Travelin’ Arkansas: Events Taking Place Late May

Note to Print and Broadcast Editors: We at the Arkansas Tourism Division recognize that our “Travelin’ Arkansas” media releases are frequently too lengthy to be used in their entirety. However, we feel an obligation to represent a variety of events from across the state. We encourage you to consider adapting “Travelin’ Arkansas” to fit your needs by selecting events you feel meet the interests of your readers or listeners. In addition, we would suggest that “Travelin’ Arkansas” items may be used on a stand-alone basis to fill your space and time needs.

*****************************************

The campus of the University of Central Arkansas in Conway is the location for Songs Across the Americas Festival -- 2006 Arkansas. Theme for this year’s version is "Americans, Who Are We?" and dates are May 15-20. The event bills itself as “a living cultural history journey through American songs.” According to organizers, there will be an “all-star galaxy of composers, performers, scholars from the North and South” with the songs of Argentina, Chile, Uruguay and the United States featured. Song styles of classical, traditional and popular will be explored. The agenda includes symposiums during the day with evening concerts, both with cultural and historical context, multi-cultural and multi-ethnic in scope. 

*****************************************

Up to three tons of crawfish are expected to be sold in dinners available during the 23rd annual Dermott Crawfish Festival in downtown Dermott on Friday and Saturday, May 19-20. Festival activities on both days will include evening street dances and other live music performances; approximately 100 vendors of arts, crafts and food; and a carnival. Festival admission will be free.

Festival hours will be 8:30 a.m. to midnight both days, with the crawfish dinners being served from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. Vendors of a variety of other foods, including catfish, barbecue and pizza will be on hand as well. Among activities scheduled for May 20 are a pancake breakfast, a horseshoe tournament, an antique tractor show and an auto rims contest.

*****************************************

Former Bad Company lead singer Brian Howe and PinMonkey will headline the 16th annual Crawdad Days Music Festival set for May 19-20 in Harrison. Howe and PinMonkey will perform at 7:30 p.m. May 19 at the Bill Baker Amphitheatre at North Arkansas College. General admission will be $10 in advance and $15 the day of the concert.

Other music groups that will perform during the festival include Hayseed Dixie, Bel Airs, Mark Sallings & The Famous Unknowns, Spit-N-Image and Snopes Brothers with special guest Cody Slaughter.

Crawdad Days will be from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. on May 19, and from 7 a.m.-10 p.m. on May 20 at Lake Harrison Park. Numerous activities will be available for the whole family – arts and crafts, carnival midway, 5K Run/Walk, 3-on-3 basketball tournament, horseshoe tournament, volleyball tournament, cardboard boat race, fishing derby, climbing wall, music and entertainment. Food offerings will include fresh boiled crawfish.

The Crawdad Days Auto Show and Cruise-In will take place in conjunction with the festival with proceeds benefiting the American Diabetes Association. The Ozark Mountain Gospel Fest will also take place May 19-20 at Beacon Park on Ark. 65 about five miles north of Harrison. The Primitive Quartet will perform May 19. Scheduled to perform May 20 is Unashamed and Lighthouse Messengers. Concerts will be outdoors and attendees should bring their own chairs.

*****************************************

More than 250 participants are expected for the 4th annual Tri-Peaks Challenge Bike Race, which offers $16,000 in cash prizes. Set for May 19-21, the three-day race will pass over Petit Jean Mountain, Mt. Magazine, and Mt. Nebo in the Arkansas River Valley.

From the floor of the river valley at 350 feet, racers will climb all three peaks for a total of 9,000 feet of climbing and 160 miles. The challenge consists of 10 categories of different age and sex divisions. Sanctioned by the U.S. Cycling Federation, the race is on the 2006 National Racing Calendar. All riders must have USCF membership.

The most spectator-friendly portions of the event will take place the first and last nights. On Friday, May 19 a criterium will be held at Arkansas State University. The criterium consists of a closed course of 1.2 miles with eight 90 degree turns. Bikers will ride for about one hour with men averaging about 28 miles per hour and women averaging about 25 miles per hour. Pro-women will race at 5:30 p.m. and pro-men will start about 6:30 p.m. Before the criterium, there will be a kids’ bike race at 4:30 p.m.

Onlookers can also enjoy watching the finish of the Tri-Peaks Challenge at the top of Mt. Nebo on Sunday May 21. “It’s fun to watch them coming up Mt. Nebo,” Chuck Gordon, race organizer, said. “Nobody’s going to cross the finish line very fast.” He added that the race course consists of the three biggest elevation changes from surrounding topography between the Appalachian and the Rocky mountains.

*****************************************

While Eastern Arkansas’s contributions to blues music have been widely celebrated, the region’s 3rd annual “Choo Choo Ch’Boogie” Delta Music Festival and Bike Rally to be held Saturday, May 20 in Brinkley aims to showcase the Delta’s full musical heritage.

“The music that came out of this area – and continues to do so – is much more diverse than simply the incredible blues for which our area is well known and which is well represented at other festivals,” said Thomas Jacques, the festival’s entertainment chair. “We have blues, country, rockabilly, modern rock, some gospel. If you come to the Choo Choo Ch'Boogie, you'll hear something you like -- and probably several things you didn't know you'd like and had never heard before.”

Featured performers at this year’s event will include Keith Sykes of Memphis, a rock singer-songwriter; Willie Cobbs of Monroe County, performing blues and soul music with Memphis legends The Hi Rhythm Section and Percy Wiggins; rockabilly legend Sonny Burgess and The Pacers of Newport; Sid Selvidge of Memphis, a folk and country blues performer; Ho-Hum, a Little Rock-based alternative rock band; The Bug Tussle Boys of Little Rock, a group that plays an eclectic mix of Arkansas-related music; the eastern Arkansas band Jackson and Company, performing classic country and rock ‘n’ roll; ‘The Emperials from the Brinkley area, performing 1950s music; and The Honkies, a band based at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville and featuring Ben Manatt of Brinkley.

The free event will be held on the grounds of the Central Delta Depot Museum at 100 West Cypress St. in downtown Brinkley and will run from “mid-morning” to midnight, according to Jacques. Food will be available on-site. Attendees are encouraged to bring lawn chairs and drink coolers will be permitted.

The festival takes its name from a song by Brinkley native Louis Jordan, whose music dominated the nation’s rhythm-and-blues music charts for most of the 1940s. Born in 1908, the late Jordan has been inducted into the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland and into the Arkansas Entertainers Hall of Fame in Pine Bluff.

*****************************************

Live zydeco music by Jamie Bergeron and the Kickin’ Cajuns of Baton Rouge, La., a gumbo cook-off and all-you-can-eat crawfish dinners will be among the activities at the Mudbug Madness Crawfish Festival set for Saturday, May 20 in Pine Bluff.

The festival will be open from noon to 8 p.m. on the grounds of the Lake View Amphitheater in the Pine Bluff-Jefferson County Regional Park, which is located across U.S. 65-B from downtown Pine Bluff and immediately east of Lake Pine Bluff. Bergeron and his band will perform from 4 to 8 p.m. Attendees are encouraged to bring lawn chairs. Other festival activities will include rides and amusements for children and a rock-climbing wall.

*****************************************

The 2nd annual Circle of Hope Ozark Regional Contest Powwow will take place May 20-21 at Mammoth Spring State Park in Mammoth Spring. There will be a contest Powwow featuring Native American dancers, singers, color guards and drum groups from around the U.S. and Canada.

A total of $25,000 in prize money will be awarded for age categories that range from 50+ to tiny tots. All dancing will take place in full colorful regalia. Also at the contest will be authentic Native American art, craft and food vendors. Bring your own lawn chair and sit back and enjoy this cultural experience.

*****************************************

The 17th annual Good Ole Days festival scheduled for Friday and Saturday, May 26-27 in downtown Mount Ida will begin with a gospel sing featuring area groups from 6 to 9 p.m. on May 26 on the Montgomery County Front Porch stage located on the grounds of the county courthouse.

Festival hours on May 27 will be 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. and activities will include performances of bluegrass, country and other music; car and motorcycle shows, with trophies awarded in various categories; commercial and arts and crafts booths; activities for children; and food vendors. The festival will conclude with a Possum Day Parade at 6 p.m. and a comedic “Hee Haw” finale on the Front Porch beginning at 7 p.m.

*****************************************

Little Rock and North Little Rock’s annual Memorial Day Weekend paean to summer, Riverfest, is scheduled this year for May 26-28, as organizers plan to exceed last year’s attendance of 240,000. As is tradition, entertainment will be bigger and better this year with such headliners as Dwight Yoakam, Kool & the Gang, The Neville Brothers, The Doobie Brothers, Switchfoot, Train, The Del McCoury Band, Pat Green, Live Band, and Ivan Neville’s Dumpstaphunk. These acts are just the tip of the entertainment iceberg as many, many other performers are scheduled to appear during the three-day event. All activities are held in Julius Breckling Riverfront Park and the River Market District in Little Rock, and the North Shore Riverwalk in North Little Rock.

Approximately 40 food vendors will be on hand selling everything from funnel cakes and lemonade, to various types of oriental foods, barbecue and country cooking. Over 30 artists in such media as painting, drawing, photography, glass, jewelry, pottery, wood, metal, textiles, and caricature, will have works for sale.

*****************************************

Drivers or spectators can enjoy the Madness in May four-wheel-drive competition set for May 26-28 at Byrd’s Adventure Center of the Ozarks in Ozark. Drivers will compete for prizes on mountain climbs, rock crawling, barrel races and mud runs. The spectator fee is $15 per day or $20 for the weekend. Kids 8 and under are free.

Byrd's boasts one of the most challenging four-wheel-drive obstacle courses in the nation. The course is host to one of the competitions in the nationally known Ramsey "Top Truck Champion Series," and the annual Rockcrawlers 4x4 Club's "Rocktoberfest" event.

*****************************************

The 6th annual Arkansas Delta Family Gospel Festival in Helena-West Helena on Saturday, May 27 will feature a daylong concert with more than 20 national, regional and local acts performing on the stage of the Cherry Street Pavilion, which is located in the 100 block of Cherry. Scheduled headliners include the Grammy Award-winning Canton Spirituals of Canton, Miss.; Ricky Dillard of Chicago, the Grammy-nominated founder and director of the New Generation Chorale; and the legendary Pilgrim Jubilees, a Chicago-based quartet originally from Mississippi who have been gospel trendsetters since 1960. Admission will be free.

Regional and local acts set to perform are The Stillwells, Kathy Davis, The Myles Family, The Racy Brothers, Billy Rivers and The Angelic Voices, the West Helena Drama Team, The Selvy Singers, Joseph Wheeler, Jessie Hicks, The Voice of Joy, the West Helena Baptist Youth Choir, the Arkansas 1st Jurisdictional Mass Choir, J. Eric Brown and the Charity Ministries, Pastor David Briggs and Redemptive Work, the Eternal Light Singers, The Gospel Angels, Sweet Harmony, Northern Mississippi Jurisdictional Orchestra and the District #2 Choir.

Festival hours will be 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. and food vendors will be on hand. The festival is a project of the Delta Cultural Center, a museum of the state Department of Arkansas Heritage. The center’s Delta Sounds Gallery, located in the 100 block of Cherry, contains an exhibit, “Tell It, Sing It, Shout It,” that uses video and audio recordings, photographs, memorabilia and text to portray the cultural role of Delta gospel music.

*****************************************

More than $11,000 in cash prizes will be awarded when the Southwest Arkansas town of DeQueen hosts the 17th annual Tri-Lakes Big Bass Festival on Saturday, May 27 on nearby DeQueen, Gillham and Dierks lakes. Boat checks on each lake will begin at 5 a.m. with fishing to run from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. Anglers may register in advance or at the May 27 boat checks. Last year’s event drew more than 350 participants.

Prizes will be awarded at hourly weigh-ins on each lake for the top six bass, and over-all prizes will be awarded to the top four bass at 3 p.m. at the Sevier County Courthouse Square, where more than $1,000 in door prizes will also be awarded.

*****************************************

A combination of the wild and wooly “Old West” and the gentle charm of the antebellum “Old South,” Fort Smith will celebrate its unique history during The Fort Smith Heritage Days Festival set for May 27-28 in the city’s historic Belle Grove Historic District.

The district comprises a 22-square block area bounded by North 5th Street, North "H" Street, North 8th Street and North "C" Street. The beautiful Belle Grove area was added to the National Register of Historic Places in the early 1970s. Since then nearly 25 homes that span 130 years of varying architectural styles have been restored. Some are open for tours. The district makes for an excellent driving or walking tour.

Tours of the homes, some businesses and churches will be available during the festival. Other festival plans will include arts and crafts booths, wandering musicians, food vendors and live music. Re-enactors in period dress from the 1850s to the 1920s will be on hand and Native American groups will provide demonstrations and programs. Representatives from Arkansas State Parks will have informational booths set up and AETN will provide workshops and demonstrations in relation to its programming. A replica trolley car will also be on display. The Scottish Club will present demonstrations and sponsor a performance of the Ozark Highlanders band.

Festival hours will be from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. May 27 and noon-5 p.m. May 28. Home tours will be offered from 1 p.m.-4:30 p.m. both days at a cost of $5. Except for the tours, the festival is free. 

*****************************************

Hayrides, games, hikes and nature programs will be on the agenda for Memorial Day weekend May 27-29 at Mt. Nebo State Park near Dardanelle.

Park staff will celebrate summer and the opening of the park swimming pool with an ice cream social and other recreational and nature activities. Another summer season opener will be the annual Mount Nebo 5K Run on May 28. All ages are welcome to participate in this short run on top of the mountain. The run will begin at 9 a.m. and be followed by an awards ceremony in the large pavilion. For details, visit www.allsportcentral.com or phone the park at (479)229-3650.

*****************************************

The annual Mustangs on the Mountain event, a car show and shine, is set for 11 a.m.-3 p.m., May 28 at the Museum of Automobiles on Petit Jean Mountain near Morrilton.

About 50 cars are expected to be displayed representing various models from 1964 and a half to present day. Car owners cruise to the mountain from several different states, including Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Tennessee and Arkansas.

No judging takes place and the event is free. Car owners and spectators simply gather on the parking lot of the museum to view and talk about the old and new Mustangs. Former President Bill Clinton’s ’67 Mustang is on display inside the Museum of Automobiles. A second presidential car on display at the museum is former President John F. Kennedy’s 1963 Lincoln Continental Convertible.

The Museum of Automobiles has a total of 51 cars on display, ranging in age from 1904 to 1967. Approximately 10 cars are changed out periodically throughout each year because there are so many return visitors to Petit Jean Mountain. The museum consists of 22,500 square feet of display space and a gift shop. Other auto-related collections on display are antique gas pumps and gasoline equipment and license plates.

The museum, located at the eastern entrance of Petit Jean State Park on Ark. 154, is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., seven days a week, closing only on Christmas Day. Admission is $6 for adults, $5.50 for seniors aged 65 and older, $3 for students aged 6-17, and free for children under six accompanied by an adult. The museum also hosts two car shows and swap meets each year, where collectors can buy and sell cars, car parts, and anything related to the hobby.

*****************************************

Set for May 29-June 3 with performances at 7:30 p.m. nightly, the 73rd annual Old Fort Days Rodeo held at Kay Rodgers Park in Fort Smith will include calf roping, barrel racing, wild horse racing, bareback riding, steer wrestling, saddle bronc riding, the Old Fort Days Dandies, and bull riding. The annual event is one of the top PRCA rodeos in America. Each year, hundreds of contestants from across the USA and Canada participate in the world's richest barrel futurity and rodeo.

The 2006 edition of the Old Fort Days Rodeo will again feature the best cowboys, high prize money, and quality Harry Vold rodeo livestock. This year the Old Fort Days Rodeo will feature Mike Matt and his "Roman Riding" plus Gizmo McCracken. Matt rides standing up on two horses running side by side, then he jumps over a car. “Gizmo McCracken” is a wacky entertainer and his cast of comedy characters has entertained audiences all across America. The Gizmo Comedy Show is high-energy, clean and family-oriented.