The mother of all months
May is the month to pucker up for sour pickles and other things to plant a kiss on: crawfish, steaks, barbecue and toads. Best leave it to the Queen of May to kiss a toad on the first of the month, May Day. The bedazzled amphibian just may turn into a prince — or better yet, maybe a prince with a margarita.
1 Mother Goose Day, National Hamburger Month. Jack Sprat could eat no fat, His wife could eat no leans, And so she dined on Whoppers, While he pounded down the greens.
OFF TO A GOOD TART
2 National Vinegar Month. Little Jack Horner sat in a corner, Eating a vinegar pie;
He stuck in his tongue, and pulled it out numb,
And said, “Whu’tha goo’th boy am I.”
OM, OM ON THE RANGE
3 Garden Meditation Day. Mistress Mary, quite contrary, How does your garden grow? With daisies drooped,
And pansies ’ooped,
And pretty weeds all in a row.
ABOUT A SPROUT
4 Lettuce Grow celebration of National Salad Month with foods, crafts, greenhouse tours, 6:30-9:30 p.m. at St. Joseph Center of Arkansas, North Little Rock. Details at stjosephcenter.org. Call (501) 993-4560.
HOPPINESS IS A WARM TADPOLE
Toad Suck Daze with Marty Stuart, LANCO, through May 6, downtown Conway. Details at toadsuck. org. Call (501) 327-7788.
MUDBUG HUGGA-BUGGA
Downtown Crawfest, crawfish and other eats through May 5, Arkadelphia. Details at ark a delphi ac raw fest. wordpress. com. Call (870) 246-5542.
VROOM-PAH-PAH
Steel Horse motorcycle rally through May 5 in Fort Smith. Details at thesteelhorserally.com. Motorcycle Memories exhibit through June 2 at Fort Smith Museum of History. Details at fortsmithmuseum.org.
OOM-PAH-PAH
International Tuba Day celebrates the band instrument equivalent of a motorcycle.
YOU GO, AMIGO
5 Cinco De Mayo. The history behind this Mexican holiday is complicated, especially after a margarita.
REVEAL A TEQUILA
Rock City Margarita Festival, 4-7 p.m. at Heifer Village and Urban Farm,
Little Rock. Details at stubs.net.
WOOD, YOU BE MINE
North Arkansas Woodcarvers Show and Sale through May 6 at Baxter County Fairgrounds, Mountain Home.
Details at northarkansaswoodcarvers.org.
BUTTON, BUTTON WHO’S GOT THE CALL BUTTON?
6 Nurses Week and championship getwell-quick races.
BARBECUE I ’CUE
7 National Barbecue Month. The word “barbecue” comes from: (A), “Barbie,” Australian word that means the shrimp fell through the grates; (B) “Barbacoa,” Haitian or Spanish for a wood frame used for roasting meat, or (C) “Barbarian,” expression applied to the use of ketchup on barbecue. Answer at May 20.
HEY, TEACH
8 National Teacher Day — because nobody has more class than a teacher.
TEACHABLE MOMENT
Motorcycle Safety Month — because the guy who clowns around on his bike is a Harley-quin.
WELL TAUGHT
Young Artists Exhibition representing kindergarten through 12th grade statewide, through July 22 at Arkansas Arts Center, Little Rock. Details at arkansasartscenter.org. Call (501) 372-4000.
TAKE A SEAT, BUT BRING IT BACK
9 National Receptionist Day will see you now.
GET A GRIP
The Secret Life of Suitcases puppet show, 6:30 p.m. at Walton Arts Center, Fayetteville. Details at waltonartscenter. org. Call (479) 443-5600.
DEVIL CAME DOWN
10 Charlie Daniels Band, 7 p.m. at
Walton Arts Center, Fayetteville. Details at waltonartscenter.org. Call (479) 443-5600.
LETTIN’ THE NIGHT ROLL
11 Justin Moore, 7:30 p.m. at First Security Amphitheater, Little Rock. Details at verizonarena.com. Call (800) 745-3000.
TROLLEY WOLLY DOODLE
Second Friday Art Night includes trolley rides, World War I living history
at the Old State House Museum. Details at 2 nd friday art night. org. Call (501) 3750121.
FAMILY FEUD
Drama Stick Fly through May 12 and weekends through May 26 at the Weekend Theater, Little Rock. Details at weekendtheater.org. Call (501) 374-3761.
INDY RELEASE
12 Raiders of the Lost Ark: In Concert, Arkansas Symphony Orchestra
performance of the movie score, 7:30 p.m. May 12 and 3 p.m. May 13 at Robinson Center, Little Rock. Details at arkansassymphony.org. Call (501) 666-1761.
MOM HAS HER DAY
13 Mother’s Day, and salute to all mothers including: Georgia O’Keeffe, the mother of modernism. (See May 26.). Substance that turns
alcohol into acetic acid, the mother of vinegar. Necessity, the mother of invention.
MOM RINGS THE BELL
Mother’s Day Bell Choir Concert, 3 p.m. at Garvan Woodland Gardens, Hot
Springs. Details at garvangardens.org. Call (501) 262-9300.
MOM FLOATS THE BOAT
Mother’s Day lake cruises at Pinnacle Mountain State Park near Little
Rock. Details at arkansas.com. Call (501) 868-5806.
MOM TAKES THE CAKE
Mother’s Day buffet at Ozark Folk Center State Park, Mountain View. Details
at ozarkfolkcenter.com. Call (870) 2693851.
MAKIN’ MOMMA PROUD
Chicago, 7:30 p.m. at Verizon Arena, North Little Rock. Details at verizonarena.
com. Call (800) 745-3000.
HANDLEBAR CODE
14 National Bike Week demonstrates the reason why more people don’t ride unicycles.
MILK RUN
15 How to celebrate National Chocolate Chip Day asks how many chips would a chipmunk chomp if
a chipmunk would chomp chips.
STROKE AN OAK, SHINE A PINE, BESEECH A BEECH
16 National Love a Tree Day programming, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. at Pinnacle Mountain State Park near Little Rock. Details at arkansas.com. Call (501) 868-5806.
TOE-TO-TOE
17 Arkansas Festival Ballet performance, Beauty and the Beast, through May 20 at Arkansas Arts Center Children’s Theatre, Little Rock. Details at arkansasdance.org. Call (501) 227-5320.
‘CUKE
18 Picklefest, pickle eating and pickle juice drinking through May 19, Atkins. Details at peopleforabetteratkins.org. Call (479) 747-0122.
ROCK ME, CRAWDADDY
Crawdad Days Festival through May 19, Harrison. Details at
crawdaddays.org. Call (870) 741-2659.
SHE HAD FUN, FUN, FUN ’TIL HER DADDY TOOK THE T-BONE AWAY
Magnolia Blossom Festival and World Championship Steak Cook-Off through May 19, Magnolia. Steak grills fire up May 19. Details at blossomfestival.org. Call (870) 234-4352.
GO-GO GYRO
International Greek Food Festival through May 20 at Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church, Little Rock. Details at greekfoodfest.com. Call (501) 221-5300.
SPRING SPRANG SPRUNG
Springfest arts and crafts through May 19, Heber Springs. Details at downtownhebersprings.com.Call (501) 270-2204.
STUCK IN HIS THUMB, AND PULLED OUT A STRUM
19 Arkansas State Championship Thumbpicking Guitar Contest, 1-5 p.m. at Ozark Folk Center State Park, Mountain View. Details at ozarkfolkcenter.com. Call (870) 2693851.
BBQ-AND-A
20 Meat-and-greet quiz answer: (B), according to Texas Monthly. Texas claims to know something about
barbecue, but only because of brushing up against Arkansas.
TWIN EXHAUST
21 GEMINI (May 21-June 21): Is today your birthday? If so, then double up with look-alikes Drew Carey, 60 on May 23; Stevie Nicks, 70 on May 26, and Sherlock Holmes creator Sir Author Conan Doyle, born May 22, 1859. “It is the unofficial force—the Baker Street Irregulars.” — Sherlock Holmes.
PALE, PALE, THE GANG’S ALL HERE
22 How to celebrate World Goth Day: black and white and dread all over.
ONE-A-PENNY, TWO-A-PENNY
23 Lucky Penny Day. Got a penny to spend? Good luck with that.
SLIME SUBLIME
24 National Escargot Day greetings delivered by snail-mail.
RIVER UP
25 Riverfest music festival through May 27 with Young the Giant, Kip Moore, Echosmith at Riverfront Park, Little Rock. Details at river fest arkansas. com.
SOUTHERN ARTISTS DRAW WITH A DRAWL
Delta Exhibition by artists encompassing the Mississippi Delta Region, through Aug. 26 at Arkansas Arts Center, Little Rock. Details at arkansasartscenter.org. Call (501) 3724000.
GEORGIA ON MY WALL
26 The Beyond: Georgia O’Keeffe and Contemporary Art exhibit through Sept. 3 at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville. Details at crystalbridges.org. Call (479) 418-5700
SHORE SHOOTIN’
27 Memorial Day fireworks at dark over Lake Hamilton, Hot Springs. Details at hot springs.org. Call (501) 321-2027.
THE MONDAY FOR PEOPLE WHO DON’T LIKE MONDAYS
28 Memorial Day.
MIGHT AS WELL SING ABOUT IT
29 Comedy Menopause: The Musical through July 7 at Murry’s Dinner Playhouse, Little Rock. Details at murrysdp.com. Call (501) 562-3131.
A PLOT DEVELOPS
30 Mystery Photograph Month, Month. National See here, Watson. To the observant eye, this photograph solves the puzzle. We have a clear picture of the photographer’s thumb, and all we need do is find the rest of him.
COCONUT WHAT’S-WHAT
31 National Macaroon Day celebrates the original big mac.
Coming next month: June! Write to Ron Wolfe at rwolfe@arkansasonline.com
by May 15 to suggest June calendar entries or how to celebrate June as Aquarium Month, such as: sing along with the Three Little Fishies that go, “Boop boop dit-’em dat-’em what’em-choo!”All entries require a Web address and/ or phone number that is answered during business hours.