Spring Events in Arkansas
“Blue's Clues Live: Blue’s Birthday!,” a full-scale,
theatrical musical production based on a critically acclaimed Nickelodeon
television series for preschool children, will be presented at 6:30 p.m. March
15 and 16 at the Perot Theater at 219 Main St. in downtown Texarkana. The
performance will include all the show’s popular characters: Joe, Mailbox, Mr.
Salt and Mrs. Pepper, Paprika, Tickety and Blue.
Tickets are $25, $17 and $5 with group discounts available.
For more information, phone the theater box office at (903) 792-8681 or e-mail
nfhutcheson@trahc.org.
Additional information on the Perot, including a seating chart, and on other
programs in the theater’s on-going entertainment season is available at
www.trahc.org.
Information on lodging, restaurants and other attractions
in the Texarkana area may be obtained from the Texarkana Chamber of Commerce by
phone at (903) 792-7191 or by visiting its Web site at
www.texarkana.org and
selecting “Visitor’s Guide.”
Actor George Wendt, best known
for his portrayal of the character “Norm” on the long-running television comedy
“Cheers,” will be in Hot Springs to serve as grand marshal of the First Ever
Second Annual World’s Shortest St. Patrick’s Day Parade to begin at 6:30 p.m. on
Thursday, March 17.
Recalling how assembled
employees and patrons of the fictional Cheers bar would greet Norm on his entry,
Steve Arrison, executive director of the Hot Springs Convention and Visitors
Bureau, said: “I can’t wait until Mr. Wendt’s car rounds the corner onto Bridge
Street and the thousands of people downtown to watch the parade shout ‘Norm!’ in
unison.”
Known for its unique and
humorous entries, the parade is held on Bridge Street, said to be the shortest
street in the world at about one-third of a city block. Bridge is located off
Central Avenue in downtown Hot Springs.
Wendt, who will spend two days
in Hot Springs in conjunction with his marshal duties, “will add a touch of
additional humor to what is already one of the greatest fun events in America,”
Arrison said. The parade garnered international publicity for Hot Springs last
year and is a nominee this year for a Henry Award from the Arkansas Department
of Parks and Tourism.
No admission will be charged
to view the parade and a free, downtown fireworks display will follow it by
approximately one-half hour. A downtown “pub crawl” will also follow the parade.
For additional information, phone the Hot Springs Convention and Visitors Bureau
at 1-800-SPA-CITY. Additional Hot Springs information is available at
www.hotsprings.org
The Heber Springs Folk Festival will premiere March 17-20,
with a daily street fair and a variety of music each night. A special Celtic
performance will celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, and a gospel concert on Sunday
evening will close the first annual festival. For more information contact Debby
Flauta (870) 362-7971 or visit
www.gemcommunitytheater.org.
Batesville’s Ozark Hawg BBQ Championship will be staged
March 18-19, at Riverside Park. The event serves as the state barbecue
championship and attracts several of the top teams from the Mid-South. The
winner receives an automatic bid to the Memphis in May World Championships. The
park’s new amphitheater, on the shoreline of the White River, will be used for
musical concerts during the festival. For more information, visit
www.mybatesville.org.
The inspirational true story of Helen Keller and Annie
Sullivan will be brought to the stage in “The Miracle Worker” by the Arkansas
Repertory Theatre. Dates for the production are March 18 to April 10. Considered
an American classic, the play tells the incredible story of blind, deaf and
speechless Keller who against all odds discovered the road to communication and
understanding. Guiding her along the adventuresome path with persistence, love,
and sheer stubbornness is her tutor, Annie Sullivan, who helps break though the
walls of silence and darkness that have enclosed Keller since birth. A moving
drama directed by Brad Mooy. The Rep is located at 601 Main Street in downtown
Little Rock. Ticket prices range from $20 to $28. The group’s Web site has
additional information:
www.therep.org
The Arkansas Museum of Natural
Resources at Smackover will host the sixth annual South Arkansas Garden and
Outdoor Show from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, March 19. Admission and parking
are free.
The show will feature guest speakers
and garden-related activities for the whole family, as well as exhibits and
vendors of plants, flowers, and lawn and garden equipment and supplies.
For more information, phone (870) 725-2877 or e-mail
museumnaturalresources@arkansas.com.
The third annual Tulip Extravaganza at Garvan Woodland
Gardens in Hot Springs will run March 21-April 10 and will feature more than
more than 70,000 tulips blooming in a wooded landscape filled with hundreds of
dogwood trees and azaleas, all expected to be at their peak of color.
Regular tour admission will be charged: $7 for persons ages
13 to 54, $6 for those 55 and older, and $4 for ages six to 12. Children five
and under are admitted free. Discounts are available for groups of 20 and more.
Garden hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. through March 31 and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
beginning April 1.
Garvan Woodland Gardens, open seven days a week, is a
210-acre botanical garden with 4.5 miles of shoreline on Lake Hamilton. The
University of Arkansas is developing the site, which is located at 540 Arkridge
Road, off Carpenter Dam Road. For more information, visit
www.garvangardens.org
or phone (800) 366-4664 or (501) 262-9300.
A first-time event, Ride Rally Ride is a five-day
motorcycle ride based out of Eureka Springs with five different routes and one
dinner. The all-day event is a ride through curves, roller coaster roads,
mountain tops and valleys and will have no vendors and no bike shows. The ride
will be March 22-26 with headquarters at the Edelweiss Inn.
Admission is free. For more information, phone Bryan or
Cindy Sumpter at (800) 870-2529.
Stage performances and jam sessions highlight the 22nd
annual Arkansas Fiddlers Convention March 24-27 at North Arkansas College in
Harrison.
Jam sessions consist of up to 40 rooms of musicians mixing
together. Stage performances are scheduled throughout two days, and end with an
awards ceremony. The convention is free; but, donations are appreciated. No
alcohol is allowed on the premises. Concessions are available and security
guards are on duty. Space for about 100 recreational vehicles is available at
the college. Only parking is offered, no hookups. About 1,100 people from 32
states attend the event, which is sponsored by the Harrison Convention and
Visitors Bureau. For a schedule of events, contact the bureau at (888) 283-2163.
Kites of all shapes, sizes and colors will be in the air
during the 15th annual Eureka Springs Kite Festival set for 10 a.m.-4 p.m.,
March 26 at Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge in Eureka Springs. The event
includes kite flying demonstrations and tricks.
Admission is free and attendees are encouraged to bring
chairs, blankets, cameras and kites. Food and drinks will be available. For more
information, contact Kaleidokites, a kite shop in Eureka Springs, at (888)
836-6251. The refuge is located on Ark. 23, seven miles south of Eureka Springs.
Several events around Central Arkansas will celebrate the
Easter holiday the weekend of March 26-27. On March 26, the Old State House
Museum in Little Rock will host its 2nd Annual Spring EGGStravanganza. From 1 to
4 p.m. children will be able to take part in seasonal hands-on activities and
paper crafts. Special treats will await those who participate in the Great Egg
Race at 2 p.m. Admission is free. The museum is located at 300 West Markham
Street in downtown Little Rock. Phone (501) 324-9685 for more details.
Woolly Hollow State Park in Greenbrier will host its 19th
Annual Easter Egg Hunt on March 26. The old-fashioned fun is open to children
ages 12 and under who will hunt for hundreds of candy-filled eggs. Participants
should bring their own bags or baskets for collecting the eggs. Admission is
free. Hours for the event are 11 a.m. to noon; meet at the park visitor center.
To reach Woolly Hollow, go 12 miles north of Conway on U.S. 65, then go six
miles east on Ark. 285 near Greenbrier. Contact the park for additional
information at (501) 679-2098 or
woollyhollow@arkansas.com.
Easter activities in the twin cities include Meet and Greet
the Easter Bunny at Little Rock’s Visitors Information Center at Historic Curran
Hall on March 26 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Free photos and refreshments will be
available. 501-370-3290. The City of North Little Rock will host its annual
Easter Egg Hunt on March 27 at the Burns Park Soccer Complex. (501) 791-8543.
"Three Men and a Baby...Grand," a revue of popular Broadway
tunes featuring Broadway and recording artists John Boswell, Brian Lane Green
and Lee Lessack, will be presented in Helena at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 31
as part of the 37th season of the annual Warfield Concert Series. Admission will
be free, with seating on a first-come basis.
The performance, not open to children under 6, will be in
the 1,200-seat Lily Peter Auditorium on the campus of the Phillips County
Community College/University of Arkansas. The campus can be reached by following
directional signs located on U.S. 49-B in Helena.
For more information, phone Bettye W. Hendrix at (870)
572-1123. Information about additional Warfield performances is available at
http://www.pccua.edu/performing%20arts/warfield_concerts.htm
For more information on family
attractions in Arkansas go to Arkansas Family
Attractions
For more information on Hotels
and Resorts in Arkansas go to Arkansas Hotels and
Resorts
Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism
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