THE WEEKEND TEN

The top things to do and places to be

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette beer illustration.
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette beer illustration.

1 BREWS

Sip sample brews from around the Natural State at the Arkansas Brewers Festival, a fundraiser for the Arkansas Brewers Guild, 7 p.m. Saturday at the State Fairgrounds, 2600 Howard St., Little Rock. Admission and 10 sample tickets are $9.99 in advance, $15 at the gate; VIP admission (25 sample tickets and a souvenir tasting glass) is $19.99 in advance, $30 at the gate. Parking is free; food will be for sale. Visit tinyurl.com/pd2mtlh or the Facebook page, tinyurl.com/ox5z6pj. See story on Page 4E.

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American Idiot cast: (from left) Courtney-Jamal Williams, Charmaine Foster, Robert Warner, Luke Johnson, Brittany Sparkles, Peyton Hooks and MacKenzie Holtzclaw.

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Little Rock rockers Adam Faucett (shown) & the Tall Grass will headline an Arkansas Sounds concert, 7 p.m. Friday at the Central Arkansas Library System’s Ron Robinson Theater.

2 BRUSHY

Nashville, Tenn.-based Americana string band Old Crow Medicine Show, on tour promoting its latest release, an EP titled Brushy Mountain Conjugal Trailer, will perform at 7:30 p.m. today outside the Clinton Presidential Center, 1200 President Clinton Ave., Little Rock. Tickets are $35. Visit ticketmaster.com. See story on Page 5E.

3 BOOKS

The Friends of Central Arkansas Libraries (FOCAL) will hold its midyear Used Book Sale, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Friday-Saturday, 1-4 p.m. Sunday, primarily in the basement of the Central Arkansas Library System's Main Library, 100 Rock St., Little Rock. Nearly 200,000 "gently read" books are priced at 50 cents or $1; teachers get a 25 percent discount; FOCAL members get a discount and early admission (nonmembers can get early entrance and varied-rate-discount "book sale only" memberships at the door for $5, $10 or $15). Proceeds help finance library system programs, book club kits, Summer Reading Club materials and special Saturday programming for children. Call (501) 918-3000 or visit cals.org.

4 BILLIE JOE

The music of rock group Green Day provides the soundtrack as three young men look for post-Sept. 11 meaning in the Tony Award-winning musical American Idiot (lyrics by Billie Joe Armstrong, book by Armstrong and Michael Mayer, based on Green Day's album of the same name), which hits the stage through Aug. 9 at The Weekend Theater, 1001 W. Seventh St., Little Rock. Curtain times: 7:30 p.m. Friday-Saturday (8 p.m. Aug. 7), 2:30 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $20, $16 for students and adults 65 and older. Call (501) 374-3761 or visit weekendtheater.org/boxoffice.

5 BUTLER CONCERT

Little Rock rockers Adam Faucett & the Tall Grass will headline an Arkansas Sounds concert, 7 p.m. Friday at the Central Arkansas Library System's Ron Robinson Theater, 100 River Market Ave., Little Rock. Local heavy rock group Iron Tongue will be the opening act. Tickets are $10. The monthly concert series is a project of the Butler Center for Arkansas Studies. Call (501) 918-3033 or visit arkansassounds.org.

6 BETTER LIFE

Superman will likely not attend the 8 p.m. Saturday concert by American rockers 3 Doors Down, whose first hit single from The Better Life was "Kryptonite," in the Timberwood Amphitheater at Magic Springs, U.S. 70 East (East Grand Avenue), Hot Springs. Free lawn seating is included in the gate admission -- $59.99; $36.99 for children under 4 feet tall and adults 55 and older; free for kids 3 and younger. Reserved seating is sold out. Call (501) 624-0100 or visit MagicSprings.com.

7 BLUESMAN

Roy Book Binder performs at 7:30 p.m. today at The Joint, 301 Main St., North Little Rock. It's part of the Argenta Arts Acoustic Music Series, a partnership between Steve Davison and the Argenta Arts Foundation. Tickets are $20. Call (501) 425-1528, email steve@stevedavison.com or visit argentaartsacousticmusic.com. See story on Page 5E.

8 'BLUEGRASS MEDLEY'

Fingerstyle guitar champion and harp-guitarist Muriel Anderson will perform twice Saturday at the Ozark Folk Center State Park, 1032 Park Ave. in Mountain View: 2-3 p.m. in the Craft Village and 7-9 p.m. in the park's Large Auditorium. Tickets are $12, $19.50 for both performances. Call (870) 269-3851 or visit OzarkFolkCenter.com.

9 BBQ

Families Are Special, a nonprofit adoption agency, presents its 11th annual BBQ Bash, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday. The Fellowship Hall at First United Methodist Church, 6701 John F. Kennedy Blvd., North Little Rock, will be hopping with auctions, master of ceremonies Craig O'Neill and lots of barbecue from restaurants, including Whole Hog Cafe and Corky's. Tickets are $10, $5 for children. Call (501) 758-9184 or visit arkansasadopttoday.com.

10 BEEF

Nobody will have to ask where's the beef when the Benton Area Chamber of Commerce hosts the first Arkansas Steak Cook-Off Championship, 1-7 p.m. Saturday at the Benton Event Center, 17322 Interstate 30, Benton. Avid grillers from across the country will cook their best rib-eyes for the judges in hopes of advancing to the Steak Cook-Off Association World Championship in Texas. There will also be appetizer and steak-eating competitions and steak dinners for sale. Call (501) 860-7002 or visit bentonchamber.com.

Weekend on 07/16/2015

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