Let’s party, Pops, with Shakespeare, stargazing, and so Fourth

July 4 is the month's biggest holiday: Independence Day.
July 4 is the month's biggest holiday: Independence Day.

July is the month of sizzle-bang-boom! Hot dogs sizzle, fireworks bang and cows come home to the beat of a different drummer. July is a month to tiptoe through the tulips, but stomp on the grapes.

photo

Fireworks shows are planned around the state and country this Independence Day.

photo

July 2 is World UFO Day.

photo

July is National Ice Cream Month.

photo

July is also National Hot Dog Month.

photo

July 24 is the Altus Grape Festival.

1 Commercial television goes on-air for the first time in New York, 1941. The medium's first viewers complain there is nothing on TV in the summer.

YAHOO'S WHO

Rodeo of the Ozarks through July 4 at Parsons Stadium, Springdale. Rodeo parades at 3 p.m. July 1 and 10 a.m. July 4 from the arena through downtown. Details at rodeooftheozarks.org. Call (479) 756-0464.

WATER, WATER EVERYWHERE

Lakes Appreciation Month in Arkansas -- and a half million acres of reasons to jump in.

BEAM A LITTLE BEAM

2 World UFO Day, and how to fix a broken flying saucer: with ab-duct tape.

THIS SPUD'S FOR YOU

3 Idaho admission day, 1890. Idaho admits that some say pota-TOE, and some say po-TOT-to, but most people say fries.

BARD OF THE BUFFALO RIVER

Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre production, As You Like It, 7 p.m. at the Ozark Heritage Arts Center, Leslie. Call (870) 448-2557.

BOOMER GENERATION

4 Independence Day.

• "Independence is happiness." -- Susan B. Anthony

• "Solitude is independence." -- Herman Hesse

• "Mickey Mouse is, to me, a symbol of independence." -- Walt Disney

• "Where liberty is, there is my country." -- Benjamin Franklin

BADA-BING, BADA-BOOM

Pops on the River, presented by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette and sponsored by Landers FIAT, features the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra and fireworks, in and around the River Market area; downtown Little Rock free event includes car show, "Oh Say! Can You Sing?" contest, symphony music, fireworks about 9:30 p.m., shot from the Main Street Bridge. Details at arkansasonline.com/pops. Call (501) 918-4539.

SNAP, CRACKLE, POP

Fireworks Extravaganza at Heber Springs' Sandy Beach on Greers Ferry Lake. Details at heber-springs.com. Call (501) 362-2444.

Thunder on Thunderbird 7 p.m. boat parade, helicopter air show, fireworks, Cherokee Village and Lake Thunderbird. Details at discovercherokeevillage.com. Call (870) 257-5522.

Independence Day Parade and Celebration and flotilla on Crown Lake, Horseshoe Bend. Details at horseshoebendarcc.com. Call (870) 670-5433.

FLAGS ON THE PLAY

Fun and Games Day at Petit Jean State Park on Petit Jean Mountain near Morrilton. Details at petitjeanstatepark.com. Call (501) 727-5441.

Fun on the Fourth water balloon volleyball and relay races, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. at Pinnacle Mountain State Park near Little Rock. Details at arkansasstateparks.com. Call (501) 868-5806.

TENT ATTENTION

5 Circus-man P.T. Barnum's birthday, 1810. (The Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus will be at Verizon Arena, North Little Rock, Aug. 20-23. Details at verizonarena.com.)

SPOONFUL OF SPUTTER

6 National Horseradish Month.

FLEUR OF THE MONTH

7 The flower for the month is the water lily. The feast of the month is Fleur Delicious Weekend, French-themed events through July 12, Eureka Springs. Details at fleurdeliciousweekend.com. Call (504) 421-2461.

TAN ME HIDE

8 Nude Recreation Week, National Grilling Month.

CAN 'DU ATTITUDE

9 Studio Theatre production, Xanadu: The Musical, through July 12 and July 16-19 at The Studio Theatre, Little Rock. Details at thestudiotheatre-lr.org. Call (501) 374-2615.

HONEY OF AN IDEA

10 Teddy Bear Picnic Day.

"Let's go get us a pic-a-nic basket." -- Yogi Bear

UNEXPECTED CHURN

11 Homegoods Day with crafters of soap, candles and cheese, demonstrations of spinning and weaving, other do-it-yourself traditions at Plantation Agriculture Museum, Scott. Call (501) 961-1409.

GOT SWAT

Babe Ruth plays his first Major League game with the Boston Red Sox, 1914.

DOIN' WHAT COMES NATURALLY

12 Walden author and naturalist Henry David Thoreau's birthday, 1817.

GEE!-RATED

13 T Tauri Movie Camp for young filmmakers, through July 24 at venues including the University of Arkansas Community College at Batesville. Details at ttauri.org. Call (870) 251-1189.

ROCK AND A HARD PLACE

14 The song for July is: (A) "Ruby Tuesday," (B) "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend," or (C) "(I'm Not Your) Stepping Stone."

Answer at July 21.

PASTURE SIZED

15 How to celebrate Cow Appreciation Day: Tip the server.

SANTA GREENLIGHTS THE BIG DAY

16 Decorators' Christmas Expo in Fort Worth warns of just five months to get ready for when the elves sing and Rudolph wraps.

BEEP IF YOU LOVE CELLPHONES

17 Cellphone Courtesy Month yaps on the elevator, blabs in the break room, gabbles at the checkout counter, yawps on the street corner, bleats through the movie, gibbers through the ballgame, shrieks at the restaurant, and yet won't answer the phone.

THINGS ARE LOOKING UP

18 Summer Star Party with the Central Arkansas Astronomical Society, 9-11 p.m. at Pinnacle Mountain State Park near Little Rock. Details at arkansas.com. Call (501) 868-5806.

YOU GO, GRILL!

Arkansas Steak Cook-off Championship, 1-7 p.m. at Benton Event Center, Benton. Details at bentonchamber.com. Call (501) 993-7502.

WOOD THAT IT WERE

19 How to celebrate National Park and Recreation Month: See the forest for the trees.

COL. MUSTARD DID IT

WITH THE SPATULA

20 National Hot Dog Month.

First man to walk on the moon, astronaut Neil Armstrong steps out, 1969.

"Hot dog!" -- TV newsman Walter Cronkite

PLAN 8 DIDN'T WORK, PLAN 10 WASN'T READY

Often cited as the worst movie ever made, director Edward Woods' Plan 9 From Outer Space opens, 1959, with its prediction that "Future events such as these will affect you in the future."

Other warnings aren't so clear. They mean one thing in the movie, but could seem to mean something else now, such as:

• "Visits? That would indicate visitors."

In 1959, it meant: flying saucers. In 2015, it means: River Market tourists.

• "Can you prove it didn't happen?"

Then: grave robbers from outer space. Now (news item): Naked tourists blamed for earthquake in Malaysia.

• "Your stupid minds! Stupid! Stupid!"

Then: earth men. Now: earth men.

RUBY SCHLEPPERS

21 Like a rolling birthstone quiz answer: (A) "Ruby Tuesday," ruby being the rock star of the month.

SCOOP-DE-LOOP

22 How to celebrate National Ice Cream Month: All for cones, cones for all.

LION'S SHARE

23 LEO (July 23-Aug.22): Is today your birthday? If so, the lion's share is all yours. Yours is the svelte pelt of the veldt. You share this mane event with fellow birthday growlers Jennifer Lopez (46), July 24; Sandra Bullock (51), July 26, and Arnold Schwarzenegger (68), July 30.

BETTER GRAPE THAN GRIPE

24 Altus Grape Festival, grape-stomping and winemaking through July 25. Details at altusgrapefest.com. Call (479) 667-7967.

READY OGRE NOT

Rogers Little Theater musical, Shrek, through Aug. 9 at The Victory Theater, Rogers. Details at rogerslittletheater.org. Call (479) 631-8988.

RUB-A-DUB GLUB

25 World Championship Cardboard Boat Races, watermelon-eating and sand-sculpting contests, 10 a.m. at Sandy Beach, Heber Springs. Details at heber-springs.com. Call (501) 362-2444.

FIRING ON ALL PISTOLS

Showdown at Sunset gunfight re-enactment of El Dorado's Tucker-Parnell feud, also music and wagon rides, 6 p.m. on the courthouse square, El Dorado. Details at mainstreeteldorado.org. Call (870) 862-4747.

SCRAPED OFF THE PLATE

National Culinarians Day, "one of the least known holidays in the country," according to the website holidayinsights.com.

There once was a fine culinarian

Whose cooking was strict vegetarian;

In his beet poet's way,

He turned out a souffle

That made this special day

Salutary-ian.

SPURS OF THE MOMENT

National Day of the Cowboy, and three cowboys to remember:

• Gene Autry, the singing cowboy.

• Roy Rogers, king of the cowboys.

• Jerry Jones, Cowboys owner from Arkansas.

WHAT THE MICK WANTS FOR HIS BIRTHDAY:

26 Satisfaction. Rolling Stone Mick Jagger's 72nd birthday. Eagles founder Don Henley is a young desperado by comparison -- 68 on July 22.

HOTEL CALIFORNIA CHECK-IN TIME

27 The Eagles, 7 p.m. at Verizon Arena, North Little Rock. Details at verizonarena.com. Call (800) 745-3000.

LITTLE BOY BLUE'S FAVORITE MUFFIN

28 National Blueberries Month.

VA-VA-VROOM

29 How to celebrate Women's Motorcycle Month: with a rumm-rummm-rummm and a femme-femmme-femmmmmme.

FUZZY REPORTING

30 Johnson County Peach Festival, pie-eating and peach cobbler bake-off, through Aug. 1, Clarksville. Details at jocopeachfestival.8M.com,or by calling (479) 754-9152.

DADDY LONG SHOT

Father-in-Law Day: For the guy who goes around ignored most of the time -- the guy who got skipped on Father's Day, besides -- one last hope for some attention this year.

SOAKED SALAD

31 How to celebrate Smart Irrigation Month: with watered-down expectations.

Coming next month: August! Call (501) 399-3633, write to Ron Wolfe, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, 121 E. Capitol Ave., Little Rock, Ark. 72203, or email

rwolfe@arkansasonline.com

by July 15 to suggest August calendar entries or how to celebrate August as the dog days of summer, such as: with short pants. Each event requires a phone number that is answered during business hours or by an answering machine that identifies the event or its sponsor.

Style on 06/30/2015

Upcoming Events