Highlights- May 31-June 6
Eureka Springs Blues Festival kicks off tonight
Blues fans will be flocking to Eureka Springs this weekend for the 20th annual Blues Festival, which features headline concerts at The Auditorium and other shows and jams at clubs around town.
Headliners will be Elvin Bishop, best known for his hit single, “Fooled Around and Fell in Love,” slide guitarist Roy Rogers, North Mississippi Allstars, Corey Harris and Boss Hog (Earl and Ernie Cate, Jimmy Thackery and Reba Russell.
The North Mississippi Allstars will take the stage at The Auditorium tonight at 8, followed by Corey Harris for a 1:30 p.m. show Friday and Elvin Bishop at 8 p.m. on Friday. On Saturday, Roy Rogers and The Delta Rhythm Kings will play at 1:30 p.m. with Boss Hog at 7:30 p.m.
In town to perform at clubs will be The Chris Duarte Group, LZ Love, Eric Lindel, Nick Moss, Clay McClinton, Bernard Allison, Randy Beach and Patrick Sweany. In addition, there will be several local and regional acts taking stages around town. Clubs where you’ll be able to catch these more intimate shows include Caribe, Chelsea’s, Basin Park Ballroom, The Pied Piper and the Tiki Torch.
Tickets range from $12.50 up to $180 for a weekend pass and are available at www.theticketplace.org or 479-253-2586.
For a bit of free fun, don’t forget to check out the Eureka Outdoor Market Sunday at One N. Main Street. In addition to fresh vegetables and other tasty foods, there’s a wide array of merchandise for sale from imports to antiques.
Free Concert: Hall & Oates, Kool and the Gang
You can’t miss it—the Wal-Mart shareholders annual meeting is happening this week in Fayetteville and there are folks, busses and private jets everywhere. The event is centered on the University of Arkansas campus and the crowd started arriving for the activities last weekend. This year, Wal-Mart has opened a couple of the free concerts to the public. Tonight you can catch rockers Hall and Oates and Kool and the Gang at an outdoor concert at the parking lot at corner of Sixth Street and Razorback Road just south of the UA campus. Gates open at 5:45 for Wal-Mart affiliates and to the public at 6 p.m.
The Art of Wine
One of the really big events as far as attendance and the number of wine bottles uncorked in NWA is the Walton Arts Center’s annual three-day fundraiser, the Art of Wine, which opens Thursday and continues June 8-9.
World-renowned vintners, hundreds of awarding winning wines and several NWA restaurants will transform the WAC into a wine-lovers paradise.
The first event, The Winemaker’s Dinner, will be at 6 p.m. Thursday with a meal created by Chef Miles James of James at the Mill and hosted by David Hopkins, Winemaker at Bridlewood Winery of Santa Barbara, Calif. Hopkins will lead diners on a wine pairing exploration featuring his signature wines that include the 2005 Viognier, 2004 Roussane, 2004 Arabesque, 2003 Estate Syrah and the 2005 Late Harvest Viognier. Tickets are $150.
The Life is a Cabernet Brunch will be at 11 a.m. June 9 with EJ Gallo representative, Joe Farnan. Guests will learn about wine varieties, food and wine parings, buying, serving and storing wine. Food will be provided by Chef Miles James of James at the Mill. Tickets are $40.
The big event of the Art of Wine Festival is the Grand Tastings, which will be from 6 to 9 p.m. June 8 and June 9. Guest will be invited to taste more than 600 selections of wines from 300 wineries along with food from area restaurants. Tickets are $70 with an additional $45 charge for access to the reserve room where high-end wines will be served.
For tickets call 443-5600.
