10 Events for Weekend Fun: Cornbread Festival, Beethoven & Blue Jeans, and More
Halloween is barely over, but the holidays are moving on in! This weekend, you can greet Santa Claus at Park Plaza Mall (see our full list of Santa sightings here), start holiday shopping at the Arkansas Children's Hospital Gift Shop (see below), or even strap on skates and try hockey for free at the Arkansas Skatium.
Here are 10 great events for family fun this weekend, Nov. 7-9!
1. 4th Annual Arkansas Cornbread Festival on South Main Street in Little Rock: This event offers up plenty varieties of cornbread samples to visitors—from spicy to sweet and everything in between. Cornbread entries will be judged by everyone attending the festival, as well as a panel of celebrity judges. As you snack and stroll through South Main, you can shop for Arkansas-made goods and art, listen to bands and take a pic with Cosmo the Cornbread Man mascot! Purchase tickets in advance for a discount. 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Nov. 8. $7-$10; kids $3-$5; kids 5 and under are free. For info: ArkansasCornbreadFestival.com.
2. Arkansas Symphony Orchestra: Beethoven & Blue Jeans at Maumelle Performing Arts Center: Stella Boyle Smith Masterworks Series continues with selections from Corigliano and Beethoven with Maestro Philip Mann and a special performance by multiple Grammy-winning guitarist Sharon Isbin. The orchestra will dress in blue jeans, and the audience is encouraged to do the same! 7:30 p.m. Nov. 8; 3 p.m. Nov. 9. $19-$58; kids free for Sunday matinee with free Entergy Kids' Ticket, available on the website. For info: (501) 666-1761, ArkansasSymphony.org.
3. Playaway Gift Shop Open House at Arkansas Children's Hospital: Start your holiday shopping at this tax-free shopping event. And, as a special gift to the shopper, free gift wrapping is included! All the profits return to ACH, so every purchase helps the children at the hospital. At 2 p.m., step outside the gift shop and visit a reception honoring the child artists who created the art for this year's ACH holiday cards; the cards will be available for purchase, too. 1-4 p.m. Nov. 9. For info: (501) 364-1209, ARChildrens.org. FREE!
4. Downtown Christmas Celebration & Open House in Conway: Decorated merchant windows and beautiful lights are part of the Downtown Christmas Celebration in Conway. Lighting, which stretches from Rogers Plaza through downtown to Simon Park, includes more than 120 lamp posts wrapped in lighted garland. Open House 1-4 p.m. Nov. 9. Lights come on at dusk each day. For info: (501) 327-7788, DowntownConway.org. FREE!
5. The Color Run at River Market: The Color Run is a five-kilometer, un-timed race in which thousands of participants are doused from head to toe in different colors at each kilometer. The fun continues at the finish line with a gigantic "Finish Festival," using more colored powder to cap everything off. $40. 9 a.m. Nov. 8. For info: TheColorRun.com.
6. Survival Skills Weekend at Pinnacle Mountain State Park: Start or add to your knowledge of surviving in the great outdoors. This weekend will be filled with survivor skill workshops on using map and compass, fire starting, shelter building and more. Contact the park for a workshop schedule. Advance payment is required. Nov. 8-9. For info: (501) 868-5806, ArkansasStateParks.com/PinnacleMountain.
7. Try Hockey for Free at Arkansas Skatium: Boys and girls are provided with all the gear for a fun morning on the ice. 10-11:30 a.m. Nov. 8. For info: TryHockeyForFree.com. FREE!
8. Star Gazing at Toltec Mounds Archeological State Park: Whether you are a novice star gazer or an astrophysicist, come and relax while appreciating Earth's natural night lights. A park interpreter will guide you through the basic spring constellations and tell Native American stories. $4, kids ages 6-12 are $3, under 6 are free. 5-6 p.m. Nov. 8. For info: (501) 961-9442, ArkansasStateParks.com/ToltecMounds.
9. Lil' Wild Ones: "First Impressions: Spiders!" at Central Arkansas Nature Center: Spiders are a very common form of wildlife and can be very beneficial to people and animals. Hear a fun story about spiders, learn about their habitat, and create a spider web painting. Lil Wild Ones is a monthly, nature-related program for pre-K children and their families. 2 p.m. Nov. 8. For info: (501) 907-0636, CentralArkansasNatureCenter.com. FREE!
10. Duck Duck Goose Sale at Conway Expo Center: Fill your kids' closets with gently-used clothing from this popular consignment sale. Sale dates are: 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Nov. 8; 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Nov. 9. Half price sale days and times are: 5-7 p.m. Nov. 9; 9 a.m.-7 p.m. Nov. 10. For info: DuckDuckGooseSale.com.
For more events, browse our full online calendar here.