July is set to explode with Independence Day celebrations, fireworks, fireflies, bang-up days and flashy nights. These are the dog days of summer, often the year's hottest, but nothing that a water balloon can't fix.
1 National Horseradish Month, Cellphone Courtesy Month, Women's Motorcycle Month. Yow! Yap! Yamaha!
WHEREFORE ART THOU, ROMEO? (ANSWER: IN CONWAY.)
Arkansas Shakespeare Theater productions including Romeo and Juliet through July 9 at University of Central Arkansas, Conway, and other venues around the state including Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville. Details at arkshakes.com. Call (866) 810-0012.
FRONT BURNER
Comedy Too Many Cooks through July 16 at Murry's Dinner Playhouse, Little Rock. Details at murrysdp.com. Call (501) 562-3131.
LEAK OF FAITH
2 Cardboard Boat Race and parade, 6:30 p.m. at Gar Creek Park, Ozark. Details at ozarkchamberofcommerce.com. Call (479) 667-2949.
FOR WHOM THE BELLES STROLL
3 Eureka Springs Happy Birthday Stroll by historic houses, 10 a.m.-1:30 p.m., celebrating the city's 137th year of hoofin' and huffin' up and down twisty streets. Details at eurekaspringshistoricalmuseum.org. Call (479) 253-9417.
TIARA REGALIA
Miss Arkansas Pageant through July 9 at Hot Springs Convention Center, Hot Springs. Details at missarkansas.org. Call (501) 321-3506.
RED, WHITE AND KA-BLOOEY
4 Independence Day.
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Pops on the River, the state's largest Fourth of July fireworks show and celebration, with food, entertainment and the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra, noon-10 p.m. around First Security Amphitheatre in downtown Little Rock's River Market District; fireworks around 9:30 p.m. off the Main Street Bridge. Details at pops.arkansasonline.com. Call (501) 244-4344.
STRING OF FIRECRACKERS
• Fourth of July Spectacular with the Symphony of Northwest Arkansas, games and fireworks at Walmart AMP, Rogers. Family activities at 4 p.m., AMP gates open at 6 p.m., fireworks at 9:15 p.m. Details at amptickets.com. Call (479) 443-5600.
• Frontier Fourth of July music and parade, 2-4 p.m. at Historic Arkansas Museum, Little Rock. Details at historicarkansas.org. Call (501) 324-9351.
• Declaration of Independence readings and copies to sign, 10:30 a.m., 1:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. at Historic Washington State Park near Hope. Details at historicwashingtonstatepark.com. Call (870) 983-2684.
OH, SAY CAN YOU SEEP?
Cardboard Boat Race, 5:30 p.m. at Lake Willastein, Maumelle. Details at maumellechamber.com. Call (501) 851-9700.
OUI, OUI, OUI ALL THE WAY
5 Fleur Delicious Weekend, French-theme restaurant specials and other events through July 10, Eureka Springs. Details at eurekasprings.org. Call (479) 253-7333.
FRANKFURTER GONE FURTHER
6 National Hot Dog Month, National Ice Cream Month. The ice cream sandwich is a hit, so why not a wiener in a tapered cylindrical bread delivery system? -- the Dog Cone.
THE BIG GALOOT
IN HIS BIRTHDAY SUIT
7 Nude Recreation Week runs around the way nature intended -- sunburned.
And a sunny salute to these famous nudists:
• Benjamin Franklin. The founding father advocated a morning "air bath."
• Donald Duck. The quarrelsome quacker goes around in a coat but no pants -- while Mickey Mouse does it all in red shorts but no shirt.
• Everybody on Game of Thrones.
SON OF PONG
8 How to celebrate Video Games Day: by rule of thumb.
THIS BUD'S ON VIEW
9 Sizzle 'n' Sweat beer can and brewery collectibles show and sale, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. at Shelby Smith Pavilion, Burns Park, North Little Rock. Details at northlittlerock.org.
MEW-TUBE.COM
10 Internet Cat Video Festival, 2 p.m. July 10 and 2 and 6 p.m. July 12 at Arkansas Arts Center, Little Rock. Details at arkansasartscenter.org. Call (501) 372-4000.
BROADWAY MALADY
11 Aaron Burr kills Alexander Hamilton in a duel, 1804, in a pique over being unable to score tickets to Hamilton.
SANTA'S GONE TO CATALINA
12 July is jingle time to start counting down a mere 167 days from now to Christmas.
PINT AFTER
13 How to celebrate National Blueberries Month: blue but tickled pink
FRIES WITH THAT?
14 Bastille Day in France remembers the start of the French revolution, 1789. History can't prove that King Louis XVI ate french fries with mayonnaise, but if he did, no wonder the crowd was after him. Belgium also claims to have invented the french fry, but at least got to claim the Belgian waffle
"FASTEST GIRL IN TOWN"
15 Miranda Lambert, 7:30 p.m. at Walmart AMP, Rogers. Details at waltonartscenter.org. Call (479) 443-5600.
BLAST IT ALL
16 Scientists test the first atomic bomb in New Mexico, 1945, following the instructions on the side: "Lay on ground, light fuse, get away."
ON THE BLINK
Firefly Fling family and community night at Botanical Garden of the Ozarks, Fayetteville. Details at bgozarks.org. Call (479) 750-2620.
COAL JUSTICE
17 How to celebrate National Grilling Month: go-go patio.
STONE'S THROW
18 The song that names the birth stone for July is: (A) "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend," (B) "Ruby (Don't Take Your Love to Town)" or (C) "A String of Pearls."
Answer at July 25.
SAM-HE-BLAM
19 Six-gun inventor Samuel Colt's birthday, 1814, leaves no candle standing.
STICK AROUND
20 Lollipop Day -- or as P.T. Barnum is supposed to have said, but probably didn't, "There's a sucker born every minute," and has been since the candy's invention in 1908
THE PIT AND THE PENDING YUM
21 Johnson County Peach Festival, peach eating contest, greased pig chase and parade, through July 24, downtown Clarksville. Details at tinyurl.com/jsc85rw. Call (479) 754-9152.
PAPA'S DAY
Discontent Arkansas resident Ernest Hemingway's birthday, 1899. Papa wrote some of his novel, A Farewell to Arms, in a fixed-up barn in Piggott. Had he stayed longer, country living might have influenced all his writing:
• The Rooster Also Rises.
• Nap in the Afternoon.
• For Whom the Cow Bell Tolls.
FLOP ART
22 Hammock Day. A summer breeze between two trees is perfect ease.
HEY, HEY
The Monkees 50th anniversary tour with band mates Micky Dolenz and Peter Tork, 7 p.m. at Oaklawn Finish Line Theater, Hot Springs. Details at oaklawn.com. Call (501) 623-4411.
LION'S SHARE
23 LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Is today your birthday? If so, you're the mane attraction, the pride of the pride, the Special Kitty. Join in the Meow Mix with cat's pajama wearers Jennifer Lopez, 47 on July 24; Arnold Schwarzenegger, 69 on July 30; and J.K. Rowling, 51 on July 31.
HE'S A WHAT? HE'S A WHAT?
Red CurtainTheatre production of The Music Man, 7 p.m. at Ozark Heritage Arts Center in Leslie near Marshall. Call (870) 448-2557.
JUST BE CUZ'
24 Cousins Day -- not to be confused with second cousin thrice removed day, which makes somebody a monkey's uncle.
What's buzzin' cousin?
Wha's new, nephew?
Whassa plan, gran?
Tell me this, sis.
Watch the shop, pop.
Gotta go, bro.
RED ROCK
25 Can't all be gems quiz answer: (B) Ruby. But he didn't go to Jared's -- he gave her a Texas Ruby Red grapefruit.
SNOOZE REPORT
26 How to make something positive out of Anti-Boredom Month: Be pro-boredom.
A MAIZE-MENT
27 Indian corn jewelry-making, 2-2:30 p.m. July 27 and 28 at Plantation Agriculture Museum, Scott. Details at arkansasstateparks.com. Call (501) 961-1409.
ARKANSAS TRAVELLER
28 Best Country Solo Performance and Country Album Grammy-winner Chris Stapleton, 7:30 p.m. at Walmart AMP, Rogers. Details at amptickets.com. Call (479) 443-5600.
NOSTALGIC ECSTATIC
29 I Love the '90s with Salt-N-Pepa, Vanilla Ice and Kid 'n' Play, 7:30 p.m. at Verizon Arena, North Little Rock. Details at verizonarena.com. Call (800) 745-3000.
EVERYTHING
BUT THE KITCHEN SINKS
30 World Championship Cardboard Boat Races, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. at Sandy Beach, Heber Springs. Details at heber-springs.com. Call (501) 362-2444.
HEAPS OF JEEPS
Vintage Military Vehicle Show -- from World War I through Desert Storm -- 9 a.m.-2 p.m. at the MacArthur Museum of Arkansas Military History, Little Rock. Details at arkmilitaryheritage.com. Call (501) 376-4602.
THE GO-TO GUY TO NOTIFY
31 System Administrator Appreciation Day. July has quit unexpectedly.
• Report problem -- like anybody gives a whoop.
• Ignore problem, see what happens.
• Restart July. Even when it fizzles out, July is still better than August.
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 what to say about Aug. 6 as National Mustard Day, such as: Hot dog! 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 06/28/2016