Spring Events in Arkansas

“Blue's Clues Live: Blue’s Birthday!,” a full-scale, theatrical musical production based on a critically acclaimed Nickelodeon television series for preschool children, will be presented at 6:30 p.m. March 15 and 16 at the Perot Theater at 219 Main St. in downtown Texarkana. The performance will include all the show’s popular characters: Joe, Mailbox, Mr. Salt and Mrs. Pepper, Paprika, Tickety and Blue.

Tickets are $25, $17 and $5 with group discounts available. For more information, phone the theater box office at (903) 792-8681 or e-mail nfhutcheson@trahc.org.  Additional information on the Perot, including a seating chart, and on other programs in the theater’s on-going entertainment season is available at www.trahc.org.

Information on lodging, restaurants and other attractions in the Texarkana area may be obtained from the Texarkana Chamber of Commerce by phone at (903) 792-7191 or by visiting its Web site at www.texarkana.org and selecting “Visitor’s Guide.”

Actor George Wendt, best known for his portrayal of the character “Norm” on the long-running television comedy “Cheers,” will be in Hot Springs to serve as grand marshal of the First Ever Second Annual World’s Shortest St. Patrick’s Day Parade to begin at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 17.

Recalling how assembled employees and patrons of the fictional Cheers bar would greet Norm on his entry, Steve Arrison, executive director of the Hot Springs Convention and Visitors Bureau, said: “I can’t wait until Mr. Wendt’s car rounds the corner onto Bridge Street and the thousands of people downtown to watch the parade shout ‘Norm!’ in unison.”

Known for its unique and humorous entries, the parade is held on Bridge Street, said to be the shortest street in the world at about one-third of a city block. Bridge is located off Central Avenue in downtown Hot Springs.

Wendt, who will spend two days in Hot Springs in conjunction with his marshal duties, “will add a touch of additional humor to what is already one of the greatest fun events in America,” Arrison said. The parade garnered international publicity for Hot Springs last year and is a nominee this year for a Henry Award from the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism.

No admission will be charged to view the parade and a free, downtown fireworks display will follow it by approximately one-half hour. A downtown “pub crawl” will also follow the parade. For additional information, phone the Hot Springs Convention and Visitors Bureau at 1-800-SPA-CITY. Additional Hot Springs information is available at www.hotsprings.org

The Heber Springs Folk Festival will premiere March 17-20, with a daily street fair and a variety of music each night. A special Celtic performance will celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, and a gospel concert on Sunday evening will close the first annual festival. For more information contact Debby Flauta (870) 362-7971 or visit www.gemcommunitytheater.org.

Batesville’s Ozark Hawg BBQ Championship will be staged March 18-19, at Riverside Park. The event serves as the state barbecue championship and attracts several of the top teams from the Mid-South. The winner receives an automatic bid to the Memphis in May World Championships. The park’s new amphitheater, on the shoreline of the White River, will be used for musical concerts during the festival. For more information, visit www.mybatesville.org.

The inspirational true story of Helen Keller and Annie Sullivan will be brought to the stage in “The Miracle Worker” by the Arkansas Repertory Theatre. Dates for the production are March 18 to April 10. Considered an American classic, the play tells the incredible story of blind, deaf and speechless Keller who against all odds discovered the road to communication and understanding. Guiding her along the adventuresome path with persistence, love, and sheer stubbornness is her tutor, Annie Sullivan, who helps break though the walls of silence and darkness that have enclosed Keller since birth. A moving drama directed by Brad Mooy. The Rep is located at 601 Main Street in downtown Little Rock. Ticket prices range from $20 to $28. The group’s Web site has additional information: www.therep.org

The Arkansas Museum of Natural Resources at Smackover will host the sixth annual South Arkansas Garden and Outdoor Show from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, March 19. Admission and parking are free.

The show will feature guest speakers and garden-related activities for the whole family, as well as exhibits and vendors of plants, flowers, and lawn and garden equipment and supplies. For more information, phone (870) 725-2877 or e-mail museumnaturalresources@arkansas.com.

The third annual Tulip Extravaganza at Garvan Woodland Gardens in Hot Springs will run March 21-April 10 and will feature more than more than 70,000 tulips blooming in a wooded landscape filled with hundreds of dogwood trees and azaleas, all expected to be at their peak of color.

Regular tour admission will be charged: $7 for persons ages 13 to 54, $6 for those 55 and older, and $4 for ages six to 12. Children five and under are admitted free. Discounts are available for groups of 20 and more. Garden hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. through March 31 and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. beginning April 1.

Garvan Woodland Gardens, open seven days a week, is a 210-acre botanical garden with 4.5 miles of shoreline on Lake Hamilton. The University of Arkansas is developing the site, which is located at 540 Arkridge Road, off Carpenter Dam Road. For more information, visit www.garvangardens.org or phone (800) 366-4664 or (501) 262-9300.

A first-time event, Ride Rally Ride is a five-day motorcycle ride based out of Eureka Springs with five different routes and one dinner. The all-day event is a ride through curves, roller coaster roads, mountain tops and valleys and will have no vendors and no bike shows. The ride will be March 22-26 with headquarters at the Edelweiss Inn.

Admission is free. For more information, phone Bryan or Cindy Sumpter at (800) 870-2529.

Stage performances and jam sessions highlight the 22nd annual Arkansas Fiddlers Convention March 24-27 at North Arkansas College in Harrison.

Jam sessions consist of up to 40 rooms of musicians mixing together. Stage performances are scheduled throughout two days, and end with an awards ceremony. The convention is free; but, donations are appreciated. No alcohol is allowed on the premises. Concessions are available and security guards are on duty. Space for about 100 recreational vehicles is available at the college. Only parking is offered, no hookups. About 1,100 people from 32 states attend the event, which is sponsored by the Harrison Convention and Visitors Bureau. For a schedule of events, contact the bureau at (888) 283-2163.

Kites of all shapes, sizes and colors will be in the air during the 15th annual Eureka Springs Kite Festival set for 10 a.m.-4 p.m., March 26 at Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge in Eureka Springs. The event includes kite flying demonstrations and tricks.

Admission is free and attendees are encouraged to bring chairs, blankets, cameras and kites. Food and drinks will be available. For more information, contact Kaleidokites, a kite shop in Eureka Springs, at (888) 836-6251. The refuge is located on Ark. 23, seven miles south of Eureka Springs.

Several events around Central Arkansas will celebrate the Easter holiday the weekend of March 26-27. On March 26, the Old State House Museum in Little Rock will host its 2nd Annual Spring EGGStravanganza. From 1 to 4 p.m. children will be able to take part in seasonal hands-on activities and paper crafts. Special treats will await those who participate in the Great Egg Race at 2 p.m. Admission is free. The museum is located at 300 West Markham Street in downtown Little Rock. Phone (501) 324-9685 for more details.

Woolly Hollow State Park in Greenbrier will host its 19th Annual Easter Egg Hunt on March 26. The old-fashioned fun is open to children ages 12 and under who will hunt for hundreds of candy-filled eggs. Participants should bring their own bags or baskets for collecting the eggs. Admission is free. Hours for the event are 11 a.m. to noon; meet at the park visitor center. To reach Woolly Hollow, go 12 miles north of Conway on U.S. 65, then go six miles east on Ark. 285 near Greenbrier. Contact the park for additional information at (501) 679-2098 or woollyhollow@arkansas.com.

Easter activities in the twin cities include Meet and Greet the Easter Bunny at Little Rock’s Visitors Information Center at Historic Curran Hall on March 26 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Free photos and refreshments will be available. 501-370-3290. The City of North Little Rock will host its annual Easter Egg Hunt on March 27 at the Burns Park Soccer Complex. (501) 791-8543.

"Three Men and a Baby...Grand," a revue of popular Broadway tunes featuring Broadway and recording artists John Boswell, Brian Lane Green and Lee Lessack, will be presented in Helena at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 31 as part of the 37th season of the annual Warfield Concert Series. Admission will be free, with seating on a first-come basis.

The performance, not open to children under 6, will be in the 1,200-seat Lily Peter Auditorium on the campus of the Phillips County Community College/University of Arkansas. The campus can be reached by following directional signs located on U.S. 49-B in Helena.

For more information, phone Bettye W. Hendrix at (870) 572-1123. Information about additional Warfield performances is available at http://www.pccua.edu/performing%20arts/warfield_concerts.htm

For more information on family attractions in Arkansas go to Arkansas Family Attractions

For more information on Hotels and Resorts in Arkansas go to Arkansas Hotels and Resorts