Yearly Archives: 2012

A Capital Christmas: Capital Hotel Tree Lighting Tonight

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The Capital Hotel is wrapped up in the Christmas spirit. The 2012 edition of A Capital Christmas actually kicked off yesterday with Ballet Arkansas’ Nutcracker Tea. But at the Capital this evening, the hotel lobby’s famous Christmas tree will be lit in a Christmas celebration.

Tonight’s festivities kick off at 5pm. In addition to the tree lighting, Chef Tandra’s gingerbread village will be unveiled. The front windows of the hotel have been wrapped for over a week as the village has been built in an enclosed section of the lobby.

Throughout December there will be many other events at the Capital Hotel. This Saturday (December 8) Ashley’s will host a Teddy Bear Tea. Pre-paid reservations are required for this event which is sure to sell out. Contact 501.370.7015 or lingold@capitalhotel.com.

Saturday the 8th, Sunday the 9th and Sunday the 16th, there will be Gingerbread House Workshops for children 5 and up. A special Adults only workshop will take place on Saturday the 15th. For pre-paid reservations, contact 501.370.7015 or lingold@capitalhotel.com.

There will be other events and special activities throughout the season.  For more updates, visit the Capital Hotel website.

Make Your Own History at Holiday Open Houses

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The three Little Rock based museums of the Department of Arkansas Heritage will host Holiday Open Houses this Sunday, December 2.

Christmas Frolic 2012Historic Arkansas Museumwill host the 45th Annual Christmas Frolic and Open House.  While I have not attended all of them, I did attend as a child and do return as an adult.  (Sipping the cider for me seems to officially start the Christmas season.)

HAM encourages visitors to:

Keep your family tradition going, or make a new one and join hundreds of others who have danced their first Virginia Reel in the Hinderliter Grog Shop, the oldest house in Little Rock. It’s always fun to watch your kids sashay down the line for the first time, or to brush up on your own steps.

From sack races to stilts, from fiddling to frolicking, this favorite seasonal event charms one and all with old-fashioned fun. Bring the whole family out and enjoy live music, crafts, carols, pioneer games and our famous hot cider and ginger cake.

Don’t forget to stop by the Museum Store for Arkansas-made holiday shopping. Kay Collett Goss will be in the Museum Store during the Frolic signing copies of her book Mr. Chairman: The Life and Legacy of Wilbur D. Mills.

The Christmas Frolic and Open House runs from 1pm to 4pm and is free.

 

The Old State House will host its own Holiday Open House.

The traditions of joyous family holiday celebrations past can be relived at Holiday Open House. Visitors will find the Old State House colorfully decorated for the season. Fun, hands-on activities will be available to children; they can create unique holiday cards and more! Delightful carols will be performed by local music groups. Visitors will also enjoy delicious cookies and punch.

The Open House at the Old State House runs from 1pm to 4:30pm and is free.

 


143657The Mosaic Templars Cultural Center is the newest museum of DAH.  Though the new kid on the block, it is creating its own Holiday Open House traditions.  Their holiday celebration will include holiday music by local choirs, children’s activities, refreshments, and the first event sweet potatoe pie contest.  It is also a great opportunity to view the exhibit “A Voice Through the Viewfinder: Images of Arkansas’s Black Community” which closes on January 5, 2013.

The Open House at Mosaic Templars is from2pm to 5pm and is free.

CITY MOUSE, COUNTRY MOUSE, CHRISTMAS HOUSE at the Children’s Theatre

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It’s sleigh-loads of Christmas excitement at the City Mouse house with a whole lotta stirrin’ going on this Christmas Eve! It’s hardly the “silent-night-hot-cocoa-and-candy-canes-by-firelight” Christmas that Country Mouse expected with his City Mouse cousin. And to top it all off like a star on a tree, you’ll never believe who comes to visit!

This year’s holiday offering is an original script written by Keith Smith for the Arkansas Arts Center Children’s Theatre. The musical is very loosely based on Aesop’s fable “Town Mouse and Country Mouse.” Full of physical comedy, this production is a refreshing twist on a classic story.

The production opens tonight and runs through December 16.  Public performances are Fridays at 7 p.m., Saturdays at 1 and 3 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m.

Bill Worthen marks 40 years at helm of HAM

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Worthen performing at 2nd Friday Art Night at HAM in July 2011

Earlier this week, Little Rock’s newest museum director was announced.  So it is fitting to end the week with a party to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Little Rock’s longest-serving museum director.

As HAM put it, in 1972:

Nixon had just defeated McGovern.

Billie Jean King beat Bobby Riggs in the Battle of the Sexes

The Godfather was the Best Picture.

All in the Family was the #1 tv show.

Pong was the most wanted Christmas gift.

And…

at the tender age of 25

Bill Worthen donned top hat and danced his first jig.

To celebrate Bill Worthen’s 40th Anniversary as Director of Historic Arkansas Museum, the museum is hosting a reception on Friday, November 30 from noon until 1pm.  There wil be light refreshments (cake and punch), light remarks, and lights aplenty from the camera flashes.

Handel’s MESSIAH tonight

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PhotoThe Arkansas Choral Society’s annual presentation of selections from Handel’s MESSIAH takes place tonight.

Tonight’s performance of will consist of the Christmas portion of Handel’s oratorio Messiah plus some selected other choruses and solos. The ACS will be joined by the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff Vesper Choir.  They will be accompanied by musicians from the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra.

The performance takes place at 7:30 p.m. tonight at the First Pentecostal Church, 1401 Calvary Drive (off Interstate 40), North Little Rock. Tickets: $15, $10 students. Call (501) 376-8484 for more information.

The Arkansas Choral Society is under the direction of Dr. Kent Skinner.  He is currently the Director of Choral Activities for the University of Arkansas at Monticello. In this capacity, Dr. SKinner leads the choral program and serves as both stage and music director for the university’s opera and music theatre.

The Arkansas Choral Society is central Arkansas’s oldest continually operating musical organization. Best known for performing Handel’s Messiah in whole or in part every year since 1930, the Society’s repertoire includes both classical and contemporary works. Historically the group has traveled Arkansas performing concerts and has also performed at special events such as the Arkansas Sesquicentennial Celebration in 1986.

The Arkansas Choral Society partners with high school and college choirs throughout Arkansas for its performances, and offers scholarships for college students. The mission of the Arkansas Choral Society is to further and improve choral singing in Arkansas, by performing Handel’s Messiah on an annual basis; by partnering with Arkansas college and high school choruses; and by awarding scholarships to choral singers who are or will be college students, while inviting everyone to join us and to attend our concerts.

Science After Dark: Twisted Taste!

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Tonight, the Museum of Discovery’s monthly “Science After Dark” series returns with Twisted Taste.  Science After Dark is a monthly program for adults 21 years and up.

One of the new trends in food is micro gastronomy. The Museum of Discovery brings it to Little Rock tonight with food that just plain messes with your mind. The Museum will be preparing a few treats that look like one thing but taste like something completely different. Have you ever bitten into a lemon that tastes like lemonade? You can at this months Science After Dark!

Science after Dark occurs the last Wednesday of each month. Museum educators pick a science-related topic, and develop an event around it. The event is for ages 21 and older. General admission is $5 per person. Museum members get in free.

It is a great chance to explore the museum’s exhibits and enjoy downtown Little Rock.

Bass next CEO of Museum of Discovery

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The Museum of Discovery today announced that Kelley Bass will become the next CEO of the Museum.  He will succeed Nan Selz who retires at the end of this year.

Bass, who is currently Assistant Dean for External Affairs at the UALR’s Donaghey College of Engineering and Information Technology. Prior to that he worked at Acxiom, Arkansas Business Publishing Group and newspapers in Arkansas and Missouri.

He has been a member of the Museum’s Board of Directors for the past three years as the facility has undergone an extension renvoation and reinvigoration under Selz’s leadership.  He has also been active in Riverfest and other downtown activities.

The Museum of Discovery was founded in 1927 and is Little Rock’s oldest museum.
The museum was originally accredited by the American Association of Museums in 1993 and was re-accredited in 2001. During the period between its founding and its accreditation, the museum actively collected approximately 14,000 cultural and historical artifacts and numerous species of live animals and insects.

Selz and Bass

In 1998, the museum moved to the River Market and in 2003 became a Smithsonian Affiliate.  In 2011, the museum closed for nine months in order to add a new entrance and undergo a total renovation. This project, funded by a grant from the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation, also provided funding for new, interactive science exhibits, completing the museum’s transformation from a collecting museum to a science center.

The Mission of the Museum of Discovery: To ignite a passion for science, technology and math in a dynamic, interactive environment.