FUN
The Hope-Hempstead County Chamber of Commerce is gearing up for the 50th annual Hope Watermelon Festival, today through Saturday Aug. 6-8 in Hope’s Fair Park, with a wide variety of melan-cholic activities, ranging from an arm-wrestling tournament to seed-spitting and watermelon-eating competitions, and concluding Saturday night with a grand-finale concert by Grammy-winning country singer Gretchen Wilson. (870) 777-3640, hopewatermelonfest.com.
Saturday is World Elephant Day at the Little Rock Zoo, 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m., with “a full schedule of wild fun” that includes a watermelon eating contest pitting pachyderms against the zoo staff. littlerockzoo.com.
Arkansas TV, in partnership with the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts, celebrates the premiere of Season 5 of the network’s’ Emmy Award-winning show “Blueberry’s Clubhouse,” 10:30 a.m. Saturday in the Performing Arts Theater at the museum, 501 E. Ninth St., Little Rock. Guests will watch new episodes and meet Blueberry and other cast members. The show airs at 5 p.m. Sundays.
MUSIC
The legendary John Legend performs at 8 p.m.Saturday at Pine Bluff’s Saracen Casino Resort, a makeup for the sold-out June 13 concert he had to postpone. (870) 686-9001; saracenresort.com.
Jazz keyboardist Chris Hazelton joins the Ted Ludwig Trio, 7:30 p.m.,Friday for Jazz at the Joint, Act II, 315 Main St, North Little Rock. (318) 278-0700; jazzatthejoint.org.
THEATER
Actors Theatre of Little Rock stages “Angels in America, Part One: Millennium Approaches” by Tony Kushner, 7:30 p.m. Thursday and Friday, Wednesday-Aug. 14 and 19-21 and 1 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 15 and 22 at Quapaw Quarter United Methodist Church, 1601 S. Louisiana St., Little Rock. actorstheatrelr.org.
The Weekend Theater, 1001 W. Seventh St. at Chester Street, stages “Lungs” by Duncan Macmillan, 7:30 p.m. Friday-Saturday, 2:30 p.m. Sunday through Aug. 23. The play involves a young couple who want to have a child but are running out of time, in a time of global anxiety, terrorism, erratic weather and political unrest. The theater recommends it for those 16 and older. onthestage.tickets.
And “Footloose the Musical” is onstage through Aug. 15 at Murry’s Dinner Playhouse, 6323 Colonel Glenn Road, Little Rock, 7:30 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday, 12:45 and 6:45 Sunday. Buffet opens 30 minutes before curtain time. (501) 562-3131; murrysdp.com.
ART AND EXHIBITS
New this week:
“Holding Tension,” a collaborative exhibition of architectural paintings by Jeff Horton and ceramic houses by Yelena Petroukhina, goes on display with a 5-7:30 p.m. reception Thursday in the gallery at Thea Foundation, 401 Main St. in North Little Rock’s Argenta Arts District. It’s through August., 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Thursday. theafoundation.org.
“Hard Things, Soft Focus,” an exhibit of pinhole photography by Christy Ward, opens with a 6-7 p.m. reception Friday at The Window on Sixth, 112 W. Sixth St., Little Rock. (501) 993-1288; thewindowonsixth.com.
Continuing:
“America 250 — A Revolutionary Life Exhibit,” highlighting the country’s Founding Fathers with artifacts and stories of Revolutionary War figures, is on display until Aug. 30 in the main rotunda of the state Capitol, 500 Woodlane St., Little Rock. 8 a.m.-5 p.m. weekdays, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. weekends and state holidays.
“Arkansas Black Voices: Shaping a Nation at 250,” personal histories, artifacts, photographs and stories highlighting “the lasting impact of Black Arkansans whose lives and legacies have helped shape the United States,” is on display through Aug. 29 at the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center, 501 W. Ninth St., Little Rock. The exhibit includes. Hours are 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday- Saturday. (501) 683-3593; mosaictemplarscenter.com.
“The Three SoMa Sisters: History, Nature, Wellness, and Anita Davis’ Mission to Thrive in SoMa” is on display through Aug. 30 at ESSE Museum & Store, 1510 Main St. in Little Rock’s SoMa neighborhood. (501) 916-9022; essepursemuseum.com.
“Clara Barton: Angel of the Battlefield,” a traveling exhibit on loan from the National Museum of Civil War Medicine showcasing the life and legacy of one of the most celebrated Civil War caregivers, on display through Oct. 31 at the MacArthur Museum of Arkansas Military History, 503 E. Ninth St., Little Rock. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday, 1-5 p.m. Sunday. (501) 376-4602.
“In Natural Space,” recent landscapes and other paintings by Pope County artist David Mudrinich, a professor emeritus in art at Arkansas Tech University, “drawn from many of his experiences roaming within the Arkansas River watershed,” is on display through Oct. 17 at Cantrell Gallery, 8202 Cantrell Road, Little Rock. The exhibit remains up through Oct. 17, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday. (501) 224-1335; cantrellgallery.com.
“Icons in Transformation,” three-dimensional paintings inspired by traditional Russian icons by Ludmila Pawlowska, is on display through Nov. 8 in The Oasis at St. Margaret’s at St. Margaret’s Episcopal Church, 20900 Chenal Parkway, Little Rock. Gallery hours are 5:30-7:30 p.m. Friday, 1-5 p.m. Saturday. theoasisatstmargarets.com.
“Will Barnet: Seasons of Life,” works on paper by Barnet from the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts Foundation Collection, is on display through Oct. 11 at the museum, 501 E. Ninth St., Little Rock, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday and Saturday, 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Wednesday-Friday, noon-5 p.m. Sunday. arkmfa.org.
“Play in Arkansas,” examining how people have created joy through play and how the history of play can contribute to understanding of both past and present, is on display through Dec. 15 at the University of Arkansas Little Rock Downtown, 333 President Clinton Ave., Little Rock. The exhibit includes handmade and mass-produced toys, dolls and game paraphernalia, as well as a memories section, where individuals can share their personal reflections on childhood play. Hours are 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday-Friday.
“Kuimeaux’s World,” drawings and paintings by late Little Rock native Dwight “Kuimeaux” Drennan, is on display through spring 2027 at Little Rock’s Historic Arkansas Museum, 200 E. Third St. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday, 1-5 p.m. Sunday. (501) 324-9351.
“Manufacturing Victory in Arkansas: Supplying the Battlefront and Changing the Homefront During World War II,” “highlight(ing) the role and contributions of ordnance plants in Arkansas during the war,” remains on display through Dec. 31, 2027, at the MacArthur Museum of Arkansas Military History, 503 E. Ninth St., Little Rock, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday, 1 p.m.-5 p.m. Sunday. (501) 376-4602.
