May is the month of mayhaws, mayflies, Mayfest and mother-may-I. The merry month of warm May weather is when Meriwether Lewis and William Clark went sightseeing. Sights that may be seen this month: mudbugs and May baskets of magnolia blossoms, Mustangs and many moussed manes for meditators to mull over.
1 May Day. Mother Goose Day, National Moving Month.
Little Boy Blue,
Come load your stuff;
Your horn and your haystack,
And that's not enough;
Your sofa and curtains,
And knickknacks and socks;
There's only one problem:
He can't find a box.
Ready to rumm-rumm-ble
Steel Horse Rally music and bike parades through May 2, Fort Smith. Details at thesteelhorserally.com. Call (479) 414-3775.
"Motorcycle Memories" exhibit through Aug. 30 at the Fort Smith Museum of History. Reception 11 a.m.-1 p.m. May 2. Details at fortsmithmuseum.org. Call (479) 783-7841.
Hoppy days are here again
Toad Suck Daze, toad races and carnival through May 3, Conway. Details at toadsuck.org. Call (501) 327-7788.
Go, dog, go!
MacArthur Park 5K run, 7 p.m., and family fun run with dogs included, 7:10 p.m. from the MacArthur Museum of Arkansas Military History, Little Rock, benefits the park. Details at macarthurparklr.com. Call (501) 376-4602.
History AR. Us
Arkansas Heritage Month and events including kickoff and poster unveiling, 11 a.m. at Trapnall Hall, Little Rock; and 25th anniversary events at the Delta Cultural Center, Helena. Details at arkansasheritage.com. Call (501) 324-9150.
Plays' the thing
• Rogers Little Theatre production The Other Place, through May 3 and May 7-10 at the Victory Theatre, Rogers. Details at rogerslittletheater.org. Call (479) 631-8988.
• Rainmaker through May 16 at Murry's Dinner Playhouse, Little Rock. Details at murrysdp.com. Call (501) 562-3131.
• Royal Players Production, To Kill a Mockingbird, through May 3 at the Royal Theatre, Benton. Details at theroyalplayers.com. Call (501) 315-5483.
Fair's faire
2 Argenta Arts Festival, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., downtown North Little Rock. Details at argentaartsdistrict.org. Call (501) 993-1234.
Mini Maker Faire, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. at Arkansas Regional Innovation Hub, North Little Rock. Details at makerfairenlr.com. Call (501) 907-6570.
Haw inspiring
Mayhaw Festival, bluegrass music and chicken cookoff at Newton House Museum, El Dorado. Details at soarkhistory.com. Call (870) 862-9890.
Bands on the run
Spring Music Festival, beginning at 9 a.m. at Quality Living Center car wash, Little Rock, benefits substance abuse treatment. Details at qualitylivingcenter.net. Call (501) 663-3490.
Can 'do attitude'
3 Arkansas Hair Convention, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. at the Statehouse Convention Center, Little Rock. Details at arkansashairconvention.com. Call (501) 256-5965.
Bop, bop, she-bop
4 International Victorious Woman Month.
• "I can never love a dominant man who's stronger than I am."
-- Wonder Woman
The whole enchilada
5 Cinco de Mayo Mexican party day.
Mermaid on ice: Frozen fish schtick
6 Disney on Ice: Worlds of Fantasy through May 10 at Verizon Arena, North Little Rock. Details at verizonarena.com. Call (800) 745-3000.
Ribs, bibs, rubs, Bubs
7 How to celebrate National Barbecue Month: on the sauce.
Importance of being Ernest
8 Golden Age of Hollywood Reading Retreat through May 9 at the Hemingway-Pfeiffer Museum and Educational Center, Piggott; includes Ernest Hemingway's A Farewell to Arms and the 1932 film version that stars Gary Cooper and Helen Hayes. Details at hemingway.astate.edu. Call (870) 598-3487.
Tinker Bell eats at Wendy's
9 Peter Pan author J.M. Barrie's birthday, 1860.
Strike up the wrist band
Mother's Day Button Bracelet Workshop: how to bring 40 or 50 buttons, leave with just the thing for you-know-who, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. at Plantation Agriculture Museum, Scott. Call (501) 961-1409.
Mom's da bomb
10 Mother's Day.
House calls
Quapaw Quarter Association Spring Tour of Homes, 1-5 p.m., Little Rock. (Candlelight tour and dinner, 5:30-7:30 p.m. May 9.) Details at quapaw.com. Call (501) 371-0075.
Lutefisk risk
11 Minnesota admission day, 1858. Minnesota admits the Land of 10,000 Lakes is really just one lake and 9,999 spatters that Paul Bunyan made when he jumped in the puddle.
Rhyme and reason
12 Limerick Day and limerick writer Edward Lear's birthday, 1812.
The mayflies so well-named for May,
Live only a day, so they say;
And when the day's done,
When they're asked, "Was it fun?"
They answer the text message way -- :)
Can't outlast her,
can't get past her
13 Receptionist Day.
Expedition suppositions
14 Meriwether Lewis and William Clark set off to see what's what, 1804, missing all they could have discovered in Arkansas:
• Bigfoot. Lewis and Clark reported the black-tailed prairie dog as a big find, but only because they never visited Boggy Creek.
• Diamonds. President Thomas Jefferson worried over the cost of the expedition. The explorers could have paid their own way with a stop at Crater of Diamonds State Park.
• Hot water. Lewis and Clark walked hundreds of footsore miles. They never knew the comfort of soaking their piggies in Hot Springs.
Pinch of this, pinch of that
15 Crawdad Days Festival, music and mudbugs through May 16, Harrison at Lake Harrison. Details at crawdaddays.org. Call (870) 741-2659.
There's the beef
Magnolia Blossom Festival through May 16; World Championship Steak Cook-Off, May 16, Magnolia. Details at blossomfestival.org. Call (870) 234-4352.
Condiment comment
Atkins Picklefest, pickle juice and pickle-eating through May 16. Details at peopleforabetteratkins.org. Call (479) 747-0122.
Gingerbread for dessert
Arkansas Ballet Festival production, Hansel and Gretel, through May 17 at the Arkansas Arts Center Children's Theatre, Little Rock. Details at arkansasdance.org. Call (501) 227-5320.
16 Armed Forces Day.
Tamale junction
Jazzlights in the Park, music and tamale cookoff, 1-9 p.m. on the lawn of the Clinton Presidential Center, Little Rock, benefits the Boys and Girls Club of Central Arkansas. Details at jazzlights.com. Call (501) 666-8816.
Rubber ducks in a row
Stueart Pennington Running of the Tubs parade of bathtubs on wheels, 9 a.m., downtown Hot Springs. Details at hotsprings.org. Call (501) 321-2277.
One for the pages
17 Books in Bloom Literary Festival with authors including romance writer Amy Lillard, courtroom thriller novelist William Bernhardt and humorist Roy Blount Jr., noon-5 p.m. at the Crescent Hotel, Eureka Springs. Details at booksinbloom.org. Call (870) 423-5300.
Om, sweet om
18 How to celebrate National Meditation Month: with an open mind.
Bloom with a view
19 The flower for May is the: (A) mayflower, (B) mayhaw, (C) hawthorn, (D) thorn apple, or (E) apple blossom.
Answer at May 27.
Like to teach the world to sing
20 Global Civility Awareness Month.
Twin exhaust
21 GEMINI (May 21-June 21): Is today your birthday? If so, then life is a twin-bill for you, Gemini. Break out the Double Bubble. And the best part? Seconds on the birthday cake. You share this bowl of one-two punch with celebrity double-dippers born this month: Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, May 2; George Clooney, May 6, and Cher, May 20.
Gather by the river
22 Riverfest music and arts festival through May 24 at Riverfront Park, Little Rock, with Sheryl Crow, Sam Hunt, Robert Earl Keen, Kris Allen. Details at riverfestarkansas.com. Call (501) 255-3378.
Yuck, y'all
23 South Carolina Admission Day, 1788. South Carolina admits it's no fair the Palmetto State got the palmetto palm, and Arkansas got the palmetto bug.
Ponies before the cart
24 Mustangs on the Mountain car show, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. at the Museum of Automobiles on Petit Jean Mountain near Morrilton. Details at museumofautos.com. Call (501) 727-5427.
Slime sublime
How to celebrate Escargot Day: slooooooooooooow to the table.
25 Memorial Day.
Happy feat
National Tap Dance Day -- and for dancers born today, tappy birthday.
Hoe-hoe-hoe
26 How to celebrate Gardening for Wildlife Month: with peas for bees, carrots for parrots, okra for okapi, taters for gators, cantaloupe for antelope.
Prickly question
27 Sharp-minded quiz answer: (C) hawthorn and (D) thorn apple, two names for the same -- ow! -- prickly plant.
Salad days
28 National Vinegar Month, lettuce eat.
To have, to have not, and to have pinot
29 Wine and Food Festival, 6:30-9 p.m. at Wildwood Park for the Arts, Little Rock. Details at wildwoodpark.org. Call (501) 821-7275.
Big wheels keep a-turnin'
Monster Trucks through May 30 at Parsons Stadium, Springdale. Details at rodeooftheozarks.org. Call (479) 756-0464.
Uncle! Uncle!
Charlie Wilson with Kem Joe, 8 p.m. at Verizon Arena, North Little Rock. Details at verizonarena.com. Call (800) 745-3000.
Born to bun
30 How to celebrate National Hamburger Month: Make it a dilly.
All over again
Tribute to Johnny Cash concert with the late singer's drummer, W.S. "Fluke" Holland of the Tennessee Three, 7 p.m. at Ozark Folk Center State Park, Mountain View. Details at ozarkfolkcenter.com. Call (870) 269-3851.
Arkansas Hospice Bargain Bazaar, 7 a.m.-4 p.m. at Apostolic Church, North Little Rock, benefits Seke Rural Hospice in Zimbabwe. Details at arkansashospice.org. Call (501) 748-3333.
Go ahead -- make his cake
31 Clint Eastwood's 85th birthday.
Lilt-a-whirl
Hot Springs Music Festival through June 13 at various venues, downtown Hot Springs. Details at hotmusic.org. Call (501) 623-4763.
Coming next month: June! Call (501) 399-3633, write to Ron Wolfe, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, 121 E. Capitol Ave., Little Rock, Ark. 72203, or email
by May 15 to suggest June calendar entries or how to celebrate June as Fight the Filthy Fly Month, such as: slap-happy. Each event requires a phone number that is answered during business hours, or by an answering machine that identifies the event or its sponsor.
Style on 04/28/2015