July is the sizzling month when somebody sets off a firecracker under the calendar, and everything goes flying quick-bang into the air: skyrockets, flying saucers, ice cream cones, ants and watermelons. Beware of falling watermelons.
1 Get ready for Kindergarten Month, Smart Irrigation Month, National Picnic Month. Nappin', drippin', chip-'n'-dippin'.
BOOM WITH A VIEW
Fireworks Extravaganza, 7 p.m. to fireworks at 9:30 at Sandy Beach on Greers Ferry Lake, Heber Springs. Details at heber-springs.com. Call (501) 362-2444.
ORPHAN RUNNING
Musical Annie, weekends through July 16 at The Weekend Theater, Little Rock. Details at weekendtheater.org. Call (501) 374-3761.
WHAT'S ALIEN YOU?
2 World UFO Day answers the question, "Saucer?" Yessir!
THINK PLINK, THUNK PLUNK
Sunday Court Square Music Series with musicians from Ozark Folk Center State Park, 2-3 p.m., open pickin' 3-4 p.m. downtown Mountain Home. Details at ozarkfolkcenter.com. Call (870) 269-3851.
BREEZE, IF YOU PLEASE
3 Air Conditioning Appreciation Days -- officially through Aug. 15, but who's counting?
YANKEE OODLES
4 Independence Day.
"... with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other." -- John Adams, 1776.
BANG-UP ENTERTAINMENT
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Pops on the River, 3-10:30 p.m. in the River Market District, downtown Little Rock: day of entertainment, shopping, children's activities, food trucks, singing contest; fireworks with accompaniment by the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra, 9:30 p.m. Details at pops.arkansasonline.com. Call (501) 378-3807.
SALLY FOURTH
Fun on the Fourth old-fashioned games including tug-of-war, relay races, 9:30 a.m.-noon at Pinnacle Mountain State Park, off Arkansas 10. Details at arkansas.com. Call (501) 868-5806.
NEWS LEAK
Maumelle Area Chamber of Commerce Fourth Fest, 4:30 p.m., and Cardboard Boat Race, 5:30 p.m. at Lake Willastein, Maumelle. Details at maumellechamber.com. Call (501) 851-9700.
NAVEL MANEUVERS
5 Activists seek to expand National Bikini Day to July 6 to make it a two-piece.
VOICE FAIL
6 National Cell Phone Courtesy Month. "Turned off and face down" describes not only how to ignore your phone, but also how it feels to ignore your phone.
The Lone Ranger said rudely to Tonto:
"A faithful companion you've been.
"But now, I'm attached to my iPhone,
"So, pardner, I'm tradin' you in."
CAUTION: HOT HANDLE
7 The hot month of July was named for: (A) hotly contentious Roman emperor Julius Caesar, (B) hot number Julie (Catwoman) Newmar; (C) hot air balloon chronicler Jules Verne; (D) Western movie sheriff July Johnson, or (E) hot pie baker Julia Child.
Answer at July 12.
NEWS FLASH
8 Tesla Fest, Tesla coil lightning shows and activities, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. at Mid-America Science Museum, Hot Springs. Details at midamericamuseum.org. Call (501) 767-3461.
GOOD FOR WHAT ALES YOU
Sizzle 'n Sweat brewery collectibles show, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. at Shelby Smith Pavilion, Burns Park, North Little Rock. Details at bcca.com.
TO EVERY SEASON,
CHURN, CHURN, CHURN
Home Goods Day of homemade ice cream and old-fashioned crafts, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. at Scott's Plantation Agriculture Museum, near Little Rock. Details at arkansas.com. Call (501) 961-1409.
SHOE ENOUGH
9 National Farriers Week. But today's stylish mare doesn't wear horseshoes -- she wears mules.
MARRY ME IN LARAMIE
10 Wyoming admission day, 1890. Wyoming admits there is no such place as Casper the Friendly Ghost-town.
11 Nude Recreation Week, and why some games can't be played in the buff:
n Baseball: No gloves.
n Basketball: No squeaky shoes.
n Tag football: No way.
SIZZLE QUIZZLE
12 Name-that-hottie quiz answer: (A) Julius Caesar. The Roman senate dubbed July in honor of Caesar. Otherwise, it would have been called Rin-Tin-Tin in honor of summer-heat Dog Days.
MAN WITH ENTERPRISE
13 Sir Patrick Stewart's 77th birthday finds Lt. Commander Data entertaining Captain Picard with a deck of cards:
DATA: Pick a card, Picard.
THE CAPTAIN: You can't fool me. These cards are merely computer-generated images.
DATA: How did you know?
CAPTAIN: It's not my first holodeck.
BACK AT THE SPREAD
14 Pieceful Friends Quilt Show, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. and July 15 at Hot Springs Convention Center, Hot Springs. Details at hsaquiltguild.com.
FRENCH RISE
Bastille Day. Start of the French revolution, 1789, leads somehow, eventually, to a nation that loves Jerry Lewis.
PAH-RUMMMM-PA-PUM-PUMMM
How to celebrate National Motorcycle Day: revvvv-erently.
LIGHT FANTASTIC
15 Firefly Fling, music, games and glow-in-the dark entertainment, 6-10 p.m. at Botanical Garden of the Ozarks, Fayetteville. Details at bgozarks.org. Call (479) 750-2620.
FLUTTER DELIGHT
Butterfly Count, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. at Queen Wilhelmina State Park near Mena. Details at queenwilhelmina.com. Call (479) 394-2863.
NEWS SCOOP
16 How to celebrate National Ice Cream Day: cone one, cone all.
HAND OVER THE KEYS
17 The United States wheedles Florida away from Spain, 1821, along with a park-hopper pass and a Mickey Mouse beach towel.
MINNIE HAPPY RETURNS
Disneyland opens, 1955, with a live TV broadcast hosted by Ronald Reagan, and the nation is all ears.
AND THEN WE'LL
ROE, ROE, ROE
18 National Caviar Day. Pass the whatever-that-is, weird blackberry jam.
PEACEMAKER MAKER
19 How to celebrate gun maker Samuel Colt's birthday, 1814: blow down the candles.
THE BUZZ ON THE FUZZ
20 Johnson County Peach Festival and peach cobbler, pie, jelly and jam through July 23, Clarksville. Details at clarksvillearchamber.com. Call (479) 754-9152.
FLOWER ARRANGEMENT
Searcy Summer Dinner Theatre show, Steel Magnolias, through July 23 and July 27-29 at Ulrey Performing Arts Center, Harding University. Details at hardingtickets.com.
HOT CHILLS
21 National Horseradish Month, National Ice Cream Month. Jalapeno ice cream is a real thing, and homemade Mexican chocolate ice cream with cinnamon and cayenne pepper, but is the world ready for horseradish ice cream? Neigh.
BUCKAROO ADO
22 National Day of the Cowboy -- time to cowboy up, pardner, and get back on the horseradish that threw yuh.
STRUM THINGS UP
Free concert with singer-songwriter Lee Roy Parnell, 7 p.m., downtown El Dorado. Details at mainstreeteldorado.org. Call (870) 862-4747.
MANE EVENT
23 LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Is today your birthday? If so, it's all about pride. Strut the veldt looking svelte. Get your jungle on with fellow lion kings and queens: Wonder Woman Lynda Carter, 66 on July 24, and Rolling Stone Mick Jagger, 74 on July 26.
LAUGHING ON THE OUTSIDE
Comedian Jim Gaffigan, 8 p.m. at First Security Amphitheater, downtown Little Rock. Details at jimgaffigan.com.
"Babies should be classified as an antidepressant." -- Jim Gaffigan.
FAIR PLAY
24 Fulton County Fair, carnival and rodeo, through July 29 in Salem, north-central Arkansas. Details at fultoncountyfair.org. Call (870) 895-5565.
BLANKET INVITATION
25 How to celebrate National Picnic Month: with antsy expectations.
ID CONQUERED THE WORLD
26 Psychologist Carl Jung's birthday, 1875. A Jungian psychologist is one who sees something in a supermodel -- namely, a superego.
BURN IN A BUN
27 National Chili Dog Day -- feels like having missed the grilled hot dog and swallowed the grill.
NOTHING'S MORE IN
THAN A DRIPPY CHIN
National Watermelon Month.
Cave City Watermelon Festival, music and melons through July 29 at Cave City Park. Details at cavecitywatermelonfestival.com. Call (870) 283-5301.
BLISS YOU
28 Peacemaker Music and Arts Festival through July 29 with Gov't Mule, Jamey Johnson at Riverfront Park, downtown Fort Smith. Details at peacemakerfest.com. Call (479) 783-8888.
HOPPY BIRTHDAY
Beatrix Potter's birthday, 1866. Peter Rabbit's creator was born under a lettuce leaf in Farmer McGregor's garden.
LEGEND OF SOGGY CHIC
29 World Championship Cardboard Boat Races, 10 a.m. at Sandy Beach, Heber Springs. Details at heber-springs.com. Call (501) 362-2444.
TANKS FOR THE MEMORIES
Vintage Military Vehicle Show, 9 a.m.-noon at MacArthur Museum of Arkansas Military History, Little Rock. Call (501) 376-4602.
MEEMA, PEEPA AND WHO-HE
30 Father-in-Law Day honors the man who never really gave the bride away, and never will.
HARRY POTTER AND THE
SORCERER'S CAKE
31 Harry Potter creator J.K. Rowling's 52nd birthday. Quidditch. Gesundheit!
CONDIMENTS TO THE CHEF
Last bite of National Hot Dog Month.
Coming next month: August! Write to Ron Wolfe at
rwolfe@arkansasonline.com
by July 15 to suggest heated August calendar entries or how to celebrate sweltering August as Romance Awareness Month, such as: swooned and melted -- and that's just the flowers and chocolate. All entries require a web address and/or phone number that is answered during business hours.
Style on 06/27/2017