1 Boo!
Little Rock museums band together for a night of creepy games, prizes, treats and tricks with the annual Big Boo!-seum Bash, 6-8:30 p.m. today. The participants: Mosaic Templars Cultural Center, Old State House, Historic Arkansas Museum, Arkansas Arts Center, Witt Stephens Jr. Nature Center, Little Rock Visitor Center at Curran Hall, MacArthur Museum of Arkansas Military History and the Museum of Discovery. A̶ ̶s̶h̶u̶t̶t̶l̶e̶ ̶b̶u̶s̶ ̶w̶i̶l̶l̶ ̶p̶r̶o̶v̶i̶d̶e̶ ̶f̶r̶e̶e̶ ̶t̶r̶a̶n̶s̶p̶o̶r̶t̶a̶t̶i̶o̶n̶ ̶f̶r̶o̶m̶ ̶o̶n̶e̶ ̶v̶e̶n̶u̶e̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶a̶n̶o̶t̶h̶e̶r̶.̶* Call (501) 324-9685 or visit littlerock.com.
2 Bash
The Nightmare Before Halloween Monster Bash, 7-10 p.m. today at Argenta Community Theater, 405 Main St., North Little Rock, features music, magic, a costume contest, a photo booth, food (from Good Food by Ferneau), a cash bar and a silent auction. Tickets are $10 in advance, $15 at the door; proceeds go toward a projector for the theater. Call (501) 353-1443 or visit argentacommunitytheater.com.
Other noteworthy Halloween activities:
• The Arkansas Regional Innovation Hub is holding its first Maker Ball fundraiser, a grown-up costume party for which guests are encouraged to make their costumes (via sewing, gluing, taping, 3-D printing, laser cutting, welding "or anything you can think of"), 8-11 p.m. Friday (with a VIP reception at 7) at the C̶a̶p̶i̶t̶a̶l̶ ̶H̶o̶t̶e̶l̶,̶ ̶1̶1̶1̶ ̶W̶.̶ ̶M̶a̶r̶k̶h̶a̶m̶ ̶S̶t̶.̶,̶ ̶L̶i̶t̶t̶l̶e̶ ̶R̶o̶c̶k̶ Innovation Hub, 201 Broadway, North Little Rock*. Tickets, $̶1̶0̶0̶ $25, include music, food and open bar. Visit arhub.org/maker-ball.
• Theater of Horror wraps up its horrid run this weekend with shows at 8 and 9 p.m. Friday-Sunday, plus a 10 p.m. show Saturday (Halloween night) at the Central Theater, 1008 Central Ave. Hot Springs. Tickets are $15, free for kids younger than 12. The theater will also offer a special screening of The Rocky Horror Picture Show at midnight Saturday; tickets are $15. Call (501) 859-9148 or visit hotspringscentraltheater.com.
3 Brie
Dip and scoop up chipfuls of melted cheese at the World Cheese Dip Championship, noon-3 p.m. Saturday at the B̶e̶r̶n̶i̶c̶e̶ ̶G̶a̶r̶d̶e̶n̶ i̶n̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶1̶4̶0̶0̶ ̶b̶l̶o̶c̶k̶ ̶o̶f̶ ̶L̶i̶t̶t̶l̶e̶ ̶R̶o̶c̶k̶'̶s̶ ̶M̶a̶i̶n̶ ̶S̶t̶r̶e̶e̶t River Market pavilions**. Amateurs and professionals will "fonduke" it out for cash prizes and bragging rights. Tickets are $8 in advance, $10 at the gate, free for children 10 and younger; proceeds benefit Harmony Health Clinic. Call (501) 375-4400 or visit cheesedip.net.
4 Bite
Wildwood Park for the Arts, 20919 Denny Road, Little Rock, gets creepy thanks to Arkansas Festival Ballet and Praeclara's Dracula: Unearthed, 8 p.m. today-Saturday. The production explores the legendary vampire's story in dance (original choreography by AFB artistic director Rebecca M. Stalcup), song (director Bevan Keating conducts music by Bach, Mozart, Bartok, Shostakovich, Rachmaninoff and more) and drama. Audience costumes are welcome; pre-show festivities start at 6:30. Tickets are $25, $50 for premium tickets (premier center seats and parking inside the gates), $15 for students. Call (501) 821-7275 or visit wildwoodpark.org or praeclara.org.
5 Bargains
Holiday House, the Junior League of Little Rock's annual shopping bonanza, opens its fashionable doors today for a weekend of crafts, gifts and goodies at Little Rock's Statehouse Convention Center. General shopping is noon-9 p.m. today, 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Friday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday. Passes are $10 for one day, $25 for four days, free for children 5 and younger. Private shopping, 9 a.m.-noon today, $30; Ladies' Night, 6-9 p.m. today, $30; and Cookies and Milk with Santa Claus, noon-3 p.m. Sunday, $10. Call (501) 375-5557 or visit jllr.org. See story on Page 4E.
6 (Auto-)Biography
Actor/mime Bill Bowers will offer a 75-minute, autobiographical one-man show, It Goes Without Saying, for the University of Arkansas at Little Rock Artspree series, 3 p.m. Sunday in the University Theater, Center for the Performing Arts, UALR, 2801 S. University Ave., Little Rock. Tickets are $15, $10 for non-UALR students. Call (501) 569-3294.
7 Blessed?
Tales From the South teams up with the St. Luke's Festival of the Senses arts series for a special "What Happens in Church ..." show, 7 p.m. Friday at St. Luke's Episcopal Church, 4106 John F. Kennedy Blvd., North Little Rock. Local food trucks will serve up dinner and drinks, 5-6:30 p.m. You must buy your tickets, $15 plus processing fee (and not including dinner or drinks), in advance online at tales103015.eventbrite.com.
8 Beanfest
Beans, cornbread and outhouses on wheels make downtown Mountain View an exciting place during the annual Beanfest and Championship Outhouse Races, Friday-Saturday. There will also be a parade, music and an artisans market. The main activities are planned for Saturday. General admission is free. Call (870) 269-8068 or visit yourplaceinthemountains.com.
9 Bane
Female factory workers who got radiation poisoning painting watch dials at a New Jersey factory in 1917 are the subject of Radium Girls by D.W. Gregory, which the University of Central Arkansas Theatre stages, 7:30 p.m. today-Friday and Nov. 5-6 and 2 p.m. Sunday in the Bridges/Larson Theatre, Snow Fine Arts Center, UCA, 201 Donaghey Ave., Conway. Tickets are $10. Call (501) 450-3265 or (501) 450-5092, email mkordsmeier@uca.edu or visit uca.edu/theatre.
10 Bee et al.
Also on area stages:
• The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (music and lyrics by William Finn, book by Rachel Sheinkin) continues to cast its spell, 7 p.m. Wednesday-Thursday, 8 p.m. Friday-Saturday, 2 and 7 p.m. Sunday through Nov. 8 at the Arkansas Repertory Theatre, 601 Main St., Little Rock. Tickets are $40 and $55. Call (501) 378-0405 or visit therep.org.
• The comically deadly elderberry wine is onstage, not on the buffet, as Murry's Dinner Playhouse continues its run of Joseph Kesselring's comedy Arsenic and Old Lace onstage 7:30 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday, 12:45 and 6:45 p.m. Sunday through Nov. 7 (however, no show Saturday). Buffet opens 90 minutes before curtain. Tickets are $32-$36, $23 for children 15 and under; $25 and $15 show only. Call (501) 562-3131 or visit murrysdp.com.
• The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (adapted by Frederick Gaines from the Washington Irving story) runs, or possibly gallops, 7 p.m. Friday, 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday through Nov. 8 at the Arkansas Arts Center Children's Theatre in MacArthur Park, East Ninth and Commerce streets, Little Rock. Tickets are $12.50, free for kids 2 and younger (who must remain at all times in the lap of an adult). Call (501) 372-4000 or visit ArkansasArtsCenter.org/theatre.
• Reefer Madness, a musical satire of the 1936 camp classic film warning of the dangers of marijuana (music and book by Dan Studney, lyrics and book by Kevin Murphy), is onstage 7 p.m. today-Saturday at the Studio Theatre, 320 W. Seventh St., Little Rock. Tickets are $20, $15 for students and senior citizens. Visit Evenbrite.com.
Weekend on 10/29/2015
*CORRECTION: The Arkansas Regional Innovation Hub’s first Maker Ball fundraiser will take place 7-11 p.m. Friday, Oct. 30, at the Innovation Hub, 201 Broadway, North Little Rock. Tickets are $25, available through arhub.org/maker-ball.
Also, there is no shuttle bus between the eight venues in Thursday’s annual Big Boo!-seum Bash. This item in the Weekend Ten incorrectly reported, based on a press release from one of the participating museums, that there would be free transportation from one venue to another.
** UPDATE: The World Cheese Dip Championship has been moved from the Bernice Garden to the River Market pavilions because of the threat of rain. This story has been updated to reflect the new location.