ENTERTAINMENT: Pulaski County Fair set; party like it’s 1976 at the Old Mill | The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

FUN

Pulaski County Fair

The sixth annual Pulaski County Fair opens 5-11 p.m. Friday in North Little Rock’s Riverfront Park and runs through May 24, featuring rides via the P.B.J. Happee Days Shows carnival midway, games, novelties, vendors, a petting zoo with camel and pony rides, food, a beer garden and live music. A complete schedule is available at thepulaskicountyfair.net.

Presenter is Oaklawn Hot Springs. Gate admission is $5, free for kids 10 and younger. Discounted $22 wristbands are available before the fair opens at the the North Little Rock Welcome Center Office, 600 Main St., Suite 100, North Little Rock; after that they’ll be $25 Wednesday-Friday, $30 Saturday-Sunday. Admission, rides, select games and food specials are $2 on “$2 Tuesday.” A portion of proceeds supports North Little Rock Parks & Recreation.

Old Mill anniversary

North Little Rock marks the 50th anniversary of the Old Mill, in T.R. Pugh Memorial Park, 3800 Lakeshore Drive, as a North Little Rock park, with a “party like it’s 1976,” 1-4 p.m. Saturday.

Visitors, who are encouraged to dress in 1976-era attire, can expect refreshments, giveaways, children’s activities, tours and talks throughout the afternoon and have the opportunity to learn what the Old Mill was like in 1976 and how it has improved in the 50 years since.

Around 2 p.m., North Little Rock Mayor Terry Hartwick and other city officials will speak and assist with a tree planting in memory of the late Sandra Taylor Smith, former director of the North Little Rock History Commission and founding member of Friends of the Old Mill. North Little Rock Tourism will sell Old Mill items; a portion of the proceeds will go to Friends of the Old Mill for improvements to the park.

Street parking is available near the park; additional parking, with a shuttle, is available at the Lakewood Property Owners Association park at 4500 Lakeshore Drive. Donations to Friends of the Old Mill, a nonprofit supporting the Old Mill, will be accepted. Other sponsors are the City of North Little Rock, North Little Rock Tourism and the Old Mill Master Gardeners.

For more information, visit nlr.ar.gov; the Facebook page; or Friends of the Old Mill’s website.

The Old Mill, a historic re-creation of an early 1830s water-powered grist mill, was dedicated on Aug. 6, 1933. It is best known for its appearance in the opening credits of the 1939 movie “Gone With the Wind.”

Farmers Market opens

The Little Rock Farmers Market returns to the River Market pavilions, 400 President Clinton Ave., 7 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday and open Saturdays through Aug. 1.

Now in its 52nd season, the market brings together farmers, artisans and food producers from across the state. More than 50 vendors will sell produce, locally prepared baked goods and handmade arts and crafts. Many accept Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits; buy SNAP tokens from the Market Manager’s Tent in the market center.

Visitors 21 and older can consume adult beverages within the River Market Entertainment District. Free parking is available in the lot behind the market and in the River Market parking deck at Second Street and River Market Avenue. Visit littlerock.com/river-market/farmers-market.

 

MUSIC

Community Orchestra concert

The Arkansas Symphony Community Orchestra performs “Sounds of the New World,” 7 p.m. Sunday at Calvary Baptist Church. 5700 Cantrell Road, Little Rock. The program: “Variations on a Shaker Melody” by Aaron Copland; the first two movements, “Singing River” and “Whippoorwill’s Shoes,” of “Wood Notes” by William Grant Still; “Swingin’ Strings Quartet,” featuring Kathy Ogilvie, Toni Black, Debbie Holliday and Ryan Plemmons; “Shortnin’ Bread” by Florence Price; “This Little Light of Mine” by Kenneth Abeling; the second movement, “Largo,” from the Symphony No. 9, “From the New World,” by Antonin Dvorák; and “An American in Paris Suite” by George Gershwin, arranged by John Whitney. Valery Saul conducts; assistant conductors Monivann Lep and Camila Pacheco will be on the podium for the two movements of “Wood Notes.” Admission is free. Call (501) 666-1761 or visit arkansassymphony.org.

‘Secrets’ screening, concert

The Arkansas Symphony Orchestra will be onstage at Little Rock’s Robinson Center Performance Hall, 426 W. Markham St. at Broadway, playing the John Williams score while “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets” plays on the screen above and behind them, 7:30 p.m. Saturday. Remaining tickets are $72.35-$146.35. Visit Ticketmaster.com.

 

ART

‘Art of Friendship’

“The Art of Friendship,” watercolors by Kim Perkins and Laura Powers, opens with a 6-8 p.m. reception Friday in the Gallery at the William F. Laman Library, 2801 Orange St., North Little Rock. The exhibition “celebrates a creative bond that has spanned more than 50 years,” according to a news release. The show will remain on display through July 25. Gallery hours are 9 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Admission to the reception and the gallery is free. Call (501) 758-1720 or visit NLRlibrary.org.

 

‘Lofty’ art

“From the Loft,” mixed-media works by Little Rock artist Ally Cantrell, opens with an Argenta Arts District Third Friday Art Walk reception, 5-8 p.m. Friday at the Argenta Library Gallery, 420 Main St., North Little Rock. The exhibition traces Cantrell’s return to making art after a period of burnout, spurred by a 2022 move into a historic downtown Little Rock warehouse loft. The show will remain on display through June 5. Gallery hours are 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Friday. Admission to the reception and the gallery is free. Call (501) 687-1061 or visit NLRlibrary.org.

ETC.

‘Roses, A to Z’

James Shelton, manager of the Arkansas Department of Agriculture’s Forestry Division’s Baucum Nursery, will discuss “Roses, A to Z” for the Mount Holly Garden Series, 9 a.m. Saturday at the Bell House, in the center of Mount Holly Cemetery, 1200 Broadway, Little Rock. Take along a lawn chair; there will be door prizes. Admission is by suggested $10 donation; proceeds benefit the cemetery. Email [email protected].