Category Archives: Holidays

Pops on the River

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Pops on the River, presented by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, is the state’s largest Fourth of July celebration and takes place this year on Wednesday July 4th in downtown Little Rock.

Bale Chevrolet, Honda and Kia of Little Rock sponsor the event.

Pops on the River, in it’s 29th year, is FREE to the public and will begin at noon outside the main gates of the Riverfest Amphitheater in the River Market Pavilions with a Kid’s Pavilion and Car Pavilion.

The event will also have a marketplace with shopping, food trucks, a classic car show and other activities below the River Market Pavilions.

Pops on the River activities inside the Riverfest Amphitheater gates will begin at 5:30. The Oh Say! Can You Sing? Top 5 finalists will perform in addition to the Happy Tymes Jazz Band. The Arkansas Symphony Orchestra will close out the night with a beautiful performance. Fireworks will be finale at 9:30 p.m.

Please remember:
-No Coolers
-No Pets
-No Outside Food or Drink
-No Fireworks
-No Smoking

Arkansas Arts Center open on July 4

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Celebrate Independence Day at the Arkansas Arts Center! Visit the AAC on Wednesday, July 4 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Visitors to the Arts Center can enjoy the cool air conditioning and hot exhibits that are on display.
View the exhibitions Tattoo Witness:Photographs by Mark Perrott, 11th National Drawing Invitational: New York, Singular Drawings, The New Materiality: Digital Dialogues at the Boundaries of Contemporary Craft, Doodle 4 Google and The Rockefeller Influence. Shop in the Museum Shop.
Then leave your car parked at the AAC free of charge and hop on the Rivermarket trolley for Pops on the River. The AAC will be a stop on the trolley route, which will circle continuously throughout the day stopping at the AAC Atrium Entrance, River Market, Clinton Presidential Center and the US Post Office.
The Trolley will run from 11 a.m. until 11 p.m. Remember, admission to the Arts Center is free everyday. Happy July 4th!
Best Impressions Restaurant will not be open on July 4.

Architeaser June 15

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Yesterday’s Architeaser was one of the American flags being flown outside the Tipton Hurst main store. Since yesterday was Flag Day, it was appropriate to highlight one of the few non-government buildings which displays the flag. Today is Arkansas 176th birthday, so it is also appropriate to note that Tipton Hurst is one of the oldest businesses in the state.

In honor of Arkansas’ birthday, here is today’s Architeaser.

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Architeaser – June 14

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Yesterday’s Architeaser was a cast iron shutter dog in the shape of a bunch of grapes. It can be found on 3rd Street on the campus of Historic Arkansas Museum. Other structures on that campus have shutter dogs in the shape of stars, this building is the only one with the shape of grapes. Histories Arkansas Museum is a museum of the Department of Arkansas Heritage.

Since today is Flag Day, here is today’s Architeaser.

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Stars and Stripes — LR Wind Symphony Flag Day Concert

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The Little Rock Wind Symphony’s annual Flag Day concert will take place this evening in MacArthur Park.  Sponsored, in part by the MacArthur Museum of Arkansas Military History, the concert is the LRWS’s annual salute to the red, white, and blue.  Picnics are encouraged. There will also be free ice cream and free American flags to wave throughout the concert.

Under the baton of Music Director, Karen Fannin, the musicians of the Little Rock Wind Symphony will perform the following selections:

George Gershwin / Barker: Strike up the Band
Scott Joplin / arr. Frackenpohl: Maple Leaf Rag
Scott Joplin / arr. Bourgeois: Sunflower Slow Drag
Thomas Allen / Cramer: Whip and Spur Galop
Jerry Bilik: American Civil War Fantasy
John Philip Sousa: The Thunderer
Henry Fillmore: Rolling Thunder
Irving Berlin: God Bless America
Bob Lowden: Armed Forces Salute
Samuel Ward / Carmen Dragon: America the Beautiful
John Philip Sousa: The Stars and Stripes Forever

Wildwood’s LANTERNS continues tonight

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LANTERNS!, Arkansas’ only deep-winter outdoor festival, illuminates Little Rock for a fourth year of family fun and glowing entertainment. Admission includes live entertainment, family activities and a cultural experience like no other in Central Arkansas!  The event concludes tonight from 6pm to 10pm.

LANTERNS! celebrates the first full moon of the lunar year with a variety of indoor and outdoor entertainment. Visitors will take a mystical stroll along paved pathways lit by fire pits and luminaries into Wildwood’s winter woodlands to visit eight cultures around the globe.

From Asia to the Moon, LANTERNS!, is a magical evening designed to delight children and adults alike. This year’s vistas include:

  • China: the Lunar New Year celebrations in this country are the inspiration for the entire festival!
  • Paris: featuring FREE performances of dance (with Ballet Arkansas!), french art song and more on stage in the Lucy Lockett Cabe Festival Theatre, as well as dessert crepes and champagne for purchase in the lobbies
  • Rio de Janeiro: featuring delicious edibles for purchase from Cafe Bossa Nova, live Bossa Nova music and dancing!
  • India: featuring tasty delights for purchase from Star of India Restaurant and fabulous mango smoothies from Tropical Smoothie Cafe.
  • Shakespeare’s England: featuring fabulous performances by the Arkansas Shakespeare Festival and food for purchase, including Lear’s (Turkey) Legs!
  • Venice: featuring wishing lanterns and splendid desserts for purchase!
  • American Baseball: featuring giveaways from the Arkansas Travelers, baseball games on the radio and hot dogs for purchase from Little Rock favorite Hot Dog Mike!
  • and even The Moon!

General Admission:
$10.00 for adults
$5.00 for children ages 6 to 12
FREE for children ages 5 and under

Member Pricing:
$5.00 for adults
FREE for children 12 and under
Find out More about Membership!

Who Needs a Groundhog? The LR Zoo Has Thor!

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THOR

The Little Rock Zoo’s Sloth Bear, Thor, predicted the quick arrival of spring today during a weather prediction ceremony this morning at the Zoo.

Punxsutawney Phil may “hog” most of the attention on Groundhog Day, but Thor is the one to watch.  When presented with two treat boxes- one representing “spring,” the other representing “winter”- Thor sniffed out the “spring” treat box, indicating an early spring for Arkansans.

Zoo General Curator Mark Shaw read Thor’s proclamation aloud after the sloth bear made his prediction, “Here ye, here ye, what do I see?  An early spring is in store for thee.  With the snort of my nose, winter will come to a close, and that sounds good to me.”

Zoo staff welcomed the prediction and said they are eager to start the spring season and invited everyone to visit the best place for family recreation and conservation education, the Little Rock Zoo.

The Little Rock Zoo is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA).  Look for the AZA logo whenever you visit a zoo or aquarium as your assurance that you are supporting a facility dedicated to providing excellent care for animals, a great experience for you and a better future for all living things.  With its more than 200 accredited members, AZA is a leader in global wildlife conservation and your link to helping animals in their native habitats.  For more information, visit http://www.aza.org.