10 Events for Weekend Fun: Cheetah Chase, Fishing Derby, Concerts
There are far too many fantastic, family activities this weekend for us to only choose five in our weekly event round-up...so we've picked 10! Drop a fishing line at Pinnacle Mountain State Park, enjoy a free concert, check out the amazing athletes at a ski competition and much more. The best part: 5 out of 10 of these events are totally free.
1. Kids Fishing Derby at Pinnacle Mountain State Park: Kids, grab your pole and tackle box and head to the park to show your skills! Take part in how-to-fish clinics, casting contests, free snacks and lots of prizes. Prizes will be given away throughout the event with a special prize for the biggest fish. Bring your own bait and tackle. Contest is for kids 15 and under, although everyone is welcome to fish after 11 a.m. with a fishing license. 8-11 a.m. June 7. For info: (501) 868-5806, arkansasstateparks.com/pinnaclemountain. FREE!
2. Children's Summer Night Hike: Looking for Sasquatch! at Garvan Woodland Gardens in Hot Springs: Look for Sasquatch in the Mystic Creatures Topiary exhibit and see if you can guess the colors of all the colorful flowers and foliage of the Garden by moonlight. Learn about night creatures like raccoons, owls, and foxes, how they see in the dark and lots of other fun facts about the forest at night. Each child must be accompanied by an adult; one adult admitted free with one child admission. Limited to 15 children; advance reservations and pre-payment required. $15. 8-9:30 p.m. June 7. For info: (501) 262-9300, garvangardens.org.
3. Summer Concert Series: Austin Mahone at Magic Springs Water & Theme Park in Hot Springs: Tweens can swoon over teen musician Austin Malone when he plays the Timberwood Amphitheater. Gates open at 6 p.m., opening act at 7 p.m. and headliner at 8 p.m. Lawn seating is free with park admission or season pass. Reserved seating tickets are $5-$10. 6 p.m. June 7. For info: (501) 624-0100, magicsprings.com.
4. Cheetah Chase 5K Fun Run and Arkansas Diamond Express Debut at Little Rock Zoo: Join all the big cats for the best race in town! The course begins at the zoo and takes runners through War Memorial Park and ends at the zoo front entrance. All participants get get a free zoo admission on race day and a race T-shirt. Participants are encouraged to wear fun, family-friendly, animal-themed attire. Prizes will be given for best "big cat" costume and best animal costume. New this year, in honor of the Zoo's new litter of tiger cubs, the Zoo will give a prize for best tiger costume! At 10 a.m., book it over to the brand-new train, the Arkansas Diamond Express, to see the inaugural ride! Online pre-registration is available through 5 p.m. June 5. Registration is: $25, kids 1-12 are $15 and kids under 1 are free. After June 5 registration is: $35, kids 1-12 are $25, and kids under 1 are free. 8 a.m. June 7. For info: (501) 666-2406, littlerockzoo.com.
5. Little Rock Wind Symphony: A Stars and Stripes Celebration at MacArthur Park: In honor of Flag Day, the Little Rock Wind Symphony celebrates Old Glory in a grand way with hand-clapping marches, flag waving patriotic songs, toe-tapping Broadway show tunes. The celebration begins with the presentation of colors by the U.S. Air Force Color Guard from the Little Rock Air Force Base; the Pledge of Allegiance led by the Boy Scouts of Troop 604; and the National Anthem performed by Little Rock Wind Symphony under the direction of Dr. Karen Fannin. Guests are invited to bring blankets and chairs to enjoy the performance. 7 p.m. June 7. For info: (501) 666-0777, littlerockwindsymphony.org. FREE!
6. 14th Annual Junior U.S. Open Water Ski Championships at Bullneck Lake in Scott: The two-round, world-record capability event will feature men and women (ages 17 to 21) and boys and girls divisions (ages 16 and under). Some of the world's top junior water ski athletes are expected to compete for titles in slalom, tricks, jumping and overall. 8 a.m.-5 p.m. June 7-8. For info: usawaterski.org. FREE!
7. Our House Children's Center Grand Opening and Program Kickoff at Our House Children's Center: This family-friendly event celebrates the opening of the homeless shelter's new children's center, designed by Herron Horton Architects, who might have seen on this month's cover of Little Rock Family! (Read our story about the family here.) At the grand opening, families can enjoy a bouncy house, a dunk tank, a petting zoo and more. RSVP here. 11 a.m. June 7. For info: ourhouseshelter.org. FREE!
8. "The Compleat Wrks of Wllm Shkspr (Abridged)" at Arkansas Repertory Theatre: Life is short. The complete works of Shakespeare are long. Now all of the bard’s most familiar pieces are condensed into one hilarious roller- coaster spoof! Audiences will see all of Shakespeare’s plays, reduced in madcap fashion, in less than two hours. Ticket prices vary. Performances are June 4-29: 7 p.m. Wed., Thu. & Sun.; 8 p.m. Fri. & Sat.; and 2 p.m. Sun. For info: (501) 378-0405, therep.org.
9. Child Safety Fair at Conway Expo Center: The Conway Police Department presents this family event to bring awareness to safety issues. Law enforcement agencies, fire departments, MEMS, and service agency representatives will be on-hand to visit with guests. Kids and their families will enjoy food, fun activites and pick up safety materials and child identification kits while at the event. Giveaways and doorprizes, such as Samsung Galaxy tablets, bikes and more! 10 a.m.-3 p.m. June 7. For info, click here. FREE!
10. Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre Season Opening at Hendrix Village in Conway: The Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre summer series begins June 5 with "The Two Gentlemen of Verona," a tale of two friends divided by love. The pay-what-you-can production is an outdoors performance that will appear both at the Hendrix Village in Conway and the Laman Library in North Little Rock. The season continues with several more productions in June, including two family-friendly offerings: "Pippin" from June 11-27 and "The Comedy of Errors" from June 24-28. Ticket prices vary. For info: arkshakes.com.
For more events, browse our full online calendar here.