Elsewhere in entertainment, events and the arts:
TODAY
'Patriot Nations'
A reception, 4-6 p.m. today, marks the opening of "Patriot Nations: Native Americans in Our Nation's Armed Forces," a touring exhibition from the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian, at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock Sequoyah National Research Center, Suite 500, 5820 Asher Ave., Little Rock. Supplementing the exhibit will be materials from the center's collections from World War I veterans. Support comes from the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians. The exhibit will remain up through Nov. 30. Gallery hours are 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday. Call (501) 569-8336 or visit ualr.edu/sequoyah.
FRIDAY
ESPN author
Howard Bryant, who writes for ESPN.com and ESPN The Magazine, will discuss and sign copies of his book, The Heritage: Black Athletes, a Divided America, and the Politics of Patriotism, noon Friday in Sturgis Hall, University of Arkansas-Clinton School of Public Service, 1200 President Clinton Ave., Little Rock. Admission is free. Reserve a seat by calling (501) 683-5239 or by email, publicprograms@clintonschool.uasys.edu.
History sandwich
The Arkansas Historic Preservation Program will visit Lamar Porter Athletic Field, West Seventh and Johnson streets, Little Rock, at noon Friday for a "Sandwiching in History" tour. The field, for which construction by the federal Works Progress Administration started in fall 1934 and took 18 months to complete, was first used by Boys Club teams in 1936. Baltimore Orioles Hall of Fame third baseman Brooks Robinson played there as a child. Admission is free. Call (501) 324-9880, email info@arkansaspreservation.org or visit arkansaspreservation.org.
Hendrix playwright
Had Orion Loved by Brian Earles, Hendrix College class of 2018, will be onstage, 7 p.m. Friday in Cabe Theatre at Hendrix, 1600 Washington Ave., Conway, for the Hendrix-Murphy Foundation's "Playwright's Theatre." Earles' piece, which won first prize in Hendrix's 2017-18 Student Playwriting Contest, involves a couple whose weekend bed-and-breakfast escape is threatened by an unexpected tornado. Admission is free. Call (501) 450-4597.
Jackson at Jonesboro
Country singer and northeast Arkansas native Cory Jackson performs for the inaugural "First Fridays at the Forum" concert, 7:30 p.m. Friday at the Forum Theater, 115 E. Monroe St., Jonesboro. Tickets are $7, $5 for senior citizens, military and Arkansas State University students, staff and faculty. The series is a collaboration between the Foundation of Arts and Arkansas State heritage studies department. Call (870) 935-2726 or visit foajonesboro.org.
'Making Waves'
"Making Waves," striated collage paintings by Donnie Copeland, a faculty member at Ouachita Baptist University in Arkadelphia, opens with a Hot Springs Gallery Walk reception, 5-9 p.m. Friday at the Justus Fine Art Gallery, 827A Central Ave., Hot Springs. The exhibit will be up through Sept. 30. Gallery hours are 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday or by appointment. Call (501) 321-2335 or visit justusfineart.com.
SATURDAY
Benefit on bikes
About 200 cyclists will attempt to raise $129,000 toward ending multiple sclerosis, riding up to 126 miles over two days, Saturday-Sunday from North Little Rock to Hot Springs Village and back. The Bike MS: Rock'n Hot Ride will feature four fully stocked rest stops, medical support, support vehicles, ham radio operators and a celebration party at the Ponce De Leon Center in Hot Springs Village, the day one finish line. Money raised from this ride and nearly 80 others across the country hosted by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society goes to support research and programs and services for people living with MS. Register online at bikeMS.org; call (855) 372-1331 or email fundraisingsupport@nmss.org.
Boomtown Opry
Musicians Lynn Landry, April Sanders, Jess Wade, Gina and Todd Mitchell and comedian Sister Lucille are the featured performers for the Boomtown Opry, 7 p.m. Saturday at the El Dorado Municipal Auditorium, 100 W. Eighth St., El Dorado. Tickets are $10, free for children 12 and younger. A portion of the proceeds benefits the El Dorado Boys & Girls Club. Visit facebook.com/boomtownopry or email boomtownopry@outlook.com.
'Mid Mod Arkansas'
Preserve Arkansas will visit two houses in Pine Bluff for its next "Mid Mod Arkansas" tour, designed to increase appreciation for Arkansas' unique midcentury modern architecture, 4 p.m. Saturday. The tour starts at the Richard and Elsie Pierce House, 29 Longmeadow, designed by Little Rock architect Noland Blass in 1952; guests will caravan from there to the Richard and Lynne Smart House, 710 W. 46th Ave., designed in 1964 by Erhart, Eichenbaum, Rauch & Blass. Tickets, $30, include a guided tour of both properties, wine, and light snacks Visit PreserveArkansas.org.
Weekend on 09/06/2018