FUN
Cherry Blossom Festival
Samurai sword demonstrations by Yoshi Amao, whose presentations combine history, discipline and storytelling; drumming by Dallas Kiyari Daiko; and performances and demonstrations highlighting martial arts, traditional music and cultural storytelling are part of the Hot Springs National Park Sister City Foundation’s Arkansas Cherry Blossom Festival, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday at the Hot Springs Convention Center, 134 Convention Blvd., Hot Springs.
The festival, which celebrates more than 30 years of friendship between Hot Springs and its sister city, Hanamaki, Japan, also features workshops and hands-on experiences, including taiko drumming, yukata dressing, sake education sessions, the art of kintsugi, Bonsai instruction and, new this year, a Tea Village. Plus a Japanese marketplace, the annual Haiku competition, authentic cuisine, cultural exhibits and traditional children’s festival games.
Admission is free. Visit hotspringssistercity.org.
THEATER
‘Into the Woods’
Jonesboro troupe Stage 42 & Co. stages “Into the Woods” (music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, book by James Lapine), 7 p.m. Thursday-Sunday at The Forum Theatre, 115 E. Monroe Ave., Jonesboro. Tickets are $15, $12 for senior citizens 65-plus and students 18 and younger. Visit zeffy.com.
(Special to the Democrat-Gazette)
ART
Hot Springs gallery
Abstract collaged paintings by Donnie Copeland, new paintings by Mark Blakey and new ceramic pieces by Michael Ashley lead the list for the April exhibit at Justus Fine Art Gallery, 827A Central Ave., Hot Springs, going on display with a 5-9 p.m. Hot Springs Gallery Walk reception Friday. The exhibit is up through April 30. Gallery hours are 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday and by appointment. Admission to the reception and the gallery is free. Call (501) 321-2335 or visit justusfineart.com.
ON THE PODIUM
Clinton Center speakers
Historian and Pulitzer Prize winner Annette Gordon-Reed, best known for her work at Thomas Jefferson’s residence, Monticello, and for exploring hidden American history, discusses her historic research and how it applies to the world today in a program titled “Facing the Past, Shaping the Future,” 6 p.m. Thursday at the Clinton Presidential Center, 1200 President Clinton Ave., Little Rock. KARK-TV, Channel 4, reporter and morning anchor Gary Burton Jr. moderates. The program is part of the Clinton Center’s commemoration of America250 and is in conjunction with the center’s current exhibit, “Making Amends.”
Other April Clinton Center speakers (except as noted, all programs at 6 p.m.):
◼️ Wednesday: “Don’t Tell the President: The Best, Worst, and Mostly Untold Stories from Presidential Advance” with authors and former staffers to President George H.W. Bush Jean Becker and Tom Collamore. The program covers some of the wackiest, scariest and most heartfelt stories of presidential events from the previous 60 years, according to a news release. A book signing will follow.
◼️ April 15: “Founding Friends, Founding Foes” explores the complex relationship between John Adams and Thomas Jefferson during their 51-year friendship. Panelists include historian Nicole Brown of the International Center for Jefferson Studies at Monticello; Kurt Graham from the Adams Presidential Center; and Kathleen Pate with the Clinton Presidential Library and Museum. Part of the Clinton Center’s commemoration of America250 in conjunction with the “Making Amends” exhibit.
◼️ April 20: The Clinton Foundation and Clinton School of Public Service host “The Intersection of Peace Building and Public Service.” David Fernández Puyana, ambassador and permanent observer of the United Nations University for Peace to the United Nations in Vienna and Geneva will discuss how institutions and individuals can strengthen dialogue, cooperation and sustainable peace in an increasingly complex world.
◼️ April 28: “A Conversation with Susan Page,” with the veteran political reporter and author discussing her new book, “The Queen and Her Presidents: The Hidden Hand That Shaped History.” It chronicles the diplomatic relationships and interactions between Queen Elizabeth II and the 13 American presidents who served during her reign, including President Bill Clinton. Page will sign copies of the book afterward.
Admission is free; register at clintonpresidentialcenter.org/events. The programs will also be available to stream on demand at youtube.com/clintonpresidentialcenter.
Dreams not deferred
Marquese McFerguson, author of “Conversations in Color: Poetry, Prose, and Paintings” and assistant professor of Intercultural Communications at Florida Atlantic University, will discuss “What Happens When a Dream Isn’t Deferred,” 11 a.m. Saturday in the Education Building at First Missionary Baptist Church, 701 S. Gaines Street, Little Rock. The church’s pastor, Reverend Cameron Mitchell, will be the moderator. It’s part of Say It Loud!’s monthly Tell the Story Literary Series. Admission is free. Visit speakloudly.com.
ETC.
Garden Fest
The William F. Laman Public Library, 2801 Orange St., North Little Rock, hosts Garden Fest 2026, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday, with poetry walks, plant swaps, hands-on crafts and scavenger hunts, plus expert-led lectures on foraging, beekeeping and birding. Admission is free. Call (501) 758-1720 or visit NLRlibrary.org.
‘Read to Succeed’
Arkansas TV, formerly Arkansas PBS, hosts free reading events, April through August, as part of “Read to Succeed,” an initiative to provide literacy resources and encourage family engagement through educational activities.
The lineup of April public events:
◼️ 11 a.m. Wednesday, Springdale Public Library, 405 S Pleasant St., Springdale
◼️ 5 p.m. April 21, Calhoun County Library and Museum, 115 S. Second St., Hampton
◼️ 5 p.m. April 30, Laman Library, 2801 Orange St., North Little Rock.
Each community event includes a free meal and story time, followed by a discussion and activity. Admission is free. Families who attend will receive an Arkansas TV literacy resource bag, including a book, family engagement activities, a journal and a snack bag to take home. Spanish versions of materials will be provided as needed.
Read to Succeed is made possible by the Joan R. and Charles M. Taylor II Memorial Endowment Fund. Visit arkansastv.gov/events.
Nature walks
The North Little Rock Library and Pinnacle Mountain State Park are offering Know Your Roots, a series of free guided nature walk Saturdays in April, starting this week with a 4-5 p.m. walk along Isabella Jo Trail in Cook’s Landing Park, 4100 Cook’s Landing Road, North Little Rock.
Led by Pinnacle Mountain State park interpreters, the program explores a different Central Arkansas hiking trail each week and teaches participants how to identify Arkansas’ native plant life.
The rest of the lineup:
◼️ April 11, 1-2:30 p.m., Arkansas Arboretum Trail, Pinnacle Mountain State Park, 12820 Pinnacle Valley Road, Little Rock
◼️ April 18, 4-5 p.m., Emerald Park Trail, behind the University of Arkansas-Pulaski Technical College, in the parking lot off Marge Gardner Lane. The campus entrance is 3000 W. Scenic Drive, North Little Rock
◼️ April 25, 1-2:30 p.m., Kingfisher Trail and Owl Pass, Pinnacle Mountain State Park, 9600 Arkansas 300, Little Rock.
Walks are free and open to all ages. Participants are encouraged to wear comfortable shoes and take along a notebook and a water bottle. Walks are smoke-free and pet-free. Registration is required for all, including children, via tinyurl.com/yvkd6997. Call (501) 758-1720 or visit NLRlibrary.org.
Art & essay contest
Arkansas students in grades 5-8 can submit art and essays for the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program’s 2026 “Preserve Our Past” Art & Essay Contest, with the goal of exploring the state’s “rich architectural and cultural history through creative expression,” according to a news release.
The contest is in conjunction with National Historic Preservation Month, observed each May, and “aims to foster an appreciation for Arkansas’ historic places and the importance of preserving them for future generations.” This year students can also consider themes relating to the U.S. Semiquincentennial — for example, featuring Arkansas historic sites with national significance.
The competition is open to students in public, private and home-school settings. Entries are divided into grades 5-6 and grades 7-8. All submissions must focus on an Arkansas property that is at least 50 years old. Original artwork must be 11-by-14 inches on paper (no stretched canvas or oil paints) and able to fit into in a standard 11-by-14-inch frame. Art submissions must be mailed or hand-delivered; digital entries are not accepted. Original essays should be no longer than 500 words and may be submitted via mail or email.
All participants will receive a certificate of participation. First-, second- and third-place winners in each category will receive trophies; two honorable mentions will receive ribbons. Winning artwork will be professionally framed and displayed at the Historic Arkansas Museum in Little Rock, May-August. Submitted works may also be featured in Preservation Program social media.
All entries must be postmarked or submitted digitally by 11:59 p.m. April 15.
Full contest guidelines, entry forms and mailing instructions are available at arkansasheritage.com; call (501) 324-9786.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.arkansasonline.com ’
