Elsewhere in entertainment, events and the arts:
FRIDAY
History sandwich
The Department of Arkansas Heritage's May "Sandwiching in History" program visits the Matthews-Storey home, 8115 Ascension Road, Little Rock, at noon Friday. The house, built circa 1925, is an intact example of a Craftsman-style airplane bungalow. (Plan to park along Ascension Road and walk, mindful of traffic, to the house.). Admission is free. Call (501) 324-9150.
Tandem rally
A group of 125 couples from 25 U.S. states will take multiple sets of rides along the Arkansas River Trail and in Little Rock, including a night ride to Two Rivers Bridge, as part of the 2019 Southwest Tandem Rally, Friday-Sunday. Riding alongside a volunteer group of tandem cycling enthusiasts will be ultra-cyclist Kurt "Tarzan" Searvogel, a 52-year-old Arkansas software engineer who in 2016 successfully broke a 1937 world record for most miles ridden in a single year, and James Drake of television's American Ninja Warrior and a Season Three semifinalist on Netflix's Ultimate Beastmaster. The event, last held in Little Rock in 2014, also includes a private concert with Arkansas native singer-songwriter Bonnie Montgomery and her trio. For registration information and a complete weekend listing, visit southwesttandemrally.com.
'Ring of Words'
The Lyon College Concert Chorale and Batesville Choral Society, with "special guests" the Weston Music Studio's Highlander Youth Singers and the Lyon College Gospel Choir, performs at 7:30 p.m. Friday in Sloan Auditorium of the Brown Fine Arts Building at Lyon College, 2300 Highland Road, Batesville. Program for the concert, titled "Bright Is the Ring of Words," includes Rejoice in the Lamb by Benjamin Britten, Frostiana by Randall Thompson and The Lamb by John Tavener. Admission is free. Call (870) 307-7259 or email Michael.oriatti@lyon.edu.
Forum First Friday
Country singer Sam Morris and his Nashville, Tenn.-based band perform for First Fridays at the Forum, 7:30 p.m. Friday the Forum Theatre, 115 E. Monroe St., Jonesboro. Tickets are $7, $5 for children, senior citizens, military and Arkansas State University students, faculty and staff. Call (870) 935-2726 or visit foajonesboro.org.
Funny at the Forum
Meanwhile, at a slightly different Forum: NorthArk Drama and the Theatre Company of the Ozarks are staging A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, book by Burt Shevelove and Larry Gelbart loosely based on material by the Roman playwright Plautus), 7 p.m. Friday-Saturday May 3-4 and May 10-11 and 2 p.m. Sunday May 5 and May 12 at the Lyric Theater, 113 W. Rush Ave., Harrison. Tickets are $12, $10 for senior citizens, $8 for children in advance, $3 more at the door. Call (870) 391-3504 or visit TheLyric.org.
SATURDAY
Kids' reading festival
"One District, One Book, One Community," an outdoor festival in conjunction with Little Rock School District's "One District, One Book" program, features a variety of literary-based activities to encourage students to read during the summer, including free books, story time, a meet-and-greet with an author and bounce houses, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday, Clinton Presidential Center, 1200 President Clinton Ave., Little Rock. Admission to the event, in partnership with the Little Rock School District, is free. And in coordination with the event, children's admission to the Clinton Presidential Center is free (with a paid adult — use the promo code "KIDS" at the admissions desk). Call (501) 374-4242, email info@clintonpresidentialcenter.org or visit tinyurl.com/y4jbnbtg.
Boomtown Opry
Christian contemporary singer David Phelps brings his more-than-three-octave range to the Boomtown Opry, 7 p.m. Saturday at the El Dorado Municipal Auditorium, 100 W. Eighth St., El Dorado. Opening the show: country/gospel duo Southern Koast, Joel Woollen and comedian Frank Cheek. Tickets are $25 and $35 in advance, $30 and $40 at the door; a portion of the proceeds benefits the El Dorado Boys & Girls Club. Visit itickets.com or the Facebook page, facebook.com/boomtownopry.
Studio tour
As part of the second weekend of the Hot Springs Area Cultural Alliances' Arts & the Park 2019, 21 Spa City-area studios, featuring 34 artists, will open their doors for free, self-guided tours, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Sponsor is Riser Auto. Admission is free. A complete list is available online at hotspringsarts.org. For more information, email studiotours@hotspringsarts.org.
Musical medicine
The Little Rock Winds will give an outdoor concert titled "Music Is Good Medicine," focusing on the healing arts of medicine and music, 4:30 p.m. Saturday on the grounds of the McGehee Hospital, 900 S. Third St., McGehee.
Israel Getzov conducts a program of marches, patriotic songs, Broadway show tunes and movie soundtracks and, providing special recognition of veterans and active members of the military, the service song of each branch of the U.S. Armed Forces. Baritone Timothy Tucker solos in selections from Aaron Copland's Old American Songs. The McGehee High School Band will join in a grand finale performance of The Stars and Stripes Forever by John Philip Sousa.
Before the concert, at 4 p.m., the hospital will hold an open house showcasing its radiology department's new state-of-the-art X-ray system, provided by the Delta Regional Authority. Admission and barbecue are free; attendees should provide their own lawn chairs. In case of inclement weather, the concert moves to the McGehee High School gymnasium. Sponsors are the Arkansas Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts. Call (501) 666-0777 or visit lrwinds.org.
OASIS Festival
Works by Northeast Arkansas artists will be on display in downtown Jonesboro, along with performances, as part of the OASIS Art Festival, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday. Admission is free. Call (870) 935-2726.
ETC.
Free for military
Magic Springs Theme and Water Park, U.S. 70 East (East Grand Avenue), Hot Springs, marks "Heroes Appreciation Month" by offering free admission for members of the military — active duty and retired — as well as police, firefighters and emergency medical technicians, through May 27. May 11-17, the park will admit spouses and dependents at a discounted admission price — $35.99 plus tax — when accompanied by a military member or first responder. You'll need to show military ID or proof of employment at the park ticket booths. Call (501) 318-5370 or visit MagicSprings.com.
Winning poets
Gabriel Bass of Hot Springs Village, a senior at the University of Arkansas at Monticello, won the $500 first prize in the 2019 statewide Jeannie Dolan Carter Memorial Collegiate Poetry Contest for his poem, "The Dove Hunt." Olivia Burnett of Lynchburg, Va., a sophomore at Harding University in Searcy, won the second prize of $300 for her poem, The Orchard. Mommy Is Here earned Emma Barnes of Alexander, a nursing student at Baptist Health College in Little Rock, the $200 third prize. The Poets' Roundtable of Arkansas handed out the honors at its April 13 "Dr. Lily Peter Spring Celebration" in Little Rock. Visit poetsroundtableofarkansas.org.
TICKETS
for King & Country
Tickets — $24 and $44, with VIP tickets at $79 (includes a question-and-answer session) and $204 (include the Q&A session and a meet-and-greet with the performers) — go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday for a concert by Australian duo for King & Country, 6 p.m. Oct. 6 in the The Theater @ Verizon Arena in North Little Rock. There is a limit of nine tickets per household. Call (501) 745-3000 or visit ticketmaster.com.
Weekend on 05/02/2019