There will be Thunder on the River, May 19-21 in North Little Rock, and it won’t be the work of Mother Nature (at least not all of it, depending on the weather). Riverfront Avenue will be the setting for the rally and organizers expect to have the largest motorcycle parade in the state. A full slate of activities is scheduled for biker enthusiasts, including the Biker Babe Contest, a poker run, bike games, four beer gardens between Riverfront Avenue and Riverfront Park, and a large vendor show.
Some of the merchants that have signed on so far include Stoney Ridge Apparel of West Palm Beach, Florida, one of the largest commercial vendors in the motorcycle industry, Black Jack Leather out of Oklahoma, and America Motor Sports, a nationally known chopper builder from Alma. Also expected to be in attendance are The Black Duck, an airbrush painter from Tampa, Florida; the Factory DuPont Trailer, which will be bringing a chopper motorcycle along with their factory reps and local support teams; and DYNO GUY from Jonesboro, who will provide trophies for the most horsepower and two different classes, v-twins and crotch rockets. Additional dealers are expected to attend.
Food vendors include the reigning Cajun Cooking Champion “Catch In On” out of Southwest Missouri; North Little Rock Lindsey's Hospitality House doing barbecue; LongShot Saloon from Hot Springs, who will bring full barbecue cookers, tents and show team to provide entertainment as well as food, and The Markham Street Grill and Pub of Little Rock, which will offer Mexican fare.
Some of the entertainment acts expected to perform include Midnight Express Southern Rock, MoBetta Country 4 Band, Tedd Capps Blues and Rock, Windell Craig Country, Max Taylor Southern Rock and Blues, Texas Slim and Jim Sushier from Dallas Texas Blues.
Additional information, including lodging and attractions for North Little Rock, can be obtained from the event’s Web site: www.thunderontheriver.org/.
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The 15th annual Crawdad Days Music Fest is set for May 20-21 in Harrison. Events will take place at Lake Harrison and the downtown area.
The event will be from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. on May 20, and from 7 a.m.-10 p.m. on May 21. Numerous activities will be available for the whole family – arts and crafts, carnival midway, 5K Run/Walk, 3-on-3 basketball tournament, horseshoe tournament, volleyball tournament, cardboard boat race, fishing derby, climbing wall, music and entertainment. Food offerings will include fresh boiled crawfish. The Crawdad Days Beauty Pageant will be at 6 p.m., May 20 at the Harrison High School auditorium.
In conjunction with the festival, the Crawdad Days Auto Show and Cruise-In will begin the evening of May 20 with cars cruising the Hardees Drive-in and Auto Zone parking lots. Participants in the auto show will have a poker run on May 21.
Festival admission will be free. For more information, phone (870) 741-2659 or visit www.harrison-chamber.com.
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The 3rd annual Tri-Peaks Challenge Bike Race offers $18,000 in cash prizes. Set for May 20-22, the three-day race will pass over Petit Jean Mountain, Mount Magazine, and Mount Nebo in the Arkansas River Valley.
From the floor of the river valley at 350 feet, racers will climb all three peaks for a total of 5,000 feet of climbing and 160 miles. The challenge consists of eight categories of different age and sex divisions. Sanctioned by the U.S. Cycling Federation, the race is on the 2005 National Racing Calendar. All riders must have USCF membership.
The event will be free for spectators. For entry fee information, visit www.tri-peaks.org or www.usacycling.org, phone (479) 967-3449 or (479) 968-2530, or email Chuck Gordon at chuck@tri-peaks.org.
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More than the scent of the town’s namesake blossoms will be in the air in Magnolia on Saturday, May 21 when the annual World’s Championship Steak Cook-off fires up. Joining the culinary aromas will be the music of Ronnie McDowell, whose career took off following his 1977 tribute to Elvis Presley entitled “The King Is Gone.” McDowell’s Top 10 hits have included “Older Women” and “You’re Gonna Ruin My Bad Reputation.”
The cook-off is the main event of the annual Magnolia Blossom Festival, which is held primarily around the downtown Columbia County Courthouse Square. Preparations for the cook-off will begin at 10:30 a.m. with the parade of the chefs, followed by the lighting of the grills at 4 p.m. Some 50 teams are expected to compete.
At 6 p.m., approximately 3,000 steak dinners will be served. Dinner tickets are $13 and are available in advance through the Magnolia/Columbia County Chamber of Commerce. They will also be available on May 21 at the festival information booth located on the east side of the square. The booth will open at 7 a.m.
Cook-off winners will be announced from the festival’s main stage at 7:15 p.m. The top chef is awarded the Governor’s Trophy and $2,500 in cash. Additional cash prizes will also be awarded. Those wishing to participate as cooks must register by April 29 through the chamber. The $100 registration fee includes dinner tickets.
The festival will begin at noon on May 20 with the opening of a food court and with carnival rides and games on the parking lot of the Central Baptist Church. Both are on the west side of the square and will remain open until 10 p.m. At 6:30 p.m., a gospel music concert will feature The Melody Boys Quartet of Little Rock and two local groups, the Men of Calvary and the Chapel Kneelers.
Other festival events on May 21 include a fishing tournament on nearby Lake Columbia from just before dawn to 2 p.m.; a 5-K run and walk at 8 a.m.; a dog show at 8:30 a.m.; an antique car show from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.; the 55th annual Sidewalk Art Show, an event that gave rise to the festival, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.; live entertainment from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on the east stage; and a motorcycle show from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Food vendors, arts and crafts booths, and carnival rides will be open throughout the day.
General festival admission is free. For contest registrations and more information on festival events, Magnolia lodging and other area attractions, contact the Magnolia chamber toll-free by phone at (800) 482-3330 or by e-mail at magcoc@arkansas.net. The festival Web site is at http://blossomfestival.org.
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Live zydeco music by Jamie Bergeron and the Kickin’ Cajuns of Baton Rouge, La., a gumbo cook-off and all-you-can-eat crawfish dinners will be among the activities at the Mudbug Madness Crawfish Festival set for Saturday, May 21 in Pine Bluff.
The festival will be open from noon to 8 p.m. on the grounds of the Lake View Amphitheater in the Pine Bluff-Jefferson County Regional Park, which is located across U.S. 65-B from downtown Pine Bluff and immediately east of Lake Pine Bluff. Bergeron and his band will perform from 4 to 8 p.m. Attendees are encouraged to bring lawn chairs. Other festival activities will include rides and amusements for children and a rock-climbing wall.
Admission will be $5 for adults and free for children 12 and under, with a separate charge for the dinners. For more festival information, contact Ron Cates by e-mail at ronnie@catesandcompany.com or by phone at (870) 536-8175. Information on Pine Bluff’s lodging, restaurants and other attractions is available by visiting www.pinebluffonline.com or by phoning 1-800-536-7660.
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“The Witness,” a musical passion play about the life and ministry of Jesus Christ as seen through the eyes of the apostle Peter, will celebrate the start of its 25th season in Hot Springs with special Memorial Day weekend performances on May 27-28. The silver anniversary season will continue on Fridays and Saturdays thereafter through Oct. 8.
The opening weekend shows and all other performances through the Labor Day weekend will begin at dusk (approximately 8:30 p.m.). Subsequent performances will begin promptly at 8 p.m. Box seats are $13.50. General admission is $12 for adults, $11 for senior citizens 55 and above, and $6 for children 12 and under. Group discounts and tour packages are available.
The live, outdoor shows are presented in the Witness Amphitheater at Panther Valley Ranch at 1960 Mill Creek Road. To reach the ranch from downtown Hot Springs, travel U.S. 270 east and take the Mill Creek Road/Magic Springs exit. Cross over the overpass toward Magic Springs and go right 100 yards to Mill Creek Road, then turn left and go three miles north on Mill Creek to the ranch.
For reservations and more information, including a schedule with reduced-price promotions, contact Witness Productions at (501) 623-9781 or visit www.witnessproductions.com.
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More than $11,000 in cash prizes will be awarded when the Southwest Arkansas town of DeQueen hosts the 16th annual Tri-Lakes Big Bass Festival on Saturday, May 28 on nearby DeQueen, Gillham and Dierks lakes. Boat checks on each lake will begin at 5 a.m. with fishing to run from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. Anglers may register in advance or at the May 28 boat checks. Last year’s event drew 398 participants.
Prizes will be awarded at hourly weigh-ins on each lake for the top six bass, and over-all prizes will be awarded to the top four bass at 3 p.m. at the Sevier County Courthouse Square, where more than $1,000 in door prizes will also be awarded.
For additional information, including entry fees and early registration details, contact the DeQueen/Sevier County Chamber of Commerce by phone at (870) 584-3225 or by e-mail at dqscoc@ipa.net.