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“Gie it laldly” is Scottish Gaelic for “do it with gusto” and Arkansans never disappoint when it comes to putting together fun activities to enjoy! This weekend you will have a hard time picking between the Battle of Helena re-enactment or heading to the Scottish festival in Batesville. Both events will provide a rich education and family fun. If you are a True Grit fan, you will want to check out the bus tour that celebrates 50 years of “True Grit.” Whatever you decide, gie it laldly!
Battle Of Helena 155 (Helena- West Helena)
The Delta Cultural Center hosts the Battle of Helena re-enactment every 2 to 5 years on the historic battlefield in downtown Helena. Troops from all over the United States have a unique opportunity to camp and re-enact the historical event in the footsteps of soldiers from one hundred and fifty years ago. Battle scenarios take place on several Delta Cultural Center sites, including Battery C and Fort Curtis. This daylong event includes opportunities for visitors to view camp life, interact with re-enactors, participate in educational activities, and tour sites. Be a spectator or participant in this family-friendly event.
Venue: Fort Curtis
Date: April 13th- April 15th
Time: Varies
Admission: Free
Contact: Click Here
19th Century Living History Ball (Fort Smith)
In celebration of the City of Fort Smith Bicentennial, the Fort Smith Museum of History presents a 19th Century Living History Ball. Join the Camp Followers Band for live music, traditional dances, period refreshments and history coming to life. The ball is reminiscent of those held at the garrison at Fort Smith, at Adelaide Hall and in fine homes of the city. Rosalie Peterson and Danny McMillen from Missouri will instruct guests in the Virginia Reel, an old American dance; the Gay Gordons and the Cumberland Reel, Scottish country dances; and the Military Two Step. Period costumes are welcome but not required.
Venue: Fort Smith Museum of History
Date: April 14th
Time: 7:00 pm- 9:00 pm
Admission: $10 Adults (16 and over), $5 Children (8 and over)
Contact: Click Here
Piano Extravaganza (El Dorado)
As one of the top competitions in the nation, the Nina Wideman Piano Competition attracts the finest pianists from the United States, as well as the rest of the world. The South Arkansas Symphony Orchestra has the privilege of presenting the Gold Medal winners in performances as one of the prizes offered in the competition. This impressive concert performance will feature the Gold Medalists of the 2016 and 2017 Wideman Competitions.
Venue: El Dorado Municipal Auditorium
Date: April 14th
Time: 7:30 pm
Admission: Tickets cost $40 for premium seating; general admission tickets range from $15-$30. Discounts are available for students, military personnel and seniors.
Contact: Click Here
Murder Mystery Dinner Theater (Hope)
Better than dinner and a movie because it’s dinner and a live theater production. Framed: Murder is an Art is a mysterious comedic tale set in the backdrop of a major gallery opening. Custom-written for the Southwest Arkansas Arts Council, this is the colorful tale of stolen art, flaring artistic temperaments, professional jealousies, sibling rivalry, tangled love triangles, and more secrets than Victoria has in her closet. They say that the job of the artist is always to deepen the mystery. Boy, have these artists ever done that!
Venue: Hempstead Hall
Date: April 12th and April 13th
Time: 6:30 pm
Admission: $35 each or $300 Table for 8
Contact: Click Here or call 870-722-8565
Joe Martin Stage Race (Fayetteville)
The Joe Martin Stage Race is a 4-day, 4-stage professional men and women’s cycling race along with a 2-day, 3-stage amateur stage race held in early spring each year in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The Joe Martin Stage Race is part of both the USAC Pro Racing Tour (PRT) which is the pro and elite amateur cycling tour of USA Cycling and the UCI America Tour. USA Cycling is the national governing body of cycling operating under the United States Olympic Committee. The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) is the world governing body for the sport of cycling recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Over 750 athletes and teams from 27 countries and all 50 states will be attending the race. There is also a Gran Fondo event for those who would like to experience part of the same courses as the pros, but who do not want to live life quite so on the edge! If you are not participating, feel free to cheer on all these cyclists and be a part of this great atmosphere.
Venue: Various Location in Fayetteville
Dates: April 12th- April 15th
Time: All Day
Admission: Varies for amateurs riders, free for spectators
Contact: Click Here
O.W.L.S. (Russellville)
The Arkansas River creates many recreational opportunities for us to enjoy. Join Lake Dardanelle State Park staff for O.W.L.S. (Outdoor Women Learning Skills). This program series is designed to give ladies the opportunity to explore the available recreation at Lake Dardanelle and the surrounding area, by learning skills and knowledge needed to enjoy nature. The series will be one evening a month for 6 months, you can come to one or come to them all. Each month we will cover a new topic including geocaching, weather lore, birding, dutch oven cooking, edible plants, and learning about the things you might encounter in nature. You must preregister for each class by calling (479) 967-5516, registration includes dinner. This would be fun to do with a friend.
Venue: Lake Dardanelle State Park
Date: April – August (One Evening per month for 6 months)
Time: 6:00 pm
Admission: $20/ per class. You choose which classes!
Contact: 479-967-5516
39th Annual Arkansas Scottish Festival (Batesville)
Now held annually in April, the Arkansas Scottish Festival has gone from being an obscure fair in the foothills of the Ozarks to one of the best-known Scottish festivals in the South. Pipe bands, solo pipers, drummers, dancers, athletes, Celtic performers, clan representatives, and vendors have traveled from all corners of the country to attend and participate in the event.
The festival kicks off on Thursday evening with a Celtic concert in the historic Brown Chapel featuring the pipe band, ceilidh band, dancers, clarinet choir, college choir and select brass members of the marching band.
Venue: Lyon College
Date: April 13th- April 15th
Time: Festival Begins Friday at noon, and Saturday at 8:00 am.
Admission: Free
Contact: Click Here
Peter And The Starcatcher (Arkadelphia)
This Tony-winning play upends the century-old story of how a miserable orphan comes to be The Boy Who Would Not Grow Up (a.k.a. Peter Pan). A wildly theatrical adaptation of Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson’s best-selling novels, the play was conceived for the stage by directors Roger Rees and Alex Timbers and written by Rick Elice, with music by Wayne Barker. From marauding pirates and jungle tyrants to unwilling comrades and unlikely heroes, Peter and the Starcatcher playfully explores the depths of greed and despair and the bonds of friendship, duty and love
Venue: Arkansas Hall Studio Theatre
Date: April 12th- April 17th
Time: 7:30 pm
Admission: $12.00 per person
Contact: Click Here or call 870-230-5291
Ozark Springtime Wildflower Weekend (Bull Shoals)
Enjoy the beauty of springtime wildflowers in the Ozarks! Activities include guided wildflower walks, children’s programs, lake and river cruises, and other interpretive programs. The park interpreter program favorites for the week are Edible Plants and Wildflower Hikes.
Venue: Bull Shoals-White River State Park
Date: April 13th- April 14th
Time: 8:00 am- 9:00 pm
Admission: Free Except for Lake, River and Kayaking Tours
Contact: 870-445-3629
15th Annual Fairgrounds Flea Market (Salem)
An annual flea market that features crafts, antiques, collectibles, primitives, and direct sales agents.
Venue: Hickinbotham-Miller Exhibit Building
Date: April 14th
Time: 9:00 am- 4:00 pm
Admission: Free
Contact: 870-895-5565
Second Saturday Family FunDay: Hand-Dyed Textiles (Pine Bluff)
ASC’s Second Saturday Family FunDay program offers monthly hands-on arts and science activities in which visitors create art, complete science projects, or perform dance, music, or theater. Activities complement current art or science exhibitions. Activities are free and led by visiting artists, local art educators, and ASC staff. Join us for a day of fun and experimentation with hand-dyed textiles with visiting artist Sophia Gonzales. ASC’s Second Saturday Family FunDay program offers monthly hands-on arts and science activities in which visitors create art, complete science projects, or perform dance, music, or theater. Activities complement current art or science exhibitions.
Venue: Arts & Science Center for Southeast Arkansas
Date: April 14th
Time: 1:00 pm- 3:00 pm
Admission: Free
Contact: Click Here
Retracing Charles Portis’s True Grit in Arkansas Bus Tour (Little Rock)
We’re excited to announce a special event surrounding our “50 Years of True Grit” celebration—Retracing Charles Portis’s True Grit in Arkansas Bus Tour. We’ll visit the Fort Smith National Historic Site, including locations familiar to readers, such as the gallows, Judge Parker’s courtroom, and the riverbank where Mattie Ross crossed on Little Blackie. (Wear comfortable walking shoes!) As a bonus, there will be a survey of Fort Smith’s famous murals. This day-long excursion is presented in partnership with Arkansas Times, and it will feature guests including actress Joey Lauren Adams, Portis expert Jay Jennings, and folk duo Smokey & The Mirror as well as entertainment on the bus, round-trip transportation, lunch and adult beverages. The bus will depart from Little Rock at 9:00 AM and travel to Fort Smith, arriving back in Little Rock by 7:00 PM.
Space is limited, so reserve your tickets while you can!
Venue: Little Rock to Fort Smith
Date: April 14th
Time: 9:00 am- 7:00 pm
Admission: Tickets Required Click Here
Contact: Click Here
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