April calendar

A slew of things to add to your crew’s queue

april lead
april lead

April is the cruelest month of taxes due. But then, too: eggs dyed blue, warm spring dew, space invaders (ew-w!), gumbo roux and trains -- whoo-whoo!

1 April Fool's Day, National Humor Month and -- splat! -- Fresh Florida Tomato Month.

Hole everything

2 TheatreSquared stages the comedy, Superior Donuts, through April 26 at Walton Art Center's Nadine Baum Studios, Fayetteville. Details at theatre2.org. Call (479) 443-5600.

Gone South

The Mulligan Brothers and fried chicken dinner, 7 p.m. at Wildwood Park for the Arts, Little Rock. Details at wildwoodpark.org. Call (501) 821-7275.

It's Barbie's little sister -- Kipper!

Hans Christian Andersen's birthday, 1805 -- a reminder of why sailors kept their distance from mermaids: fish breath.

Screened in

3 Ozark Foothills Filmfest through April 4 and April 10-11 at Independence Hall, University of Arkansas Community College, and other venues, Batesville. Details at ozarkfoothillsfilmfest.org. Call (870) 251-1189.

Window dressing

4 How to celebrate National Decorating Month: with a 21-nail-gun salute

5 Easter Sunday.

Community Easter Sunrise Service, 7 a.m. at First Security Amphitheater, downtown Little Rock. Details at communitysunriseservice.com. Call (501) 664-3600.

Bunny trial

National Landscape Architecture Month offers reward for information leading to arrest of the party(s) responsible for littering the lawn with colored eggs.

Dying to have the last word

6 Plan Your Epitaph Day, and how to go with style:

• "Excuse my dust." -- Dorothy Parker

• "That's All Folks." -- voice of Porky Pig, Mel Blanc

• "She did it the hard way." -- Bette Davis

Words worth 1,000 pictures

7 Poet William Wordsworth's birthday, 1770. National Poetry Month. Car Care Month.

The ice is gone, the streets are free,

My car starts on the first try --

Whee!

Come spring, my head

With sneezing fills,

But who could blame

The daffodils?

Rock star

8 April's birthstone is found in Arkansas, namely: (A) quartz, (B) diamond or (C) a chunk of ice left over from never-ending winter 2015.

Answer at April 25.

Delta Symposium and Delta Flix Film and Media Festival through April 11 at Arkansas State University, Jonesboro. Talk by documentary filmmaker Beth Harrington (The Winding Stream: The Carters, the Cashes and the Course of Country Music), 2:30 p.m. April 9 at Reng Student Union. Details at astate.edu/a/asunews. Call (870) 972-3043.

Me-oh-my-oh

9 Ragin' Cajun Bash and crawfish boil, 6-9 p.m. at River Market Pavilions, downtown Little Rock, benefits CARTI. Details at carti.com. Call (501) 296-3406.

Hart-to-heart

10 Comedian Kevin Hart, 7 p.m. at Verizon Arena, North Little Rock. The show is sold out. Details at verizonarena.com. Call (800) 745-3000.

• "You gonna learn today." -- Kevin Hart

These little piggies

Hogskin Holidays and pork cook-off through April 11, Hampton. Details at hogskin-holidays.com. Call (870) 798-2100.

Cloud atlas

Ozark Mountain UFO Conference through April 12 at Inn of the Ozarks Convention Center, Eureka Springs. Details at ozarkufoconference.com. Call (479) 738-2348.

Canoe attitude

"White River Memories: 700 Miles Listening" exhibit of art and memorabilia related to the river, based on photographer and naturalist Chris Engholm's canoe travels, through July 25 at the Butler Center Galleries, Little Rock. Details at facebook.com/whiterivermemoirs. Call (501) 320-5790.

Redo ado

11 Re-Fashion Bash with fashion and art shows that feature recycled materials, 5 p.m. at the Benton Event Center, Benton, sponsored by Saline County Regional Solid Waste Management District. Details at salinecountyrswmd.com. Call (501) 776-2533.

Track meet

Railoadiana Show and Sale, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. at the Arkansas Railroad Museum, Pine Bluff. Old-time train enthusiasts wore straw hats, as some still do -- headgear that signals a toot to April being Straw Hat Month. Call (870) 535-8819.

Headlight headliners

Car and Truck Show, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. at Goodsell Truck Accessories, Jacksonville, benefits the Boys & Girls Club of Jacksonville. Details at goodselltruck.com. Call (501) 982-2245.

'Tique talk

Antique Alley Arkansas Antique Show through April 12 at Conway Expo Center, Conway. Details at antiquealleyarkansas.com. Call (501) 230-5728.

Comfort zone

Mac 'N' Cheese Mania cook-off and festival, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. at War Memorial Stadium, Little Rock. Details at facebook.com/macncheezmania. Call (501) 666-2813.

Syncopation motivation

12 How to celebrate Jazz Appreciation Month: like Ice Cream Month in July -- with cool licks.

Call for change

13 Five-and-dime-store merchant F.W. Woolworth's birthday, 1852.

• "Super Jumbo Banana Split, 39 cents." -- Woolworth's lunch counter menu, 1957

Tofu whoop-de-doo

14 How to celebrate National Soyfoods Month: Would it hurt to call your edamame mommy?

Old times not forgotten

Let Freedom Ring bell-ringing ceremony, 1 p.m. at the state Capitol, Little Rock, celebrates passage of the 13th Amendment that abolished slavery -- part of the Arkansas Civil War Sesquicentennial Commission's statewide observance. Details at arkansascivilwar150.com. Call (501) 324-9886.

10-40 sortie

15 Income tax cough-it-up-or-else day.

Taxing situation

Stress Awareness Month. Who knew?

Phews in the news

16 How to celebrate Garlic Day: like fireworks, from a safe distance.

Net prophets

17 Powershares: Tennis Legends in Little Rock with John McEnroe, Andy Roddick, Jim Courier and Mark Philippoussis 7 p.m. at Jack Stephens Center, University of Arkansas at Little Rock. Details at powersharesseries.com. Call (501) 565-8257.

Strong to the finich

18 Alma Spinach Festival at Alma City Park and Community Center. Details at almachamber.com. Call (479) 632-4127.

Fair's Fair

Saturday's Fair, games and music, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. at Hughes Community Center, Russellville, benefits Arkansas Hospice River Valley Home. Details at arkansashospice.org. Call (479) 498-2050.

Ka-bob and ker-plunk go get 'em mud bugs

Turkish Food Festival, 11 a.m.-7:30 p.m. at Raindrop Turkish House, Little Rock. Details at turkishfoodfest.com. Call (501) 223-2155.

Hot Springs Gumbo and Crawfish Festival, 2-6 p.m. at Hill Wheatley Plaza, Hot Springs. Details at hsgumbofest.com. Call (501) 321-2835.

Barter starter

Trade Days swap meet, 8 a.m.-2 p.m. at the Plantation Agriculture Museum, Scott -- first in a series of meets the third Saturday each month through September. Call (501) 961-1409.

Postcard: the original tweet

19 National Card and Letter Writing Month revives the ancient art of communicating on actual paper. Good idea? Share your views via Twitter and Facebook.

India Fest. 11 a.m.-7 p.m. at River Market Pavilions, Little Rock. Details at indiafestar.com. Call (501) 404-8939.

Matador: the other guy with a red cape

20 TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Is today your birthday? Honk if you love horns. Paw the ground, El Toro -- bull your way to success. You share this birthday month with celebrities in the china shop Jackie Chan, April 7; Queen Elizabeth, April 21; and Willie Nelson, April 29.

Send in the scones

21 Downton Abbey Afternoon Tea: tea, scones and British etiquette with chef Suzanne Campbell, 5:30 p.m. at Pulaski Tech Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management Institute, Little Rock. Details at lifelong.pulaskitech.edu. Call (501) 907-6670.

Hire and higher

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Spring Job Fair, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. at the Statehouse Convention Center, Little Rock. Details at jobfair.arkansasonline.com. Call (501) 378-3807.

Global reminder

22 Earth Day -- and would it hurt to call Mother Nature?

Who, who, who wrote the book of love?

23 Arkansas Literary Festival through April 26 with guests including John Waters at the Central Arkansas Library System's Main Library campus and other venues, Little Rock. Details at arkansasliteraryfestival.org. Call (501) 918-3098.

Measure by the foot

Little Rock Wind Symphony concert, Symphonic Dances, including music from West Side Story, 7:30 p.m. at Second Presbyterian Church, Little Rock. Details at lrwindsymphony.org. Call (501) 666-0777.

Tree cheers

24 Arbor Day.

• "We come, we come with roll of drum." -- Ents' marching song, The Lord of the Rings

Twangs for the memories

The Legend of Robin Hood through May 10 at Arkansas Arts Center Children's Theatre, Little Rock. Details at arkarts.com. Call (501) 372-4000.

To-do list

Cherubini's Requiem, 7:30 p.m. at Christ the King Catholic Church, Little Rock, sung by the Arkansas Choral Society and University of Arkansas at Monticello Concert Choir. Details at lovetosing.org. Call (501) 376-8484.

Springfest arts, crafts and barbecue through April 25, Heber Springs. Details at heber-springs.com. Call (501) 362-2444.

Community Theatre of Little Rock premiere, The Winning Numbers, through April 26 at The Studio Theatre. Details at ctlr-act.org. Call (501) 410-2283.

All be gems

25 No stone unturned quiz answer: (B) diamond. A rolling diamond gathers Kate Moss.

Make a knish

26 Jewish Food and Cultural Festival, breakfast at 8:30 a.m., festival 10 a.m.-4 p.m. at War Memorial Stadium, Little Rock. Details at jewisharkansas.org. Call (501) 663-3571.

Tomb it may concern

Mount Holly Cemetery Spring Picnic, tours, music and wine tasting, 5-7 p.m., Little Rock. Call (501) 666-5470.

Spray tell

27 National Pest Management Month: Bugs in the system.

Cap'n crunched

28 Captain Bligh hears rumblings of mutiny aboard her majesty's ship, Bounty, 1879.

• "Rumble, rumble. rumble. Mutiny, mutiny, mutiny." -- Stan Freeberg.

This brand is your brand

29 Hello. You have reached International Customer Loyalty Month. Your call is very important to us, so please be loyal as you hold, hold, hold. All agents are busy ignoring other customers. You will be cut off in the order in which your call was received. Meantime, did you know you can give up? Contact us quickly and conveniently at aprilfool.haha/it-is-to-laugh.

With a nibble bit of luck

30 Taste of the Valley restaurant sampler at Russellville Depot, Russellville. Details at mainstreetrussellville.com. Call (479) 967-1437.

Me-oh-my-ow!

Louisiana Admission Day, 1812. Louisiana admits that Tabasco sauce doesn't go on everything, but things Tabasco can't improve aren't worth eating.

Coming next month: May! Call (501) 399-3633, write to Ron Wolfe, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, 121 E. Capitol Ave., Little Rock, Ark. 72203, or email

[email protected]

by day-of-deadline, tax day April 15, to suggest May calendar entries or how to celebrate May as National Salad Month and National Vinegar Month, such as: Prove it's possible to catch more flies with vinegar than with honey-mustard. 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 03/31/2015

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