter for kids of all ages to retrieve — Saturday, 11:30 a.m. at the Sylvan Hills High School football field in Sherwood and noon at the Cabot High School football field in Cabot. The church will provide entertainment while kids and families wait for the eggs to drop, and activities — including an egg hunt for special-needs kids. Call (501) 833-4673 or visit ThatChurch.com.
Arkansas State Parks are encouraging everyone to get outside for Easter weekend with some special programs and celebrations. Petit Jean State Park near Morrilton hosts its Great Escape Weekend and Easter Egg Hunt, Friday-Sunday. Friday and Saturday’s activities will feature special hikes and music. On Sunday, there will be a sunrise service at 6 a.m., a special program on rabbits at 9 a.m. and, at 2 p.m. the Easter Egg Scramble for children in preschool through sixth grade. Activities are free. Call (501) 727-5441 or visit petitjeanstatepark.com.
During Daisy State Park’s Golden Egg Challenge, starting at noon Friday and continuing through Sunday (or until the egg is found), visitors can hunt throughout the park, following clues in search of a golden egg full of gift certificates. The park also hosts a traditional egg hunt and egg toss for children ages 12 and under, 10-11 a.m. Saturday. Participation is free and the park is at 103 E. Park Road, Kirby. Call (870) 398-4487 or visit arkansasstateparks.com.
3 SCHNAUZERS Fluffy, furry, four-legged friends will sniff out treats as Angels Care Animal Rescue presents its annual Dog-Gone Easter Egg Hunt, noon Saturday at Reservoir Park on Cantrell Road, Little Rock. Aside from the doggie egg hunt, the event also features an Easter bonnet parade, contests and games. The requested donation is $10 and includes a goody bag. Call (501) 541-1057.
4 SEE It’s two weekends, four days and 28 films as the Ozark Foothills FilmFest opens for its 14th year, Friday-Saturday and April 10-11. Various locations in Batesville will host screenings, discussions and receptions. Individual screening tickets are $5, $4 for ages 55 and older and students while “Red Eye” passes for all screenings are $25 and $20, respectively. Tickets for the screening of the silent film Lonesome are $10 and $8. Call (870) 251-1189 or visit ozarkfoothillsfilmfest.org ozarkfoothillsfilmfest.org. See story on Page 4E.
5 ‘SENSIBLE SHOES’ Mobile, Ala.-based Americana group The Mulligan Brothers (Ross Newell, lead vocals, guitar and songwriter; Gram Rea, fiddle, mandolin, viola, harmonica and vocals; Ben Leininger, bass and vocals; and Greg DeLuca, drums and vocals) will perform at 7 p.m. today at Wildwood Park for the Arts, 20919 Denny Road, Little Rock, the second concert in the LIVE! at Wildwood series. The quartet first performed at Wildwood in 2013. Hillcrest store Domestic Domestic will vend American products at a popup shop. An optional 6 p.m. Gus’s World Famous Fried Chicken dinner will be available for an additional $8. Tickets are $20, $50 for VIP tickets that include reserved parking, a post-concert reception, the chicken dinner and access to the VIP lounge (which includes an open bar). Call (501) 821-7275 or visit wildwoodpark.org. See story on Page 5E.
6 SEDUCTION
A horde of beautiful women pursues a celebrated film director (James Norris), each clamoring to be loved by him and him alone, as he attempts to come up with a plot for his next film in Nine!. The musical opens at 7 p.m. Friday at the Studio Theatre, 320 W. Seventh St., Little Rock, with additional shows at 7 p.m. Saturday, April 9-11 and April 16-18 and 2 p.m. April 12 and 19. Opening-night tickets are $50, which include a 5:30 p.m. pre-show Grand Opening Celebration with heavy hors d’oeuvres and an open bar; for all other shows, $20, $15 for students and senior citizens, available online at eventbrite.com. Call (501) 374-3615 or visit thestudiotheatre-lr.org for more information.
7 SAX The Bennie Wallace Quartet — jazz saxophonist and composer Bennie Wallace, Herlin Riley on drums, Little Rock’s Bill Huntington on bass and North Little Rock’s Chris Parker on piano — will perform for the Oxford American’s Jazz at South on Main series at 8 p.m. today at South on Main, 1304 Main St., Little Rock. Doors open at 6. Tickets are $30 for reserved seats at a table, $20 general admission; call (800) 293-5949 or visit metrotix.com.
8 SALE One person’s trash is another’s treasure at the annual Catholic High School Junktique Sale, 8 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday at the school, 6300 Father Tribou Drive, Little Rock. Items from clothing to household appliances will be set out for picking and purchasing. Call (501) 517-5153 or visit www.lrchs.org.
9 STORY TIME A beautiful long-haired princess, an evil enchantress, a handsome prince, a hairdressing sidekick and a dragon who has lost his poof will take the stage as Fort Worth-based Casa Manana performs its touring production of Rapunzel! Rapunzel! A Very Hairy Fairy Tale (written and composed by Janet Yates Vogy and Mark Friedman), 3 p.m. Saturday in the Fine Arts Center, East Arkansas Community College, 1700 Newcastle Road, Forrest City. The show is part of the college’s Family Series. Tickets are $14.50; children can dress up in their “fairy best” for a 2:15 p.m. Princess Pre-Party. Call (870) 633-4480, Extension 352, or visit eacc.edu.
10 SYNTHESIS The Martha Redbone Roots Project Trio will perform songs from the album The Garden of Love: Songs of William Blake, a collection of poems by English Romantic poet William Blake set to Appalachian folk music arrangements, at 7 p.m. today in the Stella Boyle Smith Auditorium, Fine Arts Building, at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, 2801 S. University Ave., Little Rock. The concert is part of a two-day residency. Doors open at 6 p.m. Admission is free. Call (501) 569-8321 or email rpyoder@ualr.edu.