Trudging up to the new year with nation’s First Day Hikes
Entertainment, events and the arts in Arkansas:
First Day Hikes
Hikers in state parks in all 50 states will kick off the new year with the annual First Day Hikes.
Some of the 52 Arkansas State Parks will offer guided hikes Saturday and Sunday; others will encourage self-guided walks and hikes. Participating in a guided hike or logging self-guided hikes via a form to be posted Friday at ArkansasStateParks.com/FirstDayHikes will earn hikers a free sticker for each person in your group.
Hikers should “recreate responsibly,” according to a State Parks news release, and remember that:
■ When the parking lot is full, the park is full. Consider planning hikes on less-visited trails or at off-peak times. Consider having a Plan B.
■ Dress for the weather. Wear and take warm layers and sturdy shoes.
■ Take water and snacks.
■ Practice physical distancing — stay six feet away from from hikers who don’t live in your immediate household.
■ Stay on designated trails. Shortcuts cause damage and are unsafe.
■ Practice “Leave No Trace” principles (visit lnt.org).
A few parks are closed New Year’s Day but will be open on Jan. 2. Visit tinyurl.com/ycyh52px.
‘Robin Hood’ auditions
The Arts & Science Center for Southeast Arkansas, 701 S. Main St., Pine Bluff, holds auditions, by appointment only, Jan. 15-16 for performers 10 and older for “The Somewhat True Tale of Robin Hood” by Mary Lynn Dobson, in the center’s Catherine M. Bellamy Theater. Auditions will consist of readings from the script, selections from which will be available at the tryouts, or in advance by emailing
Theater Programs Manager Lindsey Collins at lcollins@asc701.org. Production dates are March 11-13. Register and find a breakdown of available roles at asc701.org/auditions.
‘Weird Al’ in concert
Comedian, singer-songwriter and parodist “Weird Al” Yankovic will make a 7:30 p.m. May 31 stop on his “The Unfortunate Return of the Ridiculously Self-Indulgent, Ill-Advised Vanity Tour” at Little Rock’s Robinson Center Performance Hall, 426 W. Markham St. at Broadway. Tickets are $39-$99 (plus fees) at Ticketmaster.com.
The six-month, 133-show tour starts April 23 in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., and concludes Oct. 29 in New York with Yankovic’s first-ever concert appearance at Carnegie Hall. A complete list of tour dates, including shows in Tulsa and Memphis, is at weirdal.com.
Yankovic, drawing from a catalog of 14 studio albums, will focus primarily on his non-parody material – pastiches and original songs — and promises to deliver a different set list every night, with no two shows the same. Emo Philips will be Yankovic’s opening act.
Yankovic’s tour protocol requires proof of covid-19 vaccination or negative test results within 72 hours of show to enter.