1 BULBS
Flowers and vegetables and herbs galore will transform the Statehouse Convention Center into a floral paradise for the annual Flower and Garden Show, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Friday-Saturday and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday. The gardening extravaganza includes a sale of plants and garden-related items, a series of workshops and lectures and competitions. Admission is $10 for a single day, $15 for a three-day pass. Children 12 and under get in free. Call (501) 821-4000 or visit argardenshow.com.
2 BULLS
It’s man vs. very powerful beast when the Professional Bull Riders return to North Little Rock’s Verizon Arena, 7 p.m. Saturday. Tickets are $12.50-$52.50 plus fees. Call (800) 745-3000 or visit ticketmaster.com.
3 BIG EASY
It’s a party New Orleans style as the Boys and Girls Club of Central Arkansas presents Mardi Gras in Arkansas, 8 p.m. Friday at Next Level Events, 1400 W. Markham St., Little Rock. Boom Kinetic will supply the music while guests enjoy complimentary beer and wine, a cash bar, raffles and Mardi Gras beads. Tickets are $25 in advance, $30 at the door. Call (501) 666-8816 or visit arclubs.org. See story on Page 5E.
4 BLACK HISTORY
Singers and musicians from Harlem’s black churches and elsewhere in the New York/Tri-State area that make up the Harlem Gospel Choir will perform contemporary gospel with hints of jazz and blues at 7:30 p.m. today at the Donald W. Reynolds Performance Hall, University of Central Arkansas, 201 Donaghey Ave., Conway. The concert is part of the UCA Public Appearances series and the university’s Black History Month celebration; sponsor is radio station KIPR-FM, Power92 Jams. Tickets are $30-$40. Call (501) 450-3265 or (866) 810-0012 or visit uca.edu.ticketforce.com.
Children in grades 6-12 will show off what they’ve learned as the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center, 501 W. Ninth St., Little Rock, hosts the Black History Quiz Bowl, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday. Admission is free. Call (501) 683-3592 or visit mosaictemplarscenter.com.
5 BOTTLENECK BLUES
Grammy Award-winning guitarist Mike Dowling will offer a program of American roots music as part of the Argenta Arts Acoustic Music Series, 7:30 p.m. today at The Joint theater, 301 Main St., in North Little Rock’s Argenta Arts District. Tickets are $20. Call (501) 425-1528, email steve@stevedavison.com or visit argentaartsacousticmusic.com or tinyurl.com/dowling20. See story on Page 4E.
6 BEETHOVEN, BERLIN
Pianist and University of Arkansas at Little Rock faculty member Linda Holzer and Arkansas Symphony principal players Beth Wheeler, English horn, and Diane McVinney, flute, will give attendees at their recital an “Ear-Opener! A Celebration of the Known and the New,” 3 p.m. Sunday in the Stella Boyle Smith Concert Hall, Fine Arts Building, UALR, 2801 S. University Ave., Little Rock. Holzer will play Peace Piece by Bill Evans; the Piano Sonata No. 30 in E major, op.109, by Ludwig van Beethoven; Love Twitters, in which Augusta Read Thomas incorporates material from Irving Berlin’s song “They Say It’s Wonderful” into a contemporary piano solo; she and Wheeler will play Suite From an Imaginary Opera by John Steinmetz and she and McVinney will play Sonata for flute and piano, op.23, by Lowell Lieberman. Admission is free. Call (501) 569-3264.
7 BRASS
The University of Central Arkansas’ Pinnacle Brass — Larry Jones and Tim Mallette, trumpet; Brent Shires, horn; Justin Cook, trombone; and Gail Richardson, tuba — and Little Rock organist David Glaze will team up for “An Evening of Organ and Brass,” 6 p.m. Sunday at Trinity United Methodist Church, 1101 N. Mississippi St., Little Rock. The brass-and-organ part of the program will include works by Giovanni Gabrieli, Siegfrid Karg-Elert, Marcel Dupre and Craig Phillips; the brass quintet will include familiar tunes (“America The Beautiful,” Duke Ellington’s “Do Nothin’ Till You Hear From Me” and George Gershwin’s “Strike Up the Band”); and the organ portion will include arrangements of several hymns. The concert is part of the Trinity Presents Performance Series. Admission is free. Call (501) 666-2813.
8 BOUT
Central Arkansas Roller Derby opens its 2015 season by taking on the Cape Girardeau Roller Girls, 6:30 p.m. Saturday at Skate World, 6512 Mabelvale Cut Off, Little Rock. The event is also a fundraiser for the Arkansas chapter of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. Tickets are $10, free for children 10 and under. Call (501) 758-9269 or visit littlerockrollerderby.com.
9 BRIDGES
Crystal Bridges, 600 Museum Way, Bentonville, opens exhibition space to works by some of the greatest artists of the 1800s through today with “Van Gogh to Rothko: Masterworks From the Albright-Knox Art Gallery.” The new exhibit includes 76 artworks by artists including Pablo Picasso, Georgia O’Keeffe and Andy Warhol and will be on display Saturday-June 1. Admission for nonmembers is $10. Regular gallery hours are 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday and Thursday, 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Wednesday and Friday and 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday-Sunday. Call (479) 418-5700 or visit crystalbridges.org.
10 BODHRANS
Celtic music and dance show Rhythm of the Dance, featuring 20 members of the National Dance Company of Ireland, an Irish band and the Young Irish Tenors, will be onstage at 4 p.m. Sunday at Arkansas State University’s Fowler Center, 201 Olympic Drive, Jonesboro. The show is part of the university’s Riceland Distinguished Performance Series; sponsor is The Jonesboro Sun. 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) 972-3471, (870) 972-2781 or (888) 278-4267 or visit astate.edu/tickets or yourfowlercenter.com.