FUN
St. Pat’s parade
The Irish Cultural Society of Arkansas’ St. Patrick’s Day Parade gets underway at 1 p.m. Saturday at Sixth and Main streets in downtown North Little Rock. It transits the Argenta Arts District, crosses the Arkansas River via the Main Street Bridge, continues east on President Clinton Avenue through the River Market District, turns south on Sherman Street and concludes at Third and Cumberland streets in Little Rock. Post parade, marching pipe and drum bands and Irish dancers from the McCafferty Academy and O’Donovan School of Irish Dance will perform. Visit irisharkansas.org/parade for more information.
Flowery festival
Spring will spring in downtown Camden for Daffodil Festival 2026 9 a.m.-7 p.m. Saturday, offering a full slate of family-friendly attractions, live entertainment, food and special events. Attendees can browse street vendors selling collectibles, crafts and handmade goods; regional artists are competing for cash prizes in an art show. Teams from across the region compete for bragging rights and prizes in the Rib Cook-off.
Food trucks will serve “everything from classic festival favorites to some of the area’s best local flavors,” according to a news release. The festival will feature music by Reagan Harvill (11 a.m.-noon), Roots & Revolt (noon-1 p.m.), Delta Thorn (1:15-2:15 p.m.), CS Dubb (2:30-3:45 p.m.), Saucé (4-5:30 p.m.) and The Experience (6-8 p.m.).
The Camden Masonic Lodge offers a Pancake Breakfast, 7-9:30 a.m. (takeout available), $10, $5 for children; other attractions and activities include a 5K Run; an antique and classic car show, 8 a.m.-4 p.m. on the parking lot of the Farmers Bank, 1140 W. Washington St.; and historic trolley ride tours through Camden’s Historic Homes District, starting at 10 a.m. at 101 Harrison St. NW.
Admission is free. Visit CamdenDaffodilFestival.com.
(Special to the Democrat-Gazette)
THEATER
Conway becomes River City
Big League Productions’ touring production of Meredith Willson’s “The Music Man” is onstage, 7:30 p.m. Sunday in Reynolds Performance Hall at the University of Central Arkansas, 201 Donaghey Ave., Conway. It’s part of the UCA Public Appearances series. Tickets are $34.50-$57.50, $11.50 for students. Call (501) 450-3265 or (866) 810-0012 or visit uca.edu/publicappearances.
‘Shrek Jr.’
Benton’s Young Players stage “Shrek The Musical Jr.” (music by Jeanine Tesori, book and lyrics by David Lindsay-Abaire based on the 2001 DreamWorks Animation film) 7 p.m. Thursday-Friday and March 19-20, 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday and March 21 at the Royal Theatre, 111 N. Market St., Benton. Tickets are $20; $15 senior citizens 60-plus, members of the military and college students with valid ID; $10 for students in grade 12 and below. Visit our.show/the-royal-theatre/shrekthemusicaljr.
‘Lion King Jr.’
Pine Bluff’s ARTx3 Campus stages “The Lion King Jr.” (music by Elton John, lyrics by Tim Rice, with additional music and lyrics by Lebo M., Mark Mancina, Hans Zimmer and Jay Rifkin, book by Roger Allers and Irene Mecchi, based on the 1994 film), 7 p.m. Thursday-Friday, 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday in the Catherine M. Bellamy Theater at the Arts & Science Center for Southeast Arkansas, 701 S. Main St., Pine Bluff. Sponsor is Relyance Bank. Tickets are $18. Call (870) 536-3375 or visit artx3.org/all-events/lion-king-jr.
MUSIC
Muses ‘Celtic Spring’
The Muses Project’s troupe of 30 professional vocalists and instrumentalists and an ensemble of young artists and dancers, performs folk songs and traditional favorites; contemporary Irish, Scottish and English ballads; and sacred tunes for “Celtic Spring,” 7 p.m. Friday at Woodlands Auditorium, 1101 DeSoto Blvd., Hot Springs Village, and 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at the Muses Cultural Arts Center, 428 Orange St., Hot Springs. Tickets are $35. Call (501) 609-9811 or visit themusesproject.org.
(Special to the Democrat-Gazette)
Bluegrass Festival
The Mountain View Spring Bluegrass Festival will feature three days and two nights of traditional bluegrass and gospel music, Thursday-Saturday at the Ozark Folk Center State Park, 1302 Park Ave., Mountain View. It’s a twice-yearly event (the second weekend in March and November).
The festival kicks off at at 6 p.m. Thursday with an all-gospel show at the folk center’s Ozark Highlands Theater. The lineup: the Redmond Keisler Tribute Band, Headin’ Home, Appalachian Smoke, Chosen Road and Dave Adkins & Mountain Soul.
Simply Southern Cloggers open a Friday matinee from 11:45 a.m.-noon, followed by Spillwater Drive, Appalachian Smoke, Dave Adkins & Mountain Soul, Junior Sisk and The Seldom Scene. Simply Southern Cloggers also “kick off” the Friday evening lineup at 5:45 p.m.; the subsequent lineup includes Appalachian Smoke at 6 p.m., followed by Spillwater Drive, Dave Adkins & Mountain Soul, Junior Sisk, and The Seldom Scene.
The Saturday matinee begins at noon with Spillwater Drive followed by Mike Mitchell Band, The New Primitive, Junior Sisk, and The Seldom Scene. The Saturday evening program begins with a set by Mountain View’s Music Roots Ensemble at 5:45 p.m., followed by The New Primitive, Mike Mitchell Band, Spillwater Drive, The Seldom Scene and Junior Sisk.
The festival is produced by the Mountain View Bluegrass Association Inc., a nonprofit that benefits the Music Roots program for Mountain View area youth. Thursday evening tickets are $20 and $30; for Friday and Saturday, good for all shows from noon until 10 p.m., $25 and $40. Call (870) 501-5105 or visit MountainViewBluegrass.com.
Organ recital
Organist Raymond Nagem, minister of music at Brick Presbyterian Church in New York, performs organ works by Maurice Duruflé at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Little Rock’s First Presbyterian Church, 800 Scott St. Admission is free.
Organ and harp recital
Organist Jason Saugey and harpist Colleen Thorburn will present a recital at 3 p.m. Sunday in the sanctuary of First United Methodist Church, 1610 Prince St., Conway. The program includes the Prelude and Fugue in g minor by Johannes Brahms; “Harp String Pipe Swing” by Rachel Brandwein and Aaron David Miller; the Prelude and Fugue in d minor, BWV 539, by Johann Sebastian Bach; “Meditation on Space” by Brandwein; “BACH in Mambo-Swing on Toccata and Fugue, BWV 565” by Grimoaldo Macchia; and the Chorale No. 3 in a minor by César Franck. Admission is free. Email [email protected].
COMEDY
Gary Owen at Robinson
Comedian and actor Gary Owen is bringing his “No Hard Feelings” tour to Little Rock, 8 p.m. Thursday at Robinson Center Performance Hall, 426 W. Markham St. at Broadway. Tickets are $34-$68 plus fees via Ticketmaster.com. Owen’s feature-film credits include “Back on the Strip” with Tiffany Haddish; “Meet the Blacks” and its sequel, “The House Next Door”; “Think Like a Man” and its sequel, “Think Like a Man Too”; “Ride Along” with Ice Cube and Kevin Hart; “Little Man,” opposite the Wayans Brothers; and “Daddy Day Care” with Eddie Murphy.
Foxworthy set for Rogers
Tickets — $53.16-$242.40 plus taxes (subject to change) — are on sale for “An Evening with Jeff Foxworthy,” 8 p.m. May 15 at the Walmart AMP, 5079 W. Northgate Road, Rogers. Visit walmartamp.com or ticketmaster.com.
(Special to the Democrat-Gazette)
ART
Watercolor exhibition
The Mid-Southern Watercolorists’ 56th annual juried exhibition is on display through May 1 at the William F. Laman Public Library, 2801 Orange St., North Little Rock. Gallery hours are 9 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Friday-Saturday. Admission is free. Call (501) 758-1720 or visit NLRlibrary.org.
‘Creeks’ reception
Cantrell Gallery, 8202 Cantrell Road, Little Rock, hosts a reception with light refreshments 6-8 p.m. Friday for artist Daniel Coston, whose “My Creeks” exhibition is on display at the gallery through April 18. Gallery hours are 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday. Admission is free to the reception and gallery. Call (501) 224-1335 or visit cantrellgallery.com.
ETC.
Zeitgeist Reading Series
Author, critic and columnist Philip Martin and poet and screenwriter Jessica Maxwell will read from pending works at 6:30 p.m. Thursday for the Zeitgeist Reading Series at Hibernia Irish Tavern, 9700 N. Rodney Parham Road, Little Rock. Admission is free. Visit facebook.com/events/4519628818301159.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.arkansasonline.com ’
