OCTOBER CALENDAR: Fests, fair, fish and frights

New month sweeps in on flying broom, brings a big treat-bag of fun.

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

October is the month when spirits soar -- Halloween and heebie-jeebies, treats galore and more in store: cornbread and candy corn, beans, boots, Rocky Horror, rocks and fossils, and apple cider by the quart and the quartz.

1 Cookie Month, American Cheese Month, Computer Learning Month. A bite, a bite, a byte.

SECOND THAT EMOTION

Smokey Robinson, 4 p.m. at Murphy Arts District Amphitheater, El Dorado. Details at eldomad.com. Call (870) 863-4547.

WALL TO WALL

Pine Bluff Art League Exhibition through Nov. 11 at Arts and Science Center for Southeast Arkansas, Pine Bluff. Details at asc701.org. Call (870) 536-3375.

"Stuart Davis In Full Swing" modern art exhibit through Jan. 1 at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville. Details at crystal bridges.org. Call (479) 418-5700.

HUMPTY DUMPSTER

2 National Custodial Workers Day celebrates the man with the biggest trick-or-treat bag.

STEADY AS SHE GOES

3 National Boyfriends Day.

"Hey-la, hey-la, my boyfriend's back." -- The Angels.

AND THE REST IS GRAVY

4 King Biscuit Blues Festival through Oct. 7 with Tab Benoit, Gov't Mule in Helena-West Helena. Details at kingbiscuitfestival.com. Call (870) 572-5223.

NEATNESS COUNTS

5 World Teachers Day comes just in time: The world needs a lesson.

REALITY SHOWS

6 Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival with filmmaker Werner Herzog and actors Robert Davi, Louis Gossett Jr., through Oct. 15, Hot Springs. Details at hsdfi.org. Call (501) 538-0452.

BIBBIDI-BOBBIDI

7 Arkansas Symphony Orchestra Concert, "The Magical Music of Harry Potter," 7:30 p.m. Oct. 7 and 3 p.m. Oct. 8 Robinson Center Performance Hall, Little Rock. Details at arkansassymphony.org. Call (501) 666-1761.

BIBBIDI-BOBBIDI -- BOO!

Arkansas Paranormal Expo through Oct. 8 at MacArthur Museum of Arkansas Military History, Little Rock. Call (501) 993-7494.

A MOVABLE FEAST

Main Street Food Truck Festival, 11 a.m.-5 p.m., downtown Little Rock. Details at mainstreetfoodtrucks.com. Call (501) 375-0121.

ROCK STARS

Greater Little Rock Area Mineral, Fossil, Gem and Jewelry Show, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Oct. 7 and 8 at Jacksonville Community Center, Jacksonville. Details at centralarrockhound.com.

DOG STARS

Bringing Hope to Life Poker Run, 9 a.m. at Drasco Trading Post, Drasco near Heber Springs, benefits Service Dogs of Distinction in central Arkansas. Call (870) 668-3040.

METER-MADE

National Forgiveness Day, National Metric Week -- time to forgive the liter for being a fake quart.

FRY ME TO THE MOON

8 Camp Aldersgate Fish Fry, noon to 3 p.m. at Camp Aldersgate, Little Rock, benefits children and adults with special needs. Details at campaldersgate.net. Call (501) 225-1444.

THE NINA, THE PINA,

AND THE HAVE A LOOK-SEE

9 Columbus Day. The 15th-century explorer arrives in the New World to find the banks and post office are closed.

IT COULD BE PURSE

10 How to celebrate National Handbag Day: Toot the tote.

SPIN THERE, DONE THAT

11 International Top Spinning Day, National Roller Skating Month, Apple Jack Month -- three ways to go around in a whirl.

COTTON CANDY DANDY

12 Arkansas State Fair, carnival and livestock show through Oct. 22 at the State Fairgrounds, Little Rock. Details at arkansasstatefair.com. Call (501) 372-8341.

GHOST IN THE SHELLAC

13 Boo! Images of the Macabre art show through Dec. 15 at Wingate Gallery, University of Arkansas-Pulaski Technical College, North Little Rock. Details at uaptc.edu. Call (501) 812-2715.

SLAP OF THE TONGUE

Moliere-based comedy The School for Lies through Oct. 29 at Arkansas Repertory Theatre, Little Rock. Details at therep.org. Call (501) 378-0405.

BIG ROCK CANDY MOUNTAIN

World Championship Quartz Crystal Dig through Oct. 14, Mount Ida. Details at mountidachamber.com. Call (870) 867-2723.

THE BUCKSKIN STOPS HERE

Leslie Mountain Man Rendezvous through Oct. 14, Leslie near Marshall. Details at searcycountyarkansas.org. Call (870) 448-2557.

TOE-KNEE AWARDS SHOW

Broadway musical Kinky Boots through Oct. 15 at Robinson Center Performance Hall, Little Rock. Details at celebrityattractions.com. Call (501) 244-8800.

PINK STREAK

14 Komen Race for the Cure, 6:30 a.m. from downtown Little Rock. Details at komenarkansas.org. Call (501) 202-4399.

IT'S GRRRR-UMP

15 National Grouch Day, Pet Peeve Week, and three pet peeves to take to the peeve park:

• Paper or plastic? I say titanium. Just once, let me get home with the eggs.

• Another movie sequel, and they wonder why Hollywood had a bad summer. Try selling last year's popcorn to go with it.

• Rachel from card services, go robo-call your mother-in-law. (See Oct. 23.)

THERE'S A WORD FOR THAT

16 Dictionary Day and dictionary-maker Noah Webster's birthday, 1758.

Whenever a word is in doubt,

This book's the definitive route

To surely define

Every word, every time,

Except for the ones it leaves out.

RE: WAITED ALL DAY FOR NOTHING

MSG: SEE ME

17 Day after National Boss Day.

CHIN UP

18 No Beard Day comes as bad news for the werewolf.

BY THE OLD MILL STREAM

19 War Eagle Craft Fair through Oct. 22 near Rogers. Details at wareaglemill.com. Call (479) 789-5343.

IT'S JUST A JUMP TO THE LEFT,

AND THEN A BIPARTISAN

STEP TO THE RIGHT

20 The Rocky Horror Show through Oct. 22 and weekends through Nov. 5 at The Weekend Theater, Little Rock. Details at weekendtheater.org. Call (501) 374-3761.

CRUMBLED EXPECTATIONS

21 Arkansas Cornbread Festival, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. on Main St. around Bernice Garden, Little Rock. Details at arkansascornbreadfestival.com.

HI-YO, SILVERS

Democrat-Gazette Arkansas Senior Expo, 9 a.m.-2 p.m. at Statehouse Convention Center, Little Rock. Details at arkansasseniorexpo.com. Call (501) 244-4344.

HAIRY SCARE-UM

Boo at the Zoo family festival, trick-or-treating and haunted train rides, 6-9 p.m. through Oct. 31 at the Little Rock Zoo. Details at littlerockzoo.com. Call (501) 666-2406.

24K MAGIC

22 Bruno Mars, 8 p.m. at Verizon Arena, North Little Rock. Details at verizonarena.com. Call (800) 745-3000.

SHE WHO MUST BE OBEYED

23 Mother-in-Law Day -- and best not tell her it's also Rodent Awareness Week.

MIGHT STING A LITTLE

24 SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov.21): Is today your birthday? If so, this is no time to hide under a rock. Step out eight legs at a time, and form a pincer movement with fellow pinch-hitters Bill Gates, 62 on Oct. 28; and John Cleese, 78 on Oct. 27.

PICASSO PICKS A PIE

25 Cubist Pablo Picasso's birthday, 1881; National Pizza Month, and square pan pizzas all around.

WHIRLY GIG

26 Cirque Du Soleil: Crystal through Oct. 29 at Verizon Arena, North Little Rock. Details at verizonarena.com. Call (800) 745-3000..

BOOGIE WITH THE BOOGIEMAN

27 Goosebumps the Musical: Phantom of the Auditorium through Nov. 12 at Arkansas Arts Center Children's Theatre, Little Rock. Details at arkansasartscenter.org. Call (501) 372-4000.

RUN LIKE A PINTO

Beanfest and Great Arkansas Championship Outhouse Races through Oct. 28, Mountain View. Details at yourplaceinthemountains.com. Call (870) 269-8068.

IT'S AN HONOR

28 Arkansas Black Hall of Fame 25th anniversary, 7:30 p.m. at Robinson Center Performance Hall, Little Rock. Details at arblackhalloffame.org. Call (501) 425-5998.

ENVELOPE, PLEASE

Pinnacle Stamp Club of Arkansas PINPEX stamp show through Oct. 29 at Jacksonville Community Center, Jacksonville. Call (501) 868-4553.

CART BEFORE THE HORRORS

Halloween Hay Rides, 7-9 p.m. at Pinnacle Mountain State Park near Little Rock. Details at arkansas.com. Call (501) 868-5806.

NO REST FOR THE WICK

Washington After Dark candlelight tours of Historic Washington State Park near Hope. Details at historicwashingtonstatepark.com. Call (870) 983-2684.

SITTIN' PURRTY

29 National Cat Day. Every other day is international cat day -- except for Tuesday, which is interstellar cat day, and still not good enough to suit the cat.

LET'S DO THE TIME WARP AGAIN

30 The Rocky Horror Picture Show through Oct. 31 at Walton Arts Center, Fayetteville. Details at waltonartscenter.org. Call (479) 443-5600.

CHILDREN OF THE CANDY CORN

31 Halloween -- the night of gruesome goblins and gooey gobblin's.

BUT WAIT, THERE'S MOORS

Sherlock Holmes mystery Baskerville through Nov. 25 at Murry's Dinner Playhouse, Little Rock. Details at murrysdp.com. Call (501) 562-3131.

Coming next month: November! Write to Ron Wolfe at

rwolfe@arkansasonline.com

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RON WOLFE SPECIAL TO THE DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Pumpkin #1 Illustration

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RON WOLFE SPECIAL TO THE DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Pumpkin #2 Illustration

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RON WOLFE SPECIAL TO THE DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Pizza Illustration

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RON WOLFE SPECIAL TO THE DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Kinky Boots Illustration

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RON WOLFE SPECIAL TO THE DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Candy Corn Illustration

by Oct. 15 to suggest November calendar entries or how to celebrate November as Peanut Butter Lovers Month, such as: Go ahead, then, be stuck up. All entries require a web address and/or phone number that is answered during business hours.

Style on 09/26/2017

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