FUN
A goat costume contest, goat parade, goat lingerie show and workshops on goat care are all part of the Arkansas Goat Festival, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday at Perryville City Park, 801 Arkansas 10, Perryville. The festival will also feature musical performances by Posey Hill, Howard & Skye, Jonivan Jones, Donnie Lee Strickland and The Boomers, plus an obstacle course, Velcro wall, a dunk tank and a Kid Zone, 140 retail vendors and 23 food trucks. Admission is free. Visit ArkansasGoatFestival.com.
Fiesta en SoMA
Little Rock’s Main Street will be closed between 13th and 14th streets as the inaugural Fiesta en SoMa celebrates Latino cultures “through a captivating fusion of art, music, dance and gastronomy,” according to a news release, in Little Rock’s South Main neighborhood, 4-9 p.m. Friday, at 1301 Main St. The event, focusing on the cultures of Mexico, Chile, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Colombia, Venezuela and Puerto Rico — features more than 60 vendors, food options, a dedicated kid zone, a beverage garden with a bar and soft drink options, a mechanical bull and a 360 camera booth. The entertainment lineup includes DJ Oscar Jimenez and DJ Nica; Ballet Folklorico Reflejos Mexicanos; a Salsa Demo by the dancers of Club 27; and music by eight-piece band Guayuver’z Musical. Mexican Consul Carlos Ignacio Giralt Cabrales will be on hand with a special message. Presenting sponsors are Subaru of Little Rock and Little Rock Convention and Visitors Bureau. Visit SoMaLittleRock.com/FiestaEnSoMa.
MUSIC
River Market Live
The Little Rock Convention & Visitors Bureau’s River Market Live continues through October, with the Funkanites performing at 6-8 p.m. today in the River Market’s pavilions, behind the Ottenheimer Market Hall, 400 President Clinton Ave., Little Rock. Special guest will be the International Council of Corvette Clubs. Ashley Crockett will be the emcee. Admission is free. Alcohol and soft drinks will be sold. Chairs will be provided, but you can take your own. Pets are welcome.
The rest of the October lineup (all performances, 6-8 p.m. in the River Market pavilions):
◼️ Oct. 12: Dazz & Brie
◼️ Oct. 19: Big John Miller Band
◼️ Oct. 26: Bijoux.
Visit littlerock.com/river-market/events.
Quartet concert
The Aizuri Quartet — Emma Frucht and Miho Saegusa, violins; Brian Hong, viola; and Caleb van der Swaagh, cello — performs at 7:30 p.m. today at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral, 310 West 17th St., Little Rock, the season opener for the Chamber Music Society of Little Rock. The program: “Ich stand in dunkeln Träumen” by Clara Schumann, arranged by Karen Ouzounian; the String Quartet No. 4 by Bela Bartok; “Sivunittinni” by Tanya Tagaq, arranged by Jacob Garchik; and the String Quartet in B-flat major, op.76 No. 4, “Sunrise,” by Franz Joseph Haydn. Tickets are $25, free for students of all ages. Visit chambermusicLR.com or email [email protected].
Coterie concert
The Little Rock Musical Coterie offers a program titled “Wanderlust” for its next meeting, 3 p.m. Sunday at Trinity United Methodist Church, 1101 N. Mississippi St., Little Rock. Susan Antonetti, flute; Janice Bengtson, clarinet; and Bob Bidewell, piano, perform the Concertino for Flute, Clarinet and Piano by Ernest Bloch. Antonetti, Bidewell and alto saxophonist Gabriel Womack play “Tribute Trio” by Russell Peterson. Antonetti takes up the piccolo with Summer Pool on flute and Bengtson on clarinet for “Birds” by Herman Beeftink. And narrator Judy Trice joins Antonetti, Womack and Bidewell for a performance of “Fuzzette, the Tarantula” by Robert Muczynski. Admission is free. Call (214) 893-9185.
ART
Peters paintings
“Intention & Intuition,” a solo exhibit of abstract oil and mixed-media paintings by Sammy Peters, the 2023 Arkansas Governor’s Award winner for Artist of the Year, go on display with a 5-9 p.m. Gallery Walk reception Friday at Justus Fine Art Gallery, 827A Central Ave., Hot Springs. Peters will take part in a “Conversation with the Artist” at 11 a.m. Saturday at the gallery. Gallery hours are 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday and by appointment. Admission is free. Call (501) 321-2335 or visit justusfineart.com.
Abstract works
Abstract oil paintings and graphite drawings by Alexandra Giannell, assistant professor of painting and drawing at Utah Valley University, are on display through Nov. 3 in the Kresge Gallery in the Alphin Humanities Building at Lyon College, 2300 Highland Road, Batesville. Giannell will give an artist talk as part of a reception, 5-6:30 p.m. Nov. 2 in the gallery. Gallery hours are 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday, 9 a.m.-7 p.m. Tuesday-Friday. Admission to the reception and the exhibition is free. Visit lyon.edu.
ETC.
Folklore journey
Romina Garber, author of the “Wolves of No World” series, explores the history and magic of Latino folklore, 5 p.m. today in the Laman Loft space at the William F. Laman Public Library, 2801 Orange St., North Little Rock. The session is part of the North Little Rock Public Library System’s celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month. Admission, snacks and beverages are free; seating is limited. Call (501) 758-1720 or visit NLRlibrary.org.
Jonesboro art contest
Jonesboro’s Foundation of Arts is accepting submissions from Northeast Arkansas artists, age 4 and up, Oct. 31-Nov. 3, for “Perspectives,” its annual community art contest. They’re taking any original 2D artwork, matted or mounted, (paintings, drawings, photography, etc.), in two categories: “General” and “Keep Jonesboro Beautiful,” artwork that “convey[s] the way the artist views an aspect of Jonesboro’s current beauty or how one might propose or foresee potential beauty,” according to a news release.
Deliver artworks to the box office of the Forum Theater, 115 Monroe Ave., Jonesboro, between 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Include on the front of each submission the category you’re entering, artist’s full name and artwork title/medium; on the back, provide a phone number and/or email address. The foundation and Keep Jonesboro Beautiful may share photos of your work on social media or websites.
To vote in the competition, take canned goods to the FOA Arts Center, 328 S. Main St., Jonesboro, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Nov. 7-10. The artwork that draws the most cans in both categories wins as a “Community Favorite.” The foundation staff will also select a “Staff Pick” from the General category. The Keep Jonesboro Beautiful Commission will select a “Commission Pick” from that category. Each winner will receive a certificate, two tickets to a forthcoming foundation production and a $50 Hobby Lobby gift card (compliments of The Medicine Shoppe Pharmacy). The winners will be announced before the Nov. 20 performance of “The Nutcracker” at the Forum.
Kaydence French (center) introduces herself and her goat, Hope, to the crowd with help from her grandmother Pamela Laird (left) at the 2019 Arkansas Goat Festival in Perryville. (Democrat-Gazette file photo)
“Territories: Geopoetics of Peripheral Terrains” by Alexandra Giannell is on display at Lyon College in Batesville. (Special to the Democrat-Gazette)
The Funkanites performs today in the River Markets pavilions, opening the October portion of the Little Rock Convention & Visitors Bureaus River Market Live series. (Democrat-Gazette file photo)
“Threshold: impractical; distraction” and “Dependent: observed; boundary” by Sammy Peters go on display Friday at Justus Fine Art in Hot Springs. (Special to the Democrat-Gazette)
Author Romina Garber explores Hispanic folklore today at North Little Rock’s William F. Laman Public Library. (Special to the Democrat-Gazette/Romina Garber)
The Aizuri Quartet — (from left) Brian Hong, viola; Emma Frucht, violin; Caleb van der Swaagh, cello; and Miho Saegusa, violin — performs today at Little Rock’s Trinity Episcopal Cathedral. (Special to the Democrat-Gazette/Titilayo Ayangade)
