FUN
The Downtown Little Rock Partnership marks 15 years of mobile munchies as nearly six dozen food trucks and trailers cluster in the 30 Crossing Green Space under the Interstate 30 bridge for the 15th Downtown Food Truck Festival, 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday. The festival also features more than 40 local vendors vending arts, crafts, clothing and food items; live musical entertainment throughout the afternoon;, a Big Rig Zone featuring full-size construction equipment — real-life “Tonka Trucks”; and a Kids Zone. For folks concerned about the heat, organizers promise that at least the I-30 bridge provides some much needed shade. downtownlr.com.
Fans of movies, television, anime, comic books and cosplay descend upon the Statehouse Convention Center, Markham and Main streets in Little Rock for Arkansas Comic Con, 3-8 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday. Among the guests who will be available for Q&As and photo ops: Ming-Na Wen (“Mulan,” “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.,” “The Mandalorian”), Danny Trejo (“Machete,” “From Dusk Till Dawn”) and Twisted Sister frontman Dee Snider.arkansascomiccon.com
The North Little Rock Heritage Center Museum, on the first floor of the North Little Rock Heritage Center, 506 Main St., North Little Rock, opens at 10 a.m. Thursday. The museum encompasses 1600 square feet of exhibits covering the history of North Little Rock, through artifacts, photographs, maps, interactive stations and videos. Hours are 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday with extended hours this Friday for the monthly Argenta Art Walk. nlr.ar.gov/departments/history/.
MUSIC
SATURDAY
LITTLE ROCK
Country star and Arkansas native Ashley McBryde, with opening act Trey Pendley, performs at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Little Rock’s Robinson Center Performance Hall, 426 W. Markham St. (501) 244-8800.
The Miró Quartet opens the Chamber Music Society of Little Rock’s 2026-27 season in a concert (that’s also part of the Acansa Festival of the South), 7:30 p.m. Thursday at Hillcrest Commons at Pulaski Heights Baptist Church, 2200 Kavanaugh Blvd., Little Rock.
The program includes string quartets by Franz Joseph Haydn and Franz Schubert, plus works by Caroline Shaw and Anton Webern. chambermusiclr.com.
Pianist and University of Arkansas at Little Rock faculty member Linda Holzer will present a concert titled “Piano Prism: How Beautiful the Light,” 3 p.m. Sunday in the Stella Boyle Smith Concert Hall, Fine Arts Building, UALR, 2801 S. University Ave., Little Rock. The program includes the world premiere of “A More Perfect Union” by Gwyneth Walker, which Holzer commissioned in honor of America 250. (501) 916-3291.
And singer-songwriter Amy Garland performs at 6:30 p.m. Friday, followed at 7:30 by the Bella Rayne Band, for Argenta Vibe at Argenta Green, Sixth and Magnolia streets, across from Argenta Plaza in North Little Rock.
THEATER
Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts, , 501 E. Ninth St., Little Rock, kicks off its 2026-27 Children’s Theatre season with “Marie and Rosetta” by George Brant, a tribute to gospel and rock ’n’ roll pioneer Sister Rosetta Tharpe, 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday through Sept. 27, with an additional Friday-night performance at 7 p.m. Sept. 25. It’s 90 minutes without intermission and is recommended for ages 13 and up. arkmfa.org.
“The Wonder Bread Years,” playwright and performer Pat Hazell’s one-person salute to cultural Americana, is onstage at 7:30 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday at Argenta Contemporary Theatre, 405 Main St., North Little Rock. It, too, is part of the 11th Acansa Arts Festival of the South. acansa.org.
The Arkansas Repertory Theatre, 601 Main St., Little Rock, closes out its run of “Side by Side by Sondheim,” 7 p.m. Wednesday-Thursday, 8 p.m. Friday, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday, 3 p.m. Sunday. (501) 378-0405; TheRep.org.
Wildwood Park for the Arts, 20919 Denny Road, Little Rock, closes out its run of the musical “Come From Away,” based on the hospitality shown by the residents of the tiny town of Gander, Newfoundland, to the 7,000 airline passengers stranded following the 9/11 attacks, at 7:30 p.m. Friday, 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday. wildwoodpark.org.
Benton’s Young Players close out their run of “The Addams Family” musical, 7 p.m. Thursday and Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday at the Royal Theatre, 111 N. Market St., Benton. onthestage.tickets.
Two nuns have been secretly making wine to keep their convent’s doors open; with two reporters hot on their trail, wine and secrets are inevitably spilled in “Drinking Habits” by Tom Smith, opening this week and onstage through Oct. 10 at Murry’s Dinner Playhouse, 6323 Colonel Glenn Road, Little Rock at Murry’s Dinner Playhouse, 6323 Colonel Glenn Road, Little Rock. The buffet opens 30 minutes before curtain time: 7:30 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday (but Wednesday matinees only Sept. 23 and 30), 12:45 and 6:45 p.m. Sunday through Sept. 27. (501) 562-3131; murrysdp.com.
ART AND EXHIBITS
New this week:
“Pulp Fictions,” more than 60 works by Central Arkansas artists Robert Bean, Philp Rex Huddleston and Greg Lahti that explore the shadowy world of dimestore novels, femmes fatale, retro sci-fi, horror and more, opens with a 6-9 p.m. reception Saturday at Gallery 26, 2601 Kavanaugh Blvd., Little Rock, with pulp-themed music by John Willis and a costume contest. The show will be up through Oct. 31. Gallery hours are 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Wednesday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Friday-Saturday. (501) 664-8996.
The Argenta Library Gallery, 420 Main St., North Little Rock, opens “Another Weather,” mixed-media works by Melissa Cowper-Smith, with a 6-8 p.m. Third Friday Art Walk reception Friday. The exhibition remains up through Oct. 9 during regular library hours, 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Friday. (501) 687-1061.
Continuing:
Watercolors by Laura Remmel Powers are on display through Sept. 30 at the Little Rock Visitor Information Center, Curran Hall, 615 E. Capitol Ave., Little Rock. It’s the hall’s first monthlong art exhibition. Hours are 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Sunday.(501) 371-0075 or visit the website.
The Arkansas League of Artists Member Show remains on display through Sept. 30 at the William F. Laman Public Library, 2801 Orange St., North Little Rock. 9 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Friday-Saturday. (501) 758-1720; nlrlibrary.org.
Made-in-Arkansas objects, including paintings and sculptures, is on display in the “Collecting Arkansas Made” exhibit at Historic Arkansas Museum, 200 E. Third St., Little Rock. Hours are 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday, 1-5 p.m. Sunday. (501) 324-9351.
“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.
“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.
“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, is 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.
“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.
“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.
“Through Darkness to Light: Photographs Along the Underground Railroad,” color photographs by Jeanine Michna-Bales and narratives that tell the story of the Underground Railroad and the enslaved people who risked their lives along its many routes, is on display through Jan. 7 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.
“Material Nature: Gifts From the John and Robyn Horn Collection” is on display through April 25 in the Robyn and John Horn Gallery in the Windgate Art School at the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts, 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. (501) 372-4000; arkmfa.com.
“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.
