New beginnings
With 2018 comes clean computers, carnations, kazoos, common ground and Cabaret
January is the month of resolutions that come and go like eagles and snowflakes. The 12th Day of Christmas brings it all down to 12 drummers, six wives of Henry VIII, four Beatles, two kazoos, and a raven in a bare tree. 1 Hangover Day, New Year’s Day, National Oatmeal Month. A morning of regret, a day of resolution, a bowl of stick-to-it. First day hikes at state parks throughout Arkansas, including Mount Magazine State Park near Paris, Petit Jean State Park near Morrilton and Queen Wilhelmina State Park near Mena. Details at arkansas.com. Shen Yun Chinese dance performance, 1 and 6 p.m. at Robinson Center Performance Hall, Little Rock. Details at shenyunperformingarts.org. Call (800) 380-8165. Last jazzy day of Stuart Davis in Full Swing art show at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville. Details at crystalbridges.org. Call (479) 418-5700.
CHICKEN NOODLE WENT TO TOWN
2 How to celebrate National Soup Month: Slurp, slurp and away.
SOMETIMES YUKON, SOMETIMES YOU CAN’T
3 Alaska Admission Day, 1959. Alaska admits to a yearning for Gnome, sweet Gnome, where the dawn comes up like tundra.
SOAR SUBJECTS
4 Eagle Tour, 10-11 a.m., and other times and dates throughout January at Lake Dardanelle State Park near Russellville. Details at arkansas.com. Call (479) 967-5516.
DRUMMERS BY THE DOZEN
5 The Twelfth Day of Christmas. All this madness started with a partridge in a pear tree, and he’s still there — afraid to come down. On the twelfth day of Christmas, My true love sent to me: 12 drummers drumming; 11 credit cards billing; 10 orders still lost in the mail; 9 fruitcakes, re-gifted; 8 inflatable Santas, collapsed; And a library overdue fee. 6 National Clean Up Your Computer Month: Because data storage isn’t really a cloud — it’s a closet.
COMPLEX CORTEX CONTEST
7 International Brain Teaser Month. If Dick has an IQ of 120, and Jane has an IQ of 130, how long will it take Dick and Jane together to build a dog house? Answer at Jan. 27.
HUNKA-HUNKA BURNIN’ CAKE
8 Elvis Presley’s birthday, 1935.
SLIP-SLIDIN’ AWAY
9 National Skating Month. Beware of slippery slopes.
VINE TIME HAD BY ALL
10 How to celebrate Houseplant Appreciation Day: with a fracas for the ficus, a ruckus for the crocus, and gala for the gladiola.
CARNATION VEXATION
11 The flower for January is the carnation, but it’s complicated. A red carnation means “I love you,” according to the Old Farmer’s Almanac. White shows regret, and yellow means rejection. And a pink carnation means: (A) Affection, (B) Connection, (C) Rejection, (D) Dejection, or (E) All dressed up for the dance. Answer at Jan. 27.
SWISH-SWISH COMES TRUE
12 Katy Perry, 7:30 p.m. at Verizon Arena, North Little Rock. Details at verizonarena.com. Call (800) 745-3000.
POST TIME
Live horse racing season through April 14 at Oaklawn Racing and Gaming, Hot Springs. Details at oaklawn.com. Call (501) 623-4411.
BITTERSWEET
Drama As Bees in Honey Drown through Jan. 13 and weekends through Jan. 27 at The Weekend Theater, Little Rock. Details at weekend theater.org. Call (501) 374-3761.
BIRD, PASS THE WORD
13 Eagle Awareness Weekend through Jan. 14 at Petit Jean State Park. Details at petitjeanstatepark.com. Call (501) 727-5441. Horatio Alger Jr.’s birthday, 1834. The author penned more than 100 rags-to-riches tales for boys, including Timothy Crump’s Ward; or, The New Year Loan, and What Became of It.
“I mean to turn over a new leaf and grow up ’spectable.” — Horatio Alger Jr.
ALONE ON AN AISLE WITH YOU
14 Democrat-Gazette Bridal Show, 12:30 a.m.-5 p.m. at Statehouse Convention Center, Little Rock. Details at arkansasbridalcommunity.com. Call (501) 378-3807.
DREAM ON
15 Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the federal and state holiday.
UNCLE SALMON WANTS YOU
16 Comedy Greater Tuna through Jan. 20 at Murrys Dinner Playhouse, Little Rock. Details at murrysdp.com. Call (501) 5623131.
TIP-TIPHOORAY
17 Be Kind to Food Servers Month. They feed the feedless.
BANJO MOJO
18 Ozark Mountain Music Festival at Basin Park Hotel, Eureka Springs, with Tall Tall Trees and Carry Nation and the Speakeasy. Details at ozarkmountainmusicfestival.com. Call (888) 388-4776.
JIG’S UP
19 Dublin Irish Dance, 7:30 p.m. at East Arkansas Community College Fine Arts Center, Forrest City. Details at eacc.edu. Call (870) 633-4480.
HOOP-DEE-DOO
Harlem Globetrotters, 7 p.m. at Verizon Arena, North Little Rock. Details at verizonarena.com. Call (800) 7453000.
COME HEAR THE MUSIC PLAY
Broadway musical Cabaret through Jan. 21 at Walton Arts Center, Fayetteville. Details at waltonartscenter. org. Call (479) 443-5600.
POE BOY MAKES GOOD
Edgar Allen Poe’s birthday, 1809; National Popcorn Day. Once upon a day of floppin’, To the kitchen, I went — poppin’,
Poppin’ up a kettle
Of the crunchy snack that I adore,
When my wife, still in her jammies,
Did appear, and did implore:
“Make some more.”
ALWAYS ROOM FOR CELLO
20 Fort Smith Symphony concert, Romantic Echoes with cellist Sang-Eun Lee, 7:30 p.m. at ArcBest Performing Arts Center, Fort Smith. Details at fortsmithsymphony.org.Call (479) 452-7575.
WATER, WATER EVERYWHERE
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Is today your birthday? If so, you’re a deep one, and let that soak in. Aquarians set the trend of everybody carrying a bottled water in case of sudden dry mouth just when a person wants to say, “sassafras.” Make waves with fellow water-bearers Oprah Winfrey, 64, and Tom Selleck, 73, both on January 29.
FIVE O’CLOCK SOMEWHERE
Alan Jackson, 7:30 p.m. at Verizon Arena, North Little Rock. Details at verizonarena.com. Call (800) 745-3000.
EVERYBODY LOVES A NUT
21 Bright-eyed, bushy-tailed Squirrel Appreciation Day.
SQUEEZE AND THANK YOU
National Hugging Day might be a winner, but it’s too close to call.
SWEET EMBRACEABLE YEW
Tree huggers and squirrel huggers find common ground. C’mon, you — get in here.
SPY’LL BE SEEING YOU
22 Seventy-second birthday of the Central Intelligence Agency, spanked to life by President Harry Truman.
STARTING FROM SCRATCH
23 National Handwriting Day underlines Declaration of Independence signer John Hancock’s birthday, 1737.
OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS, TREPIDATION CALLS AHEAD, TROUBLE SNEAKS IN
24 Drama Arkansas The Repertory Call through Theatre, Feb. Little 11 at Rock. Details at therep.org. Call (501) 378-0405. m Theatre2 drama The Humans through Feb. 18 at Walton Arts Center, Fayetteville. Details at theatre2.org.Call (479) 443-5600.
DING-DONG, THE BELLS ARE GONNA CHIME, CHIME, CHIME, CHIME …
25 England’s King Henry VIII marries his second of six wives, Anne Boleyn, 1537.
BRUSH DELIVERY
26 “Becoming John Maris: Modernist at Work” exhibit through April 22 at Arkansas Arts Center, Little Rock. Details at arkansasartscenter. org. Call (501) 372-4000.
MANY HAPPY RETURNS
Gen. Douglas MacArthur’s birthday, 1880, in Little Rock. He liked to say he was from Virginia, though — proving the adage that old generals never die, they just move away.
IQ HOODOO
27 Brain has an sprain IQ of 120, quiz and answer: Jane If has Dick an IQ of 130, their combined supergenius IQ of 250 and consequence understanding of the universe will enable them to build a dog house in one big bang.
FLOWER ARRANGEMENT
Carnation translation quiz answer: (A) Affection, but it also takes a white sports coat to put the idea across.
ROLL OVER, BEETHOVEN
Arkansas Symphony Orchestra concert, Tchaikovsky’s Passion, 7 p.m. Jan. 27 and 3 p.m. Jan. 28 at Robinson Center Performance Hall, Little Rock. Details at arkansassymphony.org. Call (501) 666-1761.
WHAT’S THE BUZZ?
28 National Kazoo Day. Goin’ to the zummm-zummm-zummm.
WHAT’S POPPIN’?
29 Bubblewrap Appreciation Day — for those who didn’t find National Kazoo Day annoying enough.
HELLO, GOODBYE
30 The Beatles perform for the last time together on a rooftop in London, 1969.
RUBBA-TUMP-TUB
31 Coming Whoops! Bath next Safety month: — Month. last day February! of National Write to Ron rwolfe@arkansasonline.com Wolfe at by Jan. 15 to suggest February calendar entries or how to celebrate February as Grapefruit Month, such as: like they do in Paris — with an eyeful shower. All entries require a web address and/ or phone number that is answered during business hours.