Travelin’ Central Arkansas: Events Taking Place During May

Kerry Kraus, travel writer
Arkansas Tourism

In order to better serve your needs and to keep you from getting extremely long documents from the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism, we have decided to break down our Travelin’ Arkansas release into regions organized by date. This way you will be able to look only at the areas you are interested in covering. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions: communications@arkansas.com or 501-682-7606.

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The month of May begins with a bang May 1- 3 with Conway’s 28th annual Toad Suck Daze. Headline entertainment this year includes Little Big Town, Robert Randolph and The Family Band and Jars of Clay. As always, there will be the Toadal Kids Zone, a special area just for children that will have carnival rides, a pet show, magic, clowns and animals. Continuing the toad theme are the Toad Market (arts, crafts and retail items), the Toad Store, the Toad Dome (baby crawl, tricycle races, numerous dance performances), the Toad Jam 3 on 3 Basketball Tournament and the Tour de Toad bicycle race. Additional athletic events, a super star competition, a car show, Doe’s Tamale Eating Contest, parades, pageants and the ever-popular Stuck on a Truck are also scheduled. The World Famous Toad Races, at 3 p.m. on Sunday, round out the festival. For more details, e-mail toadsuck@conwayarkcc.org or phone 501-327-7788.

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One of the most popular magazines for those who love to cook is Taste of Home. The publication will present the Taste of Home Cooking School presented by Arkansas Life magazine on May 5. Billed as the world’s largest cooking school, the event takes place at the Statehouse Convention Center in downtown Little Rock. An exhibition containing a variety of exhibits by local vendors opens at 4 p.m. and the cooking show begins at 6:30 p.m. Ten quick and tasty recipes will be demonstrated; door prizes will be given away. The $8 admission includes a gift bag and free subscription to the magazine. Tickets can be ordered from the Arkansas Life Web site – www.arkansaslife.com/cookingschool – or purchased at Whole Foods in Little Rock. E-mail tcunningham@arkansasonline.com or call 501-918-4539 for more information.

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A rare opportunity will be afforded those who attend the 45th annual Quapaw Quarter Spring Tour of Historic Homes on May 10. On that afternoon only from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., visitors will be able to tour some of Little Rock’s most elegant historic homes. This year’s open house features the Foster-Robinson House, circa 1905, at 2112 South Broadway; Rosehaven Cottages Bed & Breakfast, circa 1890, at 1410-1412 South Arch Street; the Senhausen House, circa 1902, at 2319 South Gaines; the Nelson Auto Garage Warehouse Lofts, circa 1914, at 1509 South Louisiana, and the Annie Ward Cottage, circa 1880, at 1508 South Louisiana. Also included will be a newly construction condominium in the River Market District, and the Cathedral of St. Andrew at 617 South Louisiana. The cathedral, begun in 1878 and completed in 1881, is the capital city’s oldest church building and has been extensively restored in the past few years.

Area realtors will have open houses at several historic homes in the district currently for sale. Tickets for the tour are $15 each and can be purchased at Historic Curran Hall, 615 East Capitol, the Little Rock Visitor Information Center and headquarters for the QQA. Tickets will also be available the day of the tour at Curran Hall and at selected locations along the tour route. Contact the Quapaw Quarter Association for more information by e-mailing qqa@quapaw.com or calling 501-371-0075.

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Jacksonville’s Dupree Park is where you’ll be able to catch Friday Nite Flick on May 15. This free outdoor event will be a showing of Kung Fu Panda, a family friendly cinematic adventure about a passive panda who beings the unlikely hero chosen to save his village from the claws of a loathsome leopard. Visitors are encouraged to bring blankets, chairs and picnic baskets; the showing begins at sunset. Dupree Park is located at 1700 Redmond Road. For more information, contact Marlo Jackson at mjackson@cityofjacksonville.net or 501-982-4171.

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During these tight economic times, you can visit the Middle East and Greek Isles without having to pay airfare, by attending the 25th annual Greek Food Festival, May 15-17. Held at the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church in Little Rock, the international event features a ton of food, including the always-popular Greek items, an indoor Old World Market with imports, artwork, pastries and coffee bar, and guided tours of the church. Costumer dancers from the Greek American Folkdance Society, along with other groups, will provide live entertainment. There will be special activities and rides just for the kids. Hours are 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday; noon to 6 p.m. on Sunday. Admission is fee. For more information, contact Eva Sargent at emsargent@comcast.net or 501-221-5300. The festival’s Web site -- www.greekfoodfest.com – provides additional details.

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Opportunities to do something healthy and help several good causes will be plentiful May 16 in Central Arkansas.
Cycle for Sight, which is raising money for research and outreach at the UAMS Harvey and Bernice Jones Eye Institute, is a 14-mile bike ride. The tour begins and ends at North Little Rock’s Burns Park River Trail. Start time is 8 a.m. at the Burns Park soccer fields 13-18 with registration at 7:30 a.m. The object of the endurance race is to see how many times participants can complete the route in a seven-hour period. An alternate race for those who would rather do a leisurely ride is also being offered. For more information e-mail Shgiger@uams.edu or phone 501-580-8888.

The 2009 Central Arkansas Arthritis Walk will be held on the 16th with Cooks Landing at the Big Dam Bridge on the Arkansas River in North Little Rock serving at the starting point. The one-mile, non-competitive walk that raises money for the prevention, control and cure of arthritis and related diseases. For more information, contact Amber Garrett at agarrett@arthritis.org or 501-664-7242.

Our furry friends are the focus of the 10th Annual Paws on the Pavement 5K Run and One Mile Fun Run on May 16. The event begins at Little Rock’s Murray Park, pavilions 3-6. In addition to the run, there will also be refreshments, door prizes, and awards will be presented to the top finished in the races. A variety of booths featuring local vendors of pet services, such as identification chips, a pet psychic, photographers and a doggie carnival will also take place. Proceeds benefit CARE (Central Arkansas Rescue Effort) for Animals rescue and spay/neuter efforts. For additional information, contact Becky McCauley by e-mailing becky@careforanimals.org or calling 501-603-2273.

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In the mood for a wide variety of music and food? Then make plans to attend the 32nd annual Riverfest, Memorial Day Weekend in downtown Little Rock and North Little Rock. Willie Nelson, Heart, the B52s, Little River Band, Buddy Guy and Trout Fishing in America head the entertainment line-up, May 22 through 24. Also performing will be 3 Doors Down, Jason Aldean, Hinder, Flyleaf, and Heads of State featuring Bobby Brown, Johnny Gill and Ralph Tresvant.

There will be food from one end of Riverfront Park to the other in Little Rock, showcasing everything from Pizza, barbecue, roasted corn, ice cream, frozen lemonade, funnel cakes and a whole lot more. There will also be food vendors at the North Shore River Walk in North Little Rock. The KidZone area will have hands-on activities for the kids, games, crafts and more. The Teen Scene, located on the North Shore River Walk, will feature activities and competitions just for teens. Booths featuring artists and merchants will be on both sides of the river with an array of products. Advance tickets can be purchased online by going to www.riverfestarkansas.com/tickets-merch or at any of these participating merchants: Cranford's Fresh Market, City Market, Harvest Foods, and participating Affiliated Food Stores and Central Arkansas Big Red Stores. For more information, e-mail info@riverfestarkansas.com or phone 501-255-3378.

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You know summer has really arrived when the water parks open for the season. May 23 to 25 are the dates for the Splash Zone Water Park Opening Weekend in Jacksonville. This water adventure features a plunge pool with two water slides, a water tunnel, the umbrella-shaped Rain Drop and Dew Drop water showers and the kids-only Tea Cup. Concessions are available; the park will be open daily beginning May 30. Hours are 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday–Friday; noon to 6 p.m. Saturday, Sunday and holidays. Admission is $4; $1 for slides. Splash Zone is located at Pleasure Park, 201 West Main Street. More information can be obtained by e-mailing mjackson@cityofjacksonville.net or by calling 501-982-4171.