Pollinator Awareness at Little Rock Zoo today

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The Little Rock Zoo asks, “How you can protect our pollinators?”

Today (June 29) from 9am to 2pm, they are offering a host of activities about this. Because without pollinators, many foods will go extinct.

FREE fun activities and thoughtful information so you can make a big difference in the population of your local pollinators! Learn how to become a pollinator powerhouse – spray less pesticide, plant responsibly and create pollinator habitats.

9 AM – 2 PM: Biofacts in the main plaza

10 AM: Monarch butterfly presentation by Holly Anderson of the Arkansas Monarch Conservation Project

11 AM: Bee/pollinator presentation by Joshua Byrne of the Little Rock Zoo

Tonight on CALS Ron Robinson Theater screen: STONEWALL UPRISING presented by CALS and AETN.

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When police raided the Stonewall Inn, a popular gay bar in the Greenwich Village section of New York City on June 28, 1969, the street erupted into violent protests that lasted for the next six days. The Stonewall riots, as they came to be known, marked a major turning point in the modern gay civil rights movement in the United States and around the world.

Join CALS as it commemorates the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall riots with this screening of the PBS American Masters documentary “Stonewall Uprising”.

This event is FREE and open to the public. Doors open at 7:00pm with general admission seating on a first come, first served basis.

Presented by CALS and AETN/PBS.

Party tonight at the Arkansas Arts Center with film premiere, and chance to say farewell to exhibits

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Image result for Delta 60 filmSay goodbye to the 61st first edition of the Delta Exhibition, bid a fond farewell to the Arkansas Arts Center galleries as they are currently configured, and see the premiere of a film about 60th Delta (from 2018) all in one evening!

Tonight the Arkansas Arts Center is hosting a special event.

5:30 p.m. Wine Bar | 6 p.m. Film Screening | 7 p.m. Reception

Join the AAC for the world premiere of DELTA 60, a documentary produced by the Arkansas Arts Center exploring the essential work featured in the Annual Delta Exhibition through the eyes of 10 Arkansas artists whose work appeared in the 60th anniversary exhibition in 2018. DELTA 60 proves the power of art to challenge its viewers – and its makers.

After the screening, join us for hors d’oeuvres, drinks, and music from the film performed live by Isaac Alexander as we say goodbye to the 61st Annual Delta Exhibition – closing June 30.

$10 | Free for members

DELTA 60 was sponsored by the Arkansas Humanities Council, Anne and Merritt Dyke, and the Philip R. Jonsson Foundation.

Stephen King Rules! Book Club presents 1983’s CUJO tonight on CALS Ron Robinson Theater screen

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Cujo (1983)The “Stephen King Rules!” Book Club is presenting one of the films based on a King novel tonight at the CALS Ron Robinson Theater. The screening will start at 7pm; admission is $5.

Cujo, a 1983 American horror film directed by Lewis Teague, was based on the 1981 psychological horror novel by American writer Stephen King.

In this tale of a killer canine, man’s best friend turns into his worst enemy. When sweet St. Bernard Cujo is bitten by a bat, he starts behaving oddly and becomes very aggressive. As Cujo morphs into a dangerous beast, he goes on a rampage in a small town.

The cast includes Dee Wallace, Danny Pintauro, Ed Lauter, Christopher Stone, and Daniel Hugh Kelly. Five St. Bernards, one mechanical head, and a person in a dog costume were used to play the title character. The dogs enjoyed the filming so much that their tails often had to be tied down to keep them from wagging with excitement.

June Science after Dark celebrates 50th anniversary of first moonlanding

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On July 20, 1969, man stepped on moon for the first time.

On June 27, 2019, the Museum of Discovery’s Science After Dark program will celebrate that 50th anniversary milestone  The program runs from 6pm to 9pm at the Museum.

No word on whether anyone present will be a believer that it was all a hoax staged in a TV studio.

Apollo 11 was the first crewed mission to land on the Moon.  Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins were the crew for this historic mission.

Who says the Museum of Discovery is only for kids?!? Not the hundreds of 21-and-older science-and-fun lovers who attend Science After Dark each month. Because, science is fun … at any age! Science After Dark provides visitors the opportunity to have fun and learn about science in a unique setting.

Museum educators pick a science-related topic and build an entertaining, interactive evening around it. You never know what will sprout, pop, fizzle, or glow. We invite you to discover the science of having fun. Museum partners are there to serve pizza, and a full bar from craft beer to wine to cocktails is available.

And beyond the themed activities each month, Science After Dark admission ($5, free for members) includes access to all museum galleries and our 90-plus hands-on, interactive exhibits.

Arkansas Outhouses focus of Old State House Museum Brown Bag Lecture today

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“Crescent Moons, Catalogues, and Corn Cobs: A Contemplative Look at Arkansas’s Privies and Outhouses”

No matter what they’ve been called — an outhouse, privy, necessary, loo, or even other, more vulgar names, the outhouse has long been the “butt” of puns and jokes.

And because in the post-World War II era they were often associated with rural and poor regions of the country, for many years pairing Arkansas (as well as much of the South) with outhouses was an easy source for a joke or a barb.

Of course, the history of the outhouse goes a lot deeper than that, so join us on Thursday, June 27, from Noon – 1:00 pm, as Rachel Whitaker, a research specialist with the Shiloh Museum of Ozark History in Springdale, shares a lighthearted, yet informative look at this most “necessary” structure!

Admission is free. Bring your lunch; we’ll provide soft drinks and water. Parking is available in the garage beneath the DoubleTree Hotel.

CALS announces new name, new focus for Literary Festival

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The Central Arkansas Library System (CALS) is announcing a new name for the Arkansas Literary Festival: Six Bridges Book Festival. Named for the iconic six bridges that cross the Arkansas River, the festival will have a new focus, bridging communities and bringing people together. The library will actively solicit input from a variety of demographic groups with the goal of offering a more widely appealing festival.

“We want to involve many people from our community in the selection of presenters and activities, so they know their reading interests and the stories that fascinate them are central to the festival and they are an integral part of shaping the content of the Six Bridges Book Festival each year,” said Nate Coulter, CALS executive director.

“The Six Bridges Book Festival is a diverse, energetic celebration of all kinds of stories and topics, both literary and mainstream, and we feel the new name reflects the festival’s nature more accurately. Our goal is to draw a wider audience by removing any barriers of perception that this event is only for highbrow tastes.”

Previously known for 16 years as the Arkansas Literary Festival, the four-day event in April celebrates reading, literacy, stories, and wordsmithing. Scores of nationally known authors converge on the city to offer panels on a wide variety of topics, from cooking demonstrations to award-winning comedy.

A slate of programming for children and teens includes hands-on crafts and music, animal visits, poetry contests, and more. Authors also venture out into the community for efforts such as Writers in the Schools (WITS), bringing the joy of writing to hundreds of students in the Little Rock area. Concerts, films, readings, and author parties enhance the festive atmosphere across venues in downtown Little Rock, where events are held in museums, restaurants, the Clinton Presidential Library, and the CALS Ron Robinson Theater as well as in many library buildings.

Brad Mooy, the coordinator of the festival, looks forward to making the variety of the festival’s offerings and presenters more widely known to the community. “The diversity of presenters has greatly expanded over the years,” said Mooy. “We want to let people know that everyone is represented here, with topics and interactive activities that appeal to all age levels, cultural backgrounds, and reading tastes.”

Since the festival’s inception, the event has always been an important showcase for writers known nationally and internationally as well as locally based talent. Presenters from past festivals include 5-time James Beard Award winner Dorie Greenspan, Sebastian Junger, Catherine Coulter, Congressman John Lewis, Issa Rae, and critically acclaimed Arkansas authors such as Kevin Brockmeier and Trenton Lee Stewart.

The 17th annual festival now known as the Six Bridges Book Festival will take place April 23-26, 2020. The festival will feature author Tim O’Brien (The Things They Carried) as part of the NEA Big Read: CALS.

For more information about the Six Bridges Book Festival, please contact Brad Mooy at bmooy@cals.org or (501) 918-3098, or see the website at sixbridgesbookfestival.org.