1 BIG BUCKS
The Arkansas Big Buck Classic, an outdoorsy extravaganza, will be open to the public 1-9 p.m. Friday, 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Saturday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday at the State Fairgrounds, 2600 Howard St., Little Rock. Guests can expect a long list of vendors, displays, demonstrations, prizes and Bwana Jim's Live Animal Interactive Kids' Show. Admission is $12, $5 for ages 5-12. Call (501) 985-1533 or visit bigbuckclassic.com. See story on Page 4E.
2 BABY
A childless Caucasian couple's decision to adopt a baby from Africa get news that threatens to tear their world apart in The Call by Tanya Barfield, 7 p.m. Wednesday-Thursday, 8 p.m. Friday-Saturday, 2 and 7 p.m. Sunday through Feb. 11. at the Arkansas Repertory Theatre, 601 Main St., Little Rock. Director Gilbert McCauley talks about the play at 6:15 p.m. today in advance of a 7 p.m. preview; a champagne reception follows Friday's 8 p.m. opening-night show. Tickets: $48 and $38; $20 students in advance, $15 student rush (day of performance). Call (501) 378-0405 or visit TheRep.org.
3 BROTH
Don't forget your muffin tin as you head to the 37th annual Soup Sunday, a benefit for Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families, 4-7 p.m. Sunday Statehouse Convention Center, Markham and Main streets, Little Rock. More than two dozen area restaurants and food suppliers will serve up soups, plus music and silent and live auctions. Tickets are $25 ($30 after 5 p.m. Friday), $10 for children 5-17, free for kids younger than 5. Featured chef Capi Peck of Trio's will hold forth in the Patron room, serving soup and special appetizers and desserts that won't be available in the main ballroom (also with complimentary beer and wine; patron tickets are $50 in advance ($60 after 5 p.m. Friday). Call (501) 371-9678 or visit aradvocates.org.
4 B MINOR
Pianist Tatiana Roitman Mann performs Manuel de Falla's Nights in the Gardens of Spain with the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra and conductor Philip Mann for the orchestra's fourth Masterworks concert pairing, "Tchaikovsky's Passion," 7:30 p.m. Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday at Robinson Center Performance Hall, 426 W. Markham St. at Broadway, Little Rock. Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 6 in b minor, "Pathetique," is the anchor for the program, which also includes selections from the orchestral suite from Georges Bizet's Carmen. Sponsor is the Stella Boyle Smith Trust. Tickets are $15-$65, $10 for students and active duty military, free to the Sunday matinee for K-12 students with a paying adult. Call (501) 666-1761, Extension 100, or visit ArkansasSymphony.org.
5 'BECOMING JOHN MARIN'
"Becoming John Marin: Modernist at Work," a new look at the work of American modernist John Marin (1870-1953), opens Friday at the Arkansas Arts Center in MacArthur Park, East Ninth and Commerce streets, Little Rock. The exhibition, up through April 22, includes never-before-shown drawings and watercolors from the Arts Center Collection and other public and private collections, paired with the sketches on which they were based. Gallery hours are 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday. Admission is free. Call (501) 372-4000 or visit ArkansasArtsCenter.org.
6 BIRDS
Celebrate and search for the nation's avian symbol at DeGray Lake Resort State Park's annual Eagles Et Cetera weekend, Friday-Sunday. There will be special programs like the Live Falcon Hunt and Raptor Rehab, tours and cruises. Most activities are free but there are fees for lake cruises. Call (501) 865-5810 or visit degray.com.
7 BOATING
Just because it's winter doesn't mean all nature is dormant. See the birds, animals and other critters that are very active in central Arkansas on a Winter Discovery Lake Cruise on Lake Maumelle. Presented by Pinnacle Mountain State Park, the tours start at Jolly Rogers Marina at 11 a.m., 1 and 3 p.m. Sunday. Cost is $15, $8 for children 6-12 and advance payment is required. Call (501) 868-5806 or visit arkansasstateparks.com.
8 BEL CANTO
Between two and three dozen young singers will vie for the Arkansas District Metropolitan Opera Auditions, 1 p.m. Saturday, Stella Boyle Smith Recital Hall, Fine Arts building, University of Arkansas at Little Rock, 2801 S. University Ave., Little Rock. Up to three winners will proceed to regional competition, March 17 at the Lorton Performing Arts Center, University of Tulsa; winners there will compete on the main stage of New York's Metropolitan Opera in April. Admission is free. Visit the Facebook event page, tinyurl.com/y75gewxt0.
9 BLOCKHOUSE
Take a trip to colonial times and witness the Defense of the Cadron Blockhouse at Cadron Settlement Park, 6200 Arkansas 319, Conway. Re-enactors will represent American, French, British, Spanish and American Indian militia and civilians with camps, cannon firing and competitions. The camps are open 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday and 9 a.m.-noon Sunday. Admission is free. Call (501) 944-0736 or visit earlyarkansas.com.
10 BEANS, GREENS& CORNBREAD
The Delta Cultural Center will celebrate the region's flavorful heritage with its second annual Beans, Greens, & Cornbread Cook-Off, 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday at the American Legion Hut, 406 Porter St., Helena-West Helena. Celebrity judges will pick the winners in each category; a popular vote will pick an overall winner. Admission is free. Call the (870) 338-4350 or (800) 358-0972 or visit deltaculturalcenter.com.
Weekend on 01/25/2018