MAY CALENDAR

It's a merry, merry month

Time to toast maternal figures, give the annual bow to toads, stop to smell the wildflowers and remember our heroes

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Main May Calendar Illustration
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Main May Calendar Illustration

May is when mother wins every game of "Mother, may I?" And the May Queen dances 'round the May Pole with her May basket of Magnolia blossoms -- and toads, crawfish, sea monkeys, fiddles, chocolate chips and hamburgers, all welcome as the flowers in May, tra-la.

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RON WOLFE SPECIAL TO THE DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Alice Cooper Illustration

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RON WOLFE SPECIAL TO THE DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Left frogs Illustration

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RON WOLFE SPECIAL TO THE DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Beards Illustration

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RON WOLFE SPECIAL TO THE DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Mice Illustration

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RON WOLFE SPECIAL TO THE DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Right frogs Illustration

1 May Day -- and good thing that New York's 102-story Empire State Building opened on May 1, 1931. Otherwise, King Kong would have fallen off something else. The Statue of Liberty is hardly more than 300 feet tall. 'Twas beauty that caused the beast to stub his toe.

ARTFUL ARMFUL

Arts and the Park Festival -- art shows, studio tours, workshops through May 7, downtown Hot Springs. Details at hotsprings.org. Call (501) 321-2835.

MORE COWBELL

Fort Smith Western Heritage Month -- re-enactments, exhibits and entertainment events through May. Details at fswhm.com. Call (479) 783-8888.

NO BIZ LIKE SHOW MS.

2 Bentonville Film Festival, movies and panels about feminism and diversity in motion pictures, through May 7, Bentonville. Details at bentonvillefilmfestival.com. Call (479) 685-3001.

ALICE IN DIXIELAND

3 Alice Cooper and his guillotine, 8 p.m. at Robinson Center Performance Hall, Little Rock. Details at ticketmaster.com. Call (800) 745-3000.

"I'm closer to normal than you think." -- Alice Cooper

MICE ON ICE

4 Disney on Ice: Worlds of Enchantment, through May 7 at Verizon Arena, North Little Rock. Details at verizonarena.com. Call (800) 745-3000.

HOPPY DAYS HERE AGAIN

5 Toad Suck Daze -- music, arts and crafts and toad races through May 7, Conway. Details at toadsuck.org. Call (501) 327-7788.

MARY HAD A LITTLE LIME

Cinco de Mayo celebration of Mexican heritage and frozen margaritas.

THE BEET GOES ON

6 Little Rock Farmers Market opening day of the new spring-to-fall season, 7 a.m.-3 p.m. at River Market Pavilions, downtown Little Rock. Details at rivermarket.info. Call (501) 320-3503.

HIT PARADE

Demolition Derby, 7:30 p.m. at Parsons Stadium, Springdale. Details at rodeooftheozarks.org. Call (479) 756-0464.

WHITTLE LEAGUE

Woodworking Show and Sale through May 7 at Baxter County Fairgrounds, Mountain Home. Details at northarkansaswoodcarvers.org.

GUYS AND GALLERIES

Tabriz black-tie gala benefits the Arkansas Arts Center, Little Rock. Details at arkansasartscenter.org. Call (501) 396-0383.

TIGER LILIES, DANDELIONS

AND SNAPDRAGONS

7 Wildflower Week. Beware the wolfsbane -- stay on the primrose path.

MAY-BE, MAY-BE NOT

8 Which one of these statements is mayhaps true of May: (A) Pilgrim maids made mayonnaise on the Mayflower; (B) "Mayday" is what the mayfly said as he hit the bug zapper, or (C) No poobah would hoo-hah a mayhaw in El Dorado.

Answer at May 23.

EDUCATION ADMIRATION

9 How to celebrate National Teachers Day: Hold out for May 26, the Little Rock School District's last day of classes.

"Schools' out for summer. School's out forever." -- Alice Cooper

BELL RINGER

10 Theatre Squared comedy The Dingdong, through June 4 at Nadine Baum Studios, Walton Arts Center, Fayetteville. Details at theatre2.org. Call (479) 443-5600.

WHEE-DEE-DEE-DEE

11 Twilight Zone Day. The observance comes apparently and appropriately for no reason at all, according to the special events website, holidayinsights.com.

"I found that it was all right to have Martians saying things Democrats and Republicans could never say." -- Rod Serling

NITTY GRITTY DITTY

12 Limerick Day, National Barbecue Month, National Salad Month.

There's nothing so pitifully pallid

At barbecue time as a salad;

When hog's on the table,

No salad is able

To make shredded lettuce look valid.

FORWARD THINKING

13 Arkansas Symphony Orchestra movie night with symphony accompaniment to the 1985 movie Back to the Future, 7 p.m. May 13 and 3 p.m. May 14 at Robinson Center Performance Hall, Little Rock. Details at arkansassymphony.org. Call (501) 666-1761.

MOTHER SHIP

Mother's Day cruises, 1 p.m. -2:30 p.m. May 13-14 at Pinnacle Mountain State Park near Little Rock. Details at arkansas.com. Call (501) 868-5806.

MOM WITH APLOMB

14 Mother's Day.

"Top of the world, Ma!" -- Jimmy Cagney in White Heat (1949)

DOES THE NAME 'MOTHER'

RING A BELL?

Mother's Day Bell Choir Concert with the Ringers of Hope from Ouachita Hills Academy, 3 p.m. at Garvan Woodland Gardens, Hot Springs. Details at garvangardens.org. Call (501) 262-9300.

CHIP OFF THE OL' CHOC

15 How to celebrate National Chocolate Chip Day: with a chip-chip hooray.

MONKEY SEA, MONKEY ADO

16 National Sea Monkey Day. Scientists claim sea monkeys are just brine shrimp. The rest of us know sea monkeys live in underwater castles with their sea monkey mommies and daddies, and have frolicsome adventures in the bubbly, briny deep.

IRISH SPRUNG

17 "Celtic Woman: Voices of Angels," 7 p.m. at Robinson Center Performance Hall, Little Rock. Details at ticketmaster.com. Call (800) 745-3000.

SOVIET CONTACT

18 Czar Nicholas II's birthday, 1868. But the last emperor of Russia had nothing to do with the election of President Ulysses S. Grant. To hack meant to chop wood in 1868, and wikileaks referred to a palace that needed roof repair.

DODO IN TUTU

Arkansas Festival Ballet performance, The Adventures of Alice in Wonderland, through May 21 at Arkansas Arts Center Children's Theatre, Little Rock. Details at arkansasdance.org. Call (501) 227-5320.

ROSIN ROUSER

Fiddlers Convention through May 21, Harrison. Details at harrisonarkansas.org. Call (870) 429-6174.

MAN BITES MUDBUG

19 Harrison Crawdad Days Festival -- rubber duck races and crawfish-eating through May 20 at Minnie Harris Park, Lake Harrison. Details at crawdaddays.org. Call (870) 741-2659.

MA, HE'S MAKIN'

RIB-EYES AT ME

Magnolia Blossom Festival, May 19-20, and World Championship Steak Cook-off May 20, downtown Magnolia. Details at blossomfestival.org. Call (870) 234-4352.

TWANGS FOR THE MEMORIES

20 Hope-Hempstead County Bluegrass Festival, 10 a.m.-8 p.m. at Historic Washington State Park near Hope. Details at historicwashingtonstatepark.com. Call (870) 983-2684.

AIR STYLING

Warbirds Over Arkansas remote-control plane open flying at MARCS Bishop Field, North Little Rock, sponsored by Mid-Arkansas Radio Control Society. Details at themarcs.org.

DOUBLE HUBBUB

21 GEMINI (May 21-June 21): Is today your birthday? If so, there are two ways to look at things. Win and lose, high and low, but what's it matter when things are the same all over? How about them Twins? Double up and give 'em the old one-two with a pair of fellow Geminis: Bob Dylan, 76 on May 24; and Clint Eastwood, 87 on May 31.

BOOK REVUE

Books in Bloom Literary Festival, noon-5 p.m. at the Crescent Hotel, Eureka Springs, with Craig Johnson (Longmire) and Laurie R. King (Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes series). Details at booksinbloom.org. Call (870) 423-5300.

NO CASE LIKE HOLMES'

22 Sherlock Holmes creator Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's birthday, 1859.

HAW-HAW, BUT SERIOUSLY

23 Mother-May-I quiz answer: (C): because of the Mayhaw Festival and mayhaw jelly biscuit breakfast that will be May 6 at the Historic Newton House Museum and grounds in El Dorado. Details at soarkhistory.com.Call (870) 862-9890.

WHEE THE PEOPLE

24 Spring Carnival through May 28 at Parsons Arena, Springdale. Details at rodeooftheozarks.org. Call (479) 756-0464.

WOBEGONE PARAGON

25 Garrison Keillor, 7 p.m. at Walton Arts Center in Fayetteville -- where all the women are strong, all the men are good looking, and all the Hogs are definitely above average. Details at waltonartscenter.org. Call (479) 443-5600.

GOT LEGS?

26 ZZ Top: the Tonnage Tour, 8 p.m. at Robinson Center Performance Hall, Little Rock. Details at ticketmaster.com. Call (800) 745-3000.

HEP-HEP HOORAY

27 International Jazz Day. No ifs, ands or buts -- but riffs, bands and cuts.

COME FRY WITH ME

28 National Hamburger Month. Hot dog!

VETERANS AFFAIRS

29 Memorial Day.

SAY CHEESE

Wisconsin Admission Day, 1848. Wisconsin admits there is no fonder goo than the stick-to fondue in Fond du Lac.

UP, UP AND AWAY

30 How to celebrate National Blood Pressure Month: All pumped up for the big score.

DAY-BY-DAY PLAY

31 Godspell through June 25 at Arkansas Repertory Theatre, Little Rock. Details at therep.org. Call (501) 378-0405.

PHOTO FINISH

National Photograph Month. Just when May is sitting pretty -- click, it's over.

Coming next month: June! Write to Ron Wolfe at:

rwolfe@arkansasonline.com

by May 15 to suggest June calendar entries or how to celebrate June as National Accordion Awareness Month, such as: squeeze and thank you. 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 04/25/2017

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