WEEKEND TEN
1 HITMAKERS
R&B group Xscape, on its “Great Xscape Tour” with “special guests” Monica and Tamar Braxton and hosted by NeNe Leakes, performs at 7:30 p.m. Friday at North Little Rock’s Verizon Arena. Tickets are $58-$88, plus service charges. Call (800) 745-3000 or visit ticketmaster.com. See Music Scene on Page 4E.
2 HOP
Two rooms and four DJs make for a lively end to 2017 at Next Level Events, 1400 W. Markham St., Little Rock, where the annual NYE@NLE New Year’s Eve
Celebration rocks out 9 p.m. Sunday-2 a.m. Monday. Tickets are $25 in advance and $40 at the door; $40 and $60 for VIP tickets. Call (501) 376-7700 or visit nextleveleventsinc.com.
3 HARVEY
Murry’s Dinner Playhouse, 6323 Colonel Glenn Road, Little Rock, closes out its run of Mary Chase’s classic comedy
Harvey with performances at 7:30 p.m. today-Sunday. Following that final New Year’s Eve show, they roll back the stage and a DJ plays music for dancing; just before midnight the staff distributes party favors and champagne for the midnight toast, and the buffet reopens for an early breakfast. Doors and buffet open 90 minutes before curtain. Through Saturday, tickets are $35-$37, $23 for children 15 and younger; show only, $25 and $15; tickets are $60 for New Year’s Eve. Call (501) 562-3131 or visit murrysdp.com.
4 HEARTY
The Flying Saucer Draught Emporium,
323 President Clinton Ave., Little Rock, rings in the new year with special beer tappings and shots and music by The Crumbs starting at 8 p.m. Sunday. Cover charge is $5. Call (501) 372-8032 or visit beerknurd.com.
5 HA HA
James Johann headlines this week at the Loony Bin, in the Breckenridge Village Shopping Center, Interstate 430 and North Rodney Parham Road, including two Sunday New Year’s Eve shows — at 7:30 p.m. (seating starts at 6:30, $15) and 10 p.m. (seating at 9:30; tickets, $25, include show, champagne, snacks and party favors and the up-to-midnight countdown). Call (501) 228-5555 or visit lr.loonybincomedy.com.
6 HANDS-ON
Kids who can’t stay up to welcome the arrival of 2018 can celebrate their own way at the Mid-America Science Museum’s Noon Year’s Eve, 9 a.m.-noon Saturday. Activities include getting loud and hands-on in the Alliance Rubber Company Tinkering Studio. Admission to the museum, 500 Mid America Blvd., Hot Springs, is $10, $8 for children 3-12. Call (501) 767-3461 or visit midamericamuseum.org.
7 HAYRIDE
Celebrate the season in the great outdoors on a Holiday Hayride, 3-5 p.m. Saturday at Pinnacle Mountain State Park, 11901 Pinnacle Valley Road, Little Rock. The ride starts at Pinnacle Valley Road east of Arkansas 300 and bounces through the countryside before time with stories and hot chocolate around a campfire. Cost is $15, $8 for ages 6-12 and reservations are required. Call (501) 868-5806 or visit arkansasstateparks. com/pinnaclemountain.
8 HEART HEALTH
Learn what makes people tick at the Arkansas Heart Hospital’s Heart Health
Day 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Friday at the Museum of Discovery, 500 President Clinton Ave., Little Rock. Museum staff and hospital employees will answer questions and lead hands-on activities to teach visitors about the heart and the importance of a healthy lifestyle. Museum admission is $10; $8 for ages 60 and older, children 1-12, teachers, military and Little Rock city employees. Call (501) 396-7050 or visit museumofdiscovery.org.
9 HOT SPRINGS SCREENING
It helps to have connections. Brian Burrough, one of the investors in the animated movie Loving Vincent, brings the film — a look at the world of artist Vincent van Gogh, consisting of 65,000 hand-oil-painted frames, based on van Gogh’s works, subjects and personal letters — for a special single showing, 8 p.m. today at the Maxwell Blade Theatre of Magic (Malco Theatre), 817 Central Ave., Hot Springs. Doors open at 7 for pre-film entertainment that includes music and painting. Tickets are $20 in advance, $25 at the door; a portion of the proceeds benefits the Hot Springs Area Cultural Alliance. Call (501) 545-6960 or visit hotspringsarts.org.
10 HAVE A SEAT
Sunday is the last day to see “The Art of Seating: 200 Years of American
Design,” a collection of 43 chairs designed for form and function, at the Arkansas Arts Center in MacArthur Park, 501 E. Ninth St., Little Rock. Gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. today-Saturday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday. Admission is free. Call (501) 372-4000 or visit arkansasartscenter.org.