Travelin’ Central Arkansas: Events Taking Place During October

Kerry Kraus, travel writer
Arkansas Tourism

Note to the Print and Broadcast Media: 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. The territories covered in Travelin' Arkansas adhere to the six geographical regions found in the Arkansas Tour Guide. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions: communications@arkansas.com or 501-682-7606.

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October 3 will be a full day of fun and excitement in the Scott/Keo area with four separate events celebrating the coming of fall. J&P Ranch Hayrides’ fall season begins this weekend, which runs through Nov. 1. The large farm has a picnic area, a petting zoo, and a pumpkin patch in season. Activities for children, horseback rides, and hayrides are also scheduled. Open on weekdays by appointment and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. Admission is $4. The farm is located at 966 McCoy Lane in Scott. For more information e-mail jandp_ranch@sbcglobal.net or phone 501-961-9938.

Still in Scott, the Plantation Agriculture Museum State Park is hosting a What's Cooking? Dutch Oven Workshop on Oct. 3. Learn the “pioneer microwave” way of cooking with an introduction to the history of Dutch oven meal preparation and instruction on how to season the cast-iron utensils. A variety of recipes will be explained then visitors will cook a dinner and a dessert. Afterwards participants can dine on the results of their endeavors. The $45 entry fee includes a four-quart Dutch oven, and an instruction guide/recipe book. Hours for the event, which is limited to 10 people, are 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Contact the park to make reservations. The museum is located at the junction of U.S. 165 and Ark. 161. For more information e-mail plantationagrimuseum@arkansas.com or call 501-961-1409.

October 3 also brings High Cotton on the Bayou at Scott Plantation Settlement in Scott. The numerous settlement buildings, which are typical of an Arkansas plantation, are open for tours. Other events taking place include musical entertainment, an antique car display, arts and crafts vendors, and a functioning sorghum mill. Early period games are scheduled as well as be horse and mule drawn farming demonstrations. Lunch will be available at the Corn Crib Café. Hours are 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.; admission is $3 for adults, $1 ages 11-18, and under age 10 free. The historic village is located at 15525 Alexander Road. For additional information e-mail ritves@aol.com or call 501-351-0300.

Four miles south on U.S. 165, the town of Keo holds its 6th Annual Fall Daze and Pecan Festival, also on Oct. 3. Events held on Keo’s quaint Main Street feature children’s games and activities with prizes. Yard sales held throughout town, demonstrations by the Keo Fire Department, and the annual Fall Daze Pecan Cook-off, open to all competitors, are also scheduled. Contact city hall for information on how to enter the cook-off or to get additional information by phoning 501-842-3531. Admission is free.

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There’s going to be plenty to do in Jacksonville on Oct. 3 with the city’s annual Wing Ding Festival and the Central Arkansas Gem and Mineral Show taking place. Slated for Dupree Park, Wing Ding is an all-day family festival that includes a 5K run, paddleboat races, lots of food and entertainment plus games and a children’s area with inflatables. The high point of the day is the World Championship Chicken Wing Cook-off. Hours for this free gathering are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. For more information e-mail events@jacksonville-arkansas.com or phone 501-982-1511.

Taking place on Oct. 3 and 4 at the Jacksonville Community Center is the 37th Annual Central Arkansas Gem and Mineral Show. Over 100 tables of minerals, fossils, beads, lapidary materials and jewelry are going to be displayed. Also at the show will be dealers from all over featuring nice-sized specimens from around the world. A kid’s dig, additional exhibits, and demonstrations round out the activities. Admission is free to this 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. event. The center is located at U.S. 67/167 Main Street exit. More details can be obtained by e-mailing pkissire@sbcglobal.net or phoning 501-821-2346.

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The spooks of October get an early start this year with the 4th Annual "Spirits of Cadron" Faulkner County Living History Ghost Tour Oct. 9 and 10. Seekers will search by lantern light for the restless spirits at Conway’s Cadron Settlement Park. First-hand ghost tales from Arkansas’s second-oldest Euro-American settlement site will be shared, followed by refreshments at the settlement Blockhouse. Admission is $2 per person or $8 per carload. For more information contact the Faulkner County Museum at fcm@conwaycorp.net or 501-329-5918.

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The state’s biggest entertainment extravaganza rolls around for the 70th year when the Arkansas State Fair begins on Oct. 9. Held at the State Fair Complex in Little Rock, the show runs through Oct. 18. Entertainment acts scheduled for this year include Blood, Sweat & Tears, Crisis, the Arkansas Idol Contest, Julianne Hough, Jake Owen, Steve Perry & Category 5, Elvis Tribute artist Tony Witt, J.R. Rogers and The All Stars, and Lou Gramm, lead singer for the group Foreigner. Rounding out the entertainment are the Colgate Country Showdown and Hallelujah 106.7 night.

The huge midway of carnival rides, fair foods, and games are again on tap, along with the livestock shows and judgings. Sections of the midway and animal exhibits are set-up just for children. A Demolition Derby and Monster Truck Exhibition, and PRCA Rodeo are scheduled for Barton Coliseum.

Other state fair staples are the queen and talent contests, and creative arts winners for needlework, baked goods, art, photography, horticulture, crafts, and food preservation. New this year is the Arkansas Amateur Wine Contest. An additional contest, open to all attendees, is the Arkansas State Fair Amateur Digital Photography Contest featuring photos taken at the 2009 fair. The Hall of Industry will once again be full of commercial booths. Admission at the gate is $8 for adults and $4 for under age six and for age 60 and over. The State Fairgrounds are located at 2600 Howard Street off Roosevelt Road. For more information visit www.arkansasstatefair.com/ or call 501-372-8341.

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A blast from the past is taking place Oct. 10 in Benton as the community celebrates its 35th annual Old-Fashioned Day. The picturesque Saline County Courthouse square is the setting for all events including the sale of arts and crafts, an antique tractor and engine show, and a cake and pie sale. Face painting, hayrides, gospel music, and games just for children are among the day’s activities. Start limbering up your arm now for one of the highlights, the skillet throwing contest. For more information contact Gail Baxley by e-mailing gail-baxley@yahoo.com or phoning 501-315-0645.

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For the past 30 years, the residents of Cabot have celebrated their revival from a devastating tornado that destroyed a good deal of town. This year, the 31st annual Cabotfest, is being held downtown on Oct. 10. Carnival rides and a wide variety of food, the two “must-have” components of any event, along with bingo, the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission traveling aquarium, crafts, live entertainment, and beauty pageant are scheduled. Vendor booths, games, a kids’ zone, a car and motorcycle show, and a cricket spitting contest are more of the day’s festivities. For more details contact the Cabot Chamber of Commerce by e-mailing chamber@cabotcc.org or by phoning 501-843-2136.

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The Johnston Pumpkin Farm in Greenbrier is celebrating its crop with a Pumpkin Fest on Oct. 10 The Johnston’s invite visitors to come spend a fall day in the country with hayrides, carnival games, and concessions. A “you-pick-it” pumpkin patch, a country store, animals, and concessions are on the grounds. The farm is located on Rocky Road, off Arkavalley Road, six miles north of Conway via U.S. 65. More details are available by e-mailing jpfarm@cyberback.com or calling 501-679-5078.

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Grab your checkbook, cash, debit or credit cards, and shop to your heart’s content at the Arkansas Antique Dealer Association Show and Sale, Oct. 16-18 at the Clear Channel Metroplex off I-430 at Colonel Glenn Road in Little Rock. Exhibitors from more than 12 states will have 50 booths featuring an extravagant display of furniture, antique and estate jewelry, antique glass, linens, oriental rugs, postcards, and primitives. Admission is $5 per day or $5 for weekend pass. For more information contact Joe Rook by e-mail at joerook@clearchannel.com or by phone at 501-529-5907. Visit www.arkansasantiquedealers.com for more details concerning the association.

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Prepare to be scared at the 17th Annual Haunted Cathedral to be held Oct. 16-31 on the EMOBA campus. The annual fundraiser for the museum, “Arkansas’s scariest and largest” Halloween event features local actors and animatronics that will spook even the bravest of visitors. Hours are 7:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. on weeknights and 7:30 p.m. to midnight on weekends. EMOBA, which stands for Ernie’s Museum of Black Arkansas, is the state’s Museum of Black Arkansans and Performing Arts Center. It is located at 1208 Louisiana in downtown Little Rock. Admission is to be announced. For more information e-mail emoba_museum@hotmail.com or call 501-372-0018.

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Partake of all things German at the 12th Annual Oktoberfest at Lutheran High in Little Rock on Oct. 17. The family friendly event has German and carnival foods, live music, a dance, and activities for all ages. A climbing wall, a moon walk, and a Weiner dog race, along with over 30 arts and crafts booths will be on-site. For more information e-mail ram0220@aol.com or phone 501-954-9281. The school is located at 6711 West Markham. Admission is $1.

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Trick-or-treat with the animals during the 18th Annual Boo at the Zoo Oct. 22–25 and Oct. 29-Nov. 1. Put on your scariest costume and come have some spooky fun at the Little Rock Zoo from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. nightly. Children’s games, a haunted house, the BOO Express Trail, and a fun house await visitors. Carnival and camel rides are also offered as is a “Little Punkins’ Play Patch” area. The zoo is located at 1 Jonesboro Drive in War Memorial Park. Admission is $5 at the door, $4 in advance. Contact the zoo by e-mailing zfriday@littlerock.org or phoning 501-661-7203.

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Come cook and eat for a good cause by being a part of the Gentle Souls Annual Chili Cook-Off, Oct. 24, in Conway at the Don Owens Sport Complex. Competitors are encouraged to gather a team, decorate a booth, and cook-up their favorite chili concoction. Three monetary prizes will be awarded: first prize Chili Meister $250; second place Chili Monarch $100; and third prize Chiliologist $50. Other categories for competition include salsa and baked goods. Photos of the winners and their recipes will be posted on www.gentlesoulspitbullrescue.org following the event. Admission is $45 for chili team registration until Oct. 10. Registration the day of the event is $50. E-mail GSPBR@msn.com or call 501-470-9049 for more information.

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Wildwood Park in west Little Rock is celebrating Arkansas’s glorious autumn with Harvest at Wildwood Park on Oct. 24 and 25. Music, food, a sampling of wine and beer tastings, and an auction of gourmet picnic baskets are on tap. A cooking competition, hayrides, and children's activities are also scheduled. Hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday and noon to 6 p.m. on Sunday. Admission is $10 for adults, $5 for ages 6-12 with children ages 5 and under free. Wildwood is located at 20929 Denny Road. For more information e-mail info@wildwoodpark.org or call 501-821-7275.

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A lot of music and activities are in store for those who attend the Central Arkansas CityFest scheduled for Oct. 24-25 at the North Shore Riverwalk in downtown North Little Rock. Sponsored by the Luis Palau Association, the two days of “hope and good news for America” features Luis Palau; top contemporary Christian, country, rock, and pop musicians, and Livin’ It Action Sports featuring BMX, freestyle motocross and skating events. Activities being offered for kids are ventriloquist Mark Thompson, VeggieTales® characters. Inflatables, creative crafts, carnival games, face painting, and more. Admission is free. Visit www.cityfest2009.com e-mail cityfest2009@palau.org or call 501-255-7355 for a complete schedule of events.

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Sherwood is once again presenting its city-wide scare affair with the 13th Annual Sherwood Halloween Carnival Oct. 31. Local organizations such as churches and businesses, along with individuals, have come up with such creative activities as a haunted egg hunt which allows children the opportunity to win prizes. Winners in the costume contest receive prizes and ribbons for first, second and third place winners. A monster mash dance with deejay rounds out the activities. Admission is free. Events take place in the Sherwood Forest complex. For more information e-mail marie@sherwoodparks.com or call 501-835-8909.