Wildwood Park for the Arts' annual Lanterns! Winter Festival this weekend will celebrate the first full moon of the lunar new year, beginning at 6 each night, Friday through Sunday.
Visitors are invited to stroll garden pathways including Wildwood's Butler Arboretum and, inside the Lucy Lockett Cabe Festival Theatre, to visit "vistas" where they can sample entertainment, food and games from various cultures, including China, the Caribbean, the Wild Wild West, France, the United Kingdom and, somehow, the moon.
In the Canadian cultural vista, visitors will be able to purchase a floating luminaria, make a wish for the new year as they light the candle and launch their lights on Swan Lake.
Adult beverages will be available.
Parking is available across from the park at 20919 Denny Road in Little Rock. No parking is available inside the park gates, but handicapped guests may be dropped off at the gates.
Guests also could park at the Promenade at Chenal and take a shuttle from the courtyard by Cafe Brunelle, 17711 Chenal Parkway, to the park. Trolleys will run continuously until a half hour after the park closes. The park will close at 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 9 p.m. Sunday.
Once in the park, visitors must use WildBucks to buy food or souvenirs. (To those familiar with Riverfest, think RiverBucks.) One dollar equals one WildBuck, and the website mentions that culinary items will range from 2 to 8 WildBucks. WildBucks cannot be refunded, but can be saved for use at next year's Lanterns!
Tickets are available online, costing adults $10 per night, $5 for children ages 6-12. Children younger than 6 get in free.
Tickets will also be available at the event for an extra $2 per person, and organizers recommend bringing cash to avoid credit card fees and waiting in line. Photo IDs are required to use a credit card.
All proceeds support the mission of Wildwood Park for the Arts, a 501(c)3 nonprofit that offers youth music education, art exhibitions, the botanical gardens and other arts programming.
Wildwood is normally pet friendly, but pets are not welcome at Lanterns.
For more information and to buy tickets, visit wildwoodpark.org.
Boyle Park
Trail Party No. 2
Central Arkansas Trail Alliance is looking for volunteers from 9 a.m. until noon Saturday to help build and improve bike trails in Boyle Park, 4900 Boyle Park Road, Little Rock.
Organizers said there were more than 50 people at the first "party" Jan. 7, and a similar size group this time around should be able to get the trail ready to ride.
No experience is necessary. The alliance will provide the tools, but volunteers are welcome to supply their own if they have a favorite, particularly grubbing tools.
There will be fire-roasted vegan chili and jalapeno cornbread, along with meaty chili for the carnivorous trail workers.
For more information (and to allow for an accurate headcount for food preparation) volunteers should RSVP to bikeschic@yahoo.com.
Won't be available Saturday? Visit centralartrail.com to learn more about volunteer opportunities and events.
Mississippi River Marathon and Half Marathon
The Mississippi River Marathon and Half Marathon begin at 8 a.m. Saturday. The marathon will be a point-to-point footrace from Lakehall and Causeway roads in Lake Village and ending in Stein Mart Square at Walnut Street and Washington Avenue in downtown Greenville, Miss.
The half-marathon will begin on the Arkansas side of the U.S. 82 Greenville Bridge over the Mississippi River, but it will follow the same path as the marathon.
A 5K race will start at 8 a.m. Its course will begin and end at Stein Mart Square in Greenville.
Organizers urge runners to park near the boat ramp at the end of Main Street in Greenville. It's a short walk to the finish line, where a bus will load up participants from 6 to 6:30 a.m. and take them to their starting lines. The website warns that parking will not be available at the starting lines.
The marathon is technically sold out, in that there are no more finisher's medals to be had. However, organizers are extending the option for interested runners to sign up without the guarantee of a medal.
Online registration is open until midnight Thursday. On Friday, runners may register in person at the expo, and pick up their packets from noon to 8 p.m. in The Greenville Mall, 1651 Mississippi 1 in Greenville. The marathon costs $125, and the half marathon is $105. The 5K is $35.
There will be no race-day registration. Packet pickup for last-minute online registrants will be available from 5:15 to 6 a.m. at the finish line in Greenville.
For those interested in record-breaking, the men's marathon record is 2:28:21 and was set in 2014 by Scott Downward. The women's course record, also set in 2014, is 2:56:01 and is held by Liudmila Stepanova. Any record breakers will be rewarded a $500 cash prize.
For those who have no intention of breaking any records, there is a seven-hour time limit. At 3 p.m., course aid will end and those still on the course will be asked to move to the sidewalk.
For registration and more information, visit msrivermarathon.com.
Please send tips for active recreation to
cbyrd@arkansasonline.com
ActiveStyle on 02/06/2017