Arkansas Times - June 15, 2011

ARKANSAS’S SOURCE FOR NEWS, POLITICS AND ENTERTAINMENT ■ JUNE 15, 2011

www.arktimes.com

DRINK UP!

The complete handbook to liquid refreshment in LR. PAGE 10

Operated by

THE INSIDER

Let us drape you in our fabric.

KREBS BROTHERS SINCE 1933

THE RESTAURANT STORE

Homeless shelter n Remember the city of Little Rock’s long search for a day center for homeless people?

Nobody much wants it in their neighborhood. Director Erma Hendrix pitched a fit at Mayor Mark Stodola’s most recent proposal, to convert a vacant commercial building on East Ninth in the warehouse district on the west side of the airport.

So what’s up? Stodola says he now has a roster of three sites to consider, including the one on Ninth Street.

All are in Ward One, Hendrix’s ward, but he says — without elaborating — that one or the other of the new sites has features that might reduce Hendrix’s NIMBY fervor.

The city has some money set aside for the shelter, which is why it’s not listed in priorities in the pending sales tax package.

But the final selection depends in varying degrees on the ability to tap some federal stimulus money under the governor’s control for fix-up money, Stodola says. He promises more specifics soon.

ZAK!

Designs

FIRE UP THE GRILL! mood Enterprise

2410 Glover Street (behind Barbara/Jean, Ltd) (501) 219-1500 • Mon-Fri 8:30-5 Sat & Sun by appointment www.windowworksonline.com

Financial SOLUTIONS, INC

spoons BBQ Sauces And Accessories Now In Stock 4310 Landers Road • North Little Rock, AR 72117

(501) 687-1331

www.krebsbrothers.com • M-F 8-5 Sat. 9-5

Promises, promises n Speaking of promises: Mayor Stodola says he’s sensitive to civic activist Jim Lynch’s argument that some of the needs in the city tax package wouldn’t have been so great had Little Rock historically imposed development impact fees that pulled in money on new construction to offset the cost of infrastructure expansion — police, fire, sewers, parks.

He said the Wastewater Utility has an impact fee proposal in the works and that he also plans soon to open a discussion on impact fees. Again, no details to report, just the pledge.

Opening with an oops n Alice Stewart, the former TV news reporter and Huckabee press aide, abruptly decamped from the top press job under Secretary of State Mark Martin last Friday to join the emerging presidential campaign of U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann. Stewart inaugurated her press role with a post on Twitter that said Bachmann had filed campaign paperwork.

She misspelled Bachmann’s first name, with two ls. Presumably, they’ll get to know each other better. www.arktimes.com • JUNE 15, 2011 3

Smart talk

Contents BRIAN CHILSON

Chickenfightin’

THE TRIO: Ellen, Jewel and Zina.

Trunk line communication n Though it might seem rude to us, Ellen the elephant has been getting to know her new companions at the Little Rock Zoo by putting her trunk in their ears and mouth and smelling their feet.

Zina (pronounced to rhyme with Dinah) and Jewell, former residents of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey Center for Elephant Conservation in Florida, arrived at the Little Rock Zoo last Tuesday. They will provide companionship to Ellen after the death of the zoo’s other elephant, Mary, a few weeks ago. But not right away. Handlers won’t let allow Ellen and the new residents (who are old friends) into the same pen until they’re sure they’ll get along, judging by sounds the animals make and the way they’re touching each other.

Jewell, 60, and Ellen, 62, seem to be getting along. Both Zina, 50, and Ellen are dominant personalities — “hard-headed,” handler Britt Thompson said — so it may take them longer to sort things out. All are Asian elephants.

Thompson sat up all night in the barn with Zina and Jewell their first night at the Zoo to “make sure they had what they needed.”

When the elephants become accustomed to one another, they’ll take their early morning walks around the Zoo grounds together, where Ellen will perhaps introduce them to two animals she particularly likes to visit, B.J. the giraffe and Sue the white rhinoceros.

Not charitable — maybe n The Internal Revenue Service announced last week that it has revoked the tax-exempt status of 2,560 Arkansas non-profit organizations that failed to file their required tax forms for three years running. That means gifts made to these charities will not qualify the donor for a tax deduction. The Arkansas charities that lost their tax-exempt status are among 275,000 non-profits nationally that failed to report to the IRS. A list of Arkansas non-profits that have

n Free speech advocates are squawking over the City of Little Rock’s decision to turn down a permit for a public protest sculpture by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.

The permit would have allowed PETA to plant a 5-foot5-inch statue of a wounded cartoon chicken on the public right-of-way near the McDonald’s on 7th and Broadway. The statue (seen above) is part of PETA’s campaign against what they say are inhumane methods of slaughtering the chickens consumed at McDonald’s restaurants. The statue bears the slogan: “McCruelty: I’m hatin’ it,” and features a logo of a bloody chicken hanging from two golden arches.

Little Rock City Attorney Tom Carpenter told PETA that while the city has no problem with the theme of the statue, the statue itself — which weighs over 100 pounds, would not be anchored down and would be left unattended on the sidewalk for days — would be too much of a public safety concern. In response, PETA’s attorneys fired back that the statue has been displayed without incident in other cities, including Raleigh, N.C., where it was installed on a public street for a month.

We would say PETA should try letting their statue roost in Springdale next, but something tells us that would fly about as well as the fowl they’re trying to save.

lost their status can be found at irs.gov/charities.

The IRS release said the agency believes that most of the nonprofits that have lost their exemption are defunct. A random check of the list of Little Rock charities came up with one mistake: The Firefighters Foundation of Little Rock, at 2228 Cottondale Lane, which says it is up to date on its electronic 990-N (for foundations with receipts less than $50,000 annually). The foundation accountant is contacting the IRS to fix the error. Feel free to write them a check, which goes to scholarships.

8 Pulaski County

Payroll

See salary and employment information on more than 1,100 county workers.

— By Arkansas Times Staff

10 Cocktail compass

Let our Bar Guide steer you in the right direction for your next night out. — By Arkansas Times Staff

25 Arkansas opera

in the Big Apple

Bonnie Montgomery preps ‘Billy Blythe,’ her opera about the childhood of Bill Clinton, for a New York City debut.

— By Kyle Brazzel

DEPARTMENTS

3 The Insider

4 Smart Talk

5 The Observer

6 Letters

7 Orval 8-21 News

22 Opinion

25 Arts & Entertainment

42 Dining

45 Crossword/ Tom Tomorrow

54 Lancaster Cover illustration by Bryan Moats.

Words VOLUME 37, NUMBER 41

n ‘Those who would like to see him return to power, including the vice president and aides with him in the hospital in Riyadh, portray him as in fine mettle and expected to return to Sana, the capital.”

The Yemeni leader could indeed show his mettle (courage, fortitude) by returning to his disagreement-torn country. But I wonder if the writer here didn’t intend to use the more common expression in fine fettle, in which fettle means “condition, state.” A deposed ruler in fine fettle is raring to resume ruling. n N. M. Norton comments on our June 1 discussion of inductive thinking and deductive thinking: “What the writer you quote says about induction v. deduction — that with the former you can’t be absolutely sure of your 4 JUNE 15, 2011 • ARKANSAS TIMES

Doug S mith doug@arktimes.com

conclusion, where with the latter you can — is true, but he doesn’t say why that is so. The real distinction is that induction reasons from the particular to the general, while deduction goes the other way. So with induction — ‘All the crows we’ve ever seen are black, therefore all crows are black’ — there’s always the possibility you haven’t got all the particulars, like that polka dot crow that is really, really shy. With deduction, you drill down to a particular that you can falsify or not (theoretically; it can depend on the precision of

your measuring stick).

“As I recall, Holmes used both and never minded the difference.” n Dwarf Into Yeti? Dames Invite Yeomen?

“Students wishing to delve deeper into feminist questions had to make do with ‘no-credit study groups,’ strictly D.I.Y. affairs.”

“It’s hardly a surprise that soft drinks have joined the trendy DIY revolution.”

“Instructables is the Biggest How To and DIY community where people make and share inspiring, entertaining, and useful projects, recipes, and hacks.”

A person like me who can’t keep up with all the trendy abbreviations and words might be called a Dangerously Ignorant Yahoo. I finally caught on to DIY. “Gluten” is still a mystery.

ARKANSAS TIMES (ISSN 0164-6273) is published each week by Arkansas Times Limited Partnership, 201 East Markham Street, 200 Heritage Center West, P.O. Box 34010, Little Rock, Arkansas, 72203, phone (501) 375-2985. Periodical postage paid at Little Rock, Arkansas, and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to ARKANSAS TIMES, P.O. Box 34010, Little Rock, AR, 72203. Subscription prices are $42 for one year, $78 for two years. Subscriptions outside Arkansas are $49 for one year, $88 for two years. Foreign (including Canadian) subscriptions are $168 a year. For subscriber service call (501) 375-2985.

Current single-copy price is 75¢, free in Pulaski County. Single issues are available by mail at $2.50 each, postage paid. Payment must accompany all single-copy orders. Reproduction or use in whole or in part of the contents without the written consent of the publishers is prohibited. Manuscripts and artwork will not be returned or acknowledged unless sufficient return postage and a self-addressed stamped envelope are included. All materials are handled with due care; however, the publisher assumes no responsibility for care and safe return of unsolicited materials. All letters sent to ARKANSAS TIMES will be treated as intended for publication and are subject to ARKANSAS TIMES’ unrestricted right to edit or to comment editorially.

©2011 ARKANSAS TIMES LIMITED PARTNERSHIP

FOR INFORMATION OR SUBSCRIPTIONS CALL 501-375-2985

If you watch YouTube at all, chances are you’ve probably run across the video: KARK Channel 4 reporter Isiah Carey, circa 1996, is doing an on-camera report in front of a school when a large grasshopper jumps in his mouth. In an instant, the reporter goes from a newscaster baritone to a full-on rant: spitting, cussing, wiping sweat and telling his cameraman that he’s “dyin’ in this f**in’ country-ass, f***ed up town.” The video went viral about five years ago, and has since been parodied, remixed and Auto-Tuned. On June 7, Carey — now with a Fox affiliate in Houston — and the video were featured on “Tosh.0,” the Comedy Central web clip mockery show, with Carey’s “Newscaster Self” and his “Black Self” appearing together (via editing magic) as co-anchors on a fake newscast. Not quite politically correct, but given that Carey was in on the joke, The Observer got quite a few laughs out of it, anyway.

Just how this Internet Age gem got in the hands of the masses is deliciously low-tech. Around 1997, Little Rock actor, DJ and musician Donovan Suitt — one of the founding members of the Red Octopus comedy troupe, who puts out music via www.ruralwarroom.com — found a mysterious VHS tape on the sidewalk near Vino’s brewpub on Seventh Street in Little Rock. The tape featured a number of video bloopers from KARK news personalities, including sportscaster Steve Sullivan. Four of them, though, were of Carey.

Suitt has since learned from contacts in the news business that the tape was probably shown in-house at KARK parties.

Suitt held onto the tape for almost a decade, showing it to friends from time to time. In June 2006, he edited down some of the bloopers and put them on YouTube (without, he regrets now, watermarking the video with the name of his website). The video was ripped off almost immediately, and has since gone on to pop-culture infamy, with over 10 million hits on YouTube and mentions on Howard Stern, The Jimmy Kimmel Show and now Tosh.0.

To see the original video and more clips from the tape he found, visit Suitt’s Youtube site at: www.youtube.com/user/ bizarremedia.

The Observer called in an airconditioning inspector for a spot of pre-

ventive maintenance. After declaring our aged a/c as prepared as possible, and while filling out the inevitable paperwork, the technician inquired ever so casually if The Observer might be a baseball fan. Why yes, we said. And had we heard of Johnny Sain?

Heard of one of the greatest pitchers ever to come out of Arkansas? You betcha!

“Johnny Sain was my grandfather,” the repairman said, and The Observer thought of baseball seasons long past. Johnny Sain pitched in the first World Series that The Observer can remember, Boston Braves v. Cleveland Indians. “Spahn and Sain and pray for rain,” the verse went, back in the days when Braves fans put their faith only in their two pitching aces. Because of his grandfather, the air-conditioning man said, he’d actually met Warren Spahn, and Mickey Mantle and Henry Aaron and lots more. We forgot to get his autograph before he left.

Out in a gravel-strewn patch of track behind Union Pacific’s Downing B. Jenks locomotive maintenance facility in North Little Rock, a crowd gathered Wednesday morning to await the arrival of the Union Pacific No. 844.

No. 844 is the last steam locomotive ever manufactured by the company. After an interlude of pulling freight and narrowly avoiding the scrap heap, the 844 was selected as the premier attraction of their fleet of historic locomotives. A contest was held, pitting midsized cities west of the Mississippi River against one another in their citizens’ social networking abilities, and Little Rock won a visit.

After around a half hour delay, which included the passing of Union Pacific freight trains, a distant whistle could be heard and smoke seen as the 844 lumbered its way into view. The locomotive, a black cylinder on massive wheels, carting a row of immaculate yellow passenger cars, was emblazoned with GOVERNOR MIKE BEEBE, lest there be any doubt about this train’s engineer-for-a-day. After the train hissed to a stop, Gov. Beebe disembarked and was instantly swarmed, gnat-like, by television cameras.

The photo-op over, the 844’s old-time steam whistle bellowed and brought children in the near vicinity to tears, and the machine trudged south and away from its 15 minutes of local glory. www.arktimes.com • JUNE 15, 2011 5

Letters arktimes@arktimes.com

Pray for CATA It’s an interesting issue of atheists advertising on the bus. I agree that they have the right to do it, but I don’t think that vandalism is the real issue there. I’ve ridden the bus enough to have a feel for the ridership.

What I think that CATA is trying to avoid is a general boycott of the bus system, by a large portion of its ridership. If this issue isn’t resolved soon, it could be attracting national attention.

Gordon Fisher Little Rock

you can’t tell them the price, they think something’s fishy and will go somewhere else.

David E. Dinwiddie Pine Bluff

Boozman’s no conservative

I oppose Senator John Boozman’s Parental Notification and Intervention Act, not on moral grounds, but on grounds of the constitutional principle of federalism.

According to this bill, the federal government presumes to know better how to care for the citizens of each state than the states do. It further presumes a sense of moral superiority on the part of the author

over everybody else in the nation.

Essentially, this bill denies the state of Arkansas the right to determine its own policies in this matter.

Senator Boozman may be a Republican, but he’s certainly no conservative.

Brad Bailey Fayetteville

What’s important Again Arkansas shows where its priorities are: two lottery employees get raises of 20 percent and 8 percent. I have worked for UAMS for almost 23 years, and I have not had a raise for the last 2 years. We were just recently told that we would not get a raise

R

Should’ve been there That The Observer on June 1 waxes rhapsodic over, heaven forbid, “those long, skinny popsicles in plastic sleeves” is prima facie evidence that this outfit remains one of the usual prime suspects. I would hope the rest of the world is glad to join me in the idea that such packaging is the work of the devil, and the elongated thing inside is not enough to wet your whistle.

In the old days, popsicles were a double deal of plenty of ounces of frozen on what else but a pair of popsicle sticks and wrapped in biodegradable paper — a twofer easily parted down the middle for sharing’s sake. Along with a Barq’s Root Beer or cream soda in a sizable longneck returnable glass bottle later in the day, and not to forget fans, and you could make it through summer. Y’all should have been there. You would have learned plenty.

Bill Steinkamp Hot Springs

Legal notices in newspapers

This letter is about how newspapers might stop carrying legal notices.

One reason for the decline of the newspaper industry is that newspapers sell advertising, but aren’t very good at advertising themselves.

If you read a sales circular, they display the product and the price. If you ask a newspaper company the cost of running an ad, they can’t tell you over the phone.

I used to work at a carpet store. If a customer asked how much it cost to carpet their house, I would tell them “between $2 and $5 a square foot.” Yes some carpet costs more and we would be glad to sell it to them.

Back to the topic of legal notices. I agree the city feels gouged because the legal notice section is kind of a monopoly.

I disagree with the argument that 81 percent of people read the whole paper. I read the headlines, a few stories and the funnies.

In closing, I say to the newspapers of America, if you want to increase advertising revenue, be a good salesman and tell the customer how much it costs to advertise. If 6 JUNE 15, 2011 • ARKANSAS TIMES

VICTIM INFORMATION AND NOTIFICATION EVERYDAY

this year either.

Football, basketball and the lottery ... says a lot about what we think is important.

Jo Ann Biedermann Little Rock

He begs a question Clint Miller has no argument with me.

Of course, “to beg the question” is a logical fallacy. Rather than get pedantic, I wrote that it is a way of avoiding the question a particular way. A modern equivalent of the Latin petitio principii, “to beg the question” occurs when a person assumes the correctness of a premise he/she seemingly wants to demonstrate. For example, “Dogs should not be allowed to run loose because attacks on children will increase” assumes that dogs are attacking children when allowed to run loose. It avoids offering proof of its major premise. Mr. Miller’s supposed refutation of my assertion is an example of a straw man argument, equally fallacious.

Stuart Jay Silverman Hot Springs

From the web Referencing “Would they be chagrined, these 19th-century Southern warriors, to find the fatherland today overrun with Yankees?” from Doug Smith’s June 8 cover story “Is Bentonville the new Fayetteville?”

NW Arkansas was a hot bed of strong Unionism during the Civil War. Isaac Murphy and others let this be known when secession was rampantly pursued by the agricultural Delta and southern Arkansas political power brokers of the time. During the War, “Booger County,” (better known today as Madison County) was a beehive of Unionist activity.

Cato

VICTIMS HAVE THE RIGHT TO KNOW

1-800-510-0415 A 24-Hour Toll-Free Hotline for Offender Custody and Court Status Information

TTY 1-866-847-1298

www.vinelink.com

ARKANSAS VINE

VICTIM INFORMATION AND NOTIFICATION EVERYDAY

PROVIDED BY THE: Arkansas Crime Information Center

501-682-2222

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH APPRISS®

This project was supported by Grant No. 2007VNCX0006 awarded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance. The Bureau of Justice Assistance is a component of the Office of Justice Programs, which also includes the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the National Institute of Justice, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, and the Office for Victims of Crime. Points of view or opinions in this document are those of the author and do not represent the official position or policies of the United States Department of Justice.

“Is Bentonville the new Fayetteville?”

Nope. Fayetteville is a perfect example of a college town, and it’s in a wet county. It’s a (fairly) liberal city. There are interesting things to do.

Bentonville is a perfect example of a company town, is in a dry county, is quite conservative, and there ain’t nothing interesting going on. I’m glad it’s there, Walmart is a jobs machine for the area and XNA Airport is much better than FYV (though XNA is at least as overpriced as FYV was). aerotive This article is immersed in liberal innuendo and in some cases ignorance. Northwest Arkansas is successful because of individual effort and the lack of government interference, not because of the writer’s term, “Yankees from the North.” The writer’s obvious affection for Democrats and praise for their inability to understand economic principles accentuates his own bias.

An article honoring accomplishments rather than baiting the reader with negative tones would have served a greater purpose.

Freedom_2011

over 500 Items on sale throughout the store

OVER 400 ITEMS ON SALE THROUGHOUT THE STORE over 500or Items sale colonial SpEcial: Buy any caSE 30-packon of BEEr and rEcEivE onEthroughout 8lB Bag of icE for onE cEnt! the store SpecialS good thru June 21, 2011

SpiritS

Dewar’s Scotch Jim Beam Ketel One Vodka Sauza Silver & Gold Tequila

WinE valuE BuyS

Beringer FE Cab, Chard & Merlot 1.5 Liter Voga Pinot Grigio 750 ml Ferrari Carano Siena 750 ml Bell Sonoma County Brut Sparkling Wine 750 ml

BEErS of thE WEEk

MR Amazin Brewing Those Guys Beer 12pk Cans Shiner Bock 12pk Bottles Chimay Grand Reserve Blue Label 750ml

BESt Buy undEr $10 – 750 ml

Michel Lynch Sauvignon Blanc White Bordeaux Michel Lynch Merlot Red Bordeaux Tarima Monastrell

EvEryday $39.99 $25.99 $48.99 $26.99

SalE $34.99 $21.99 $39.99 $23.99

EvEryday $18.99 $12.99 $29.99 $29.99

SalE $12.99 $9.99 $18.99 $21.99

Come Celebrate Father’s Day with Copelands Indulge Dad with Good Times & Great Food!

pack caSE $6.29 $11.98 $11.99 $22.98 Each $10.49 Everyday $10.99 Everyday $10.99 Everyday $9.99

Sale $8.49 Sale $8.49 Sale $7.99

WinES of thE WEEk – 750 ml

honor competitors’ advertised prices. please bring the ad.

Vina Robles We 2009 Monterey Chardonnay Markham (West of Shackleford on $167.88 Markham) Everyday $18.99 11200 W.This Week $14.99 Case of 12 ($13.99) LittleCabernet Rock 501-223-3120 Vina Robles 2007 Paso Robles Sauvignon • 866-988-vino Everyday $21.99 This Week $16.99 Case of 12 $191.88 ($15.99)

We honor competitors’ advertised prices. please bring the ad.

11200 W. Markham (West of Shackleford on Markham) Little Rock 501-223-3120 • 866-988-vino

Shackleford Crossing • Shackleford & I-430 • 312-1616 www.copelandsrestaurantlittlerock.com www.arktimes.com • JUNE 15, 2011 7

THE WEEK THAT WAS JUNE 8-14 IT WAS A GOOD WEEK FOR…

ALICE STEWART. The former news reporter and Huckabee operative left her job as press secretary for Secretary of State Mark Martin to become the national press spokeswoman for U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann, who recently announced her presidential candidacy.

THE LITTLE ROCK ZOO. Two retired female circus elephants arrived to keep Ellen company. The arrival won’t end complaints of animal rights groups that elephants shouldn’t be housed in zoos, but it does end the argument that it was cruel to keep an elephant, a social animal, alone for an extended period. Ellen’s former companion, Mary, also a former circus elephant, died last month.

IT WAS A BAD WEEK FOR…

ARKANSAS VIRTUAL ACADEMY. The state Board of Education denied a request from the school, which receives state funding to provide education support by computer to home-schooled students, to grow from 500 to 1,500 students. Board members questioned the virtual school’s relatively high administration budget and complained that it doesn’t take bids for competing suppliers of its education software.

UNDEREDUCATED LEGISLATORS. A new study from the Chronicle of Higher Education ranked Arkansas legislators ahead of only New Mexico, Maine, Delaware and New Hampshire in collegiate attainment. According to the study, 60.4 percent of Arkansas legislators have a college degree.

Clarification n In our story in last week’s issue on the LRPD charging $10 for police reports, we quoted Lt. Terry Hastings as saying: “We didn’t just decide to arbitrarily start charging for those. There’s been a city ordinance around forever.” The story implies that Hastings is speaking in reference to all police reports. Hastings said he was only speaking in reference to vehicle accident reports, which were $2 when he joined the force in 1976.

8 JUNE 15, 2011 • ARKANSAS TIMES

The Arkansas Reporter

Phone: 501-375-2985­ Fax: 501-375-3623 Arkansas Times Online home page: http://www.arktimes.com E-mail: arktimes@arktimes.com ■

■­

■

Pulaski County employment data online In the Times new searchable database. n In mid-May, the Times launched a new public data section on its website with a searchable database of the Little Rock government employee payroll (find it at arktimes.com/LRpayroll). It’s a database that we hope to update with other public information as we go along. This week, we launched another section that includes data on employees of Pulaski County (find it at arktimes.com/PCpayroll).

It includes the name, title, department, gender, hire date and pay level of all county employees.

A quick look at the data shows some things one might expect and others that might come as a surprise. For example, Pulaski County Judge Buddy Villines, at $91,592 per year, is paid less than the Pulaski County Detention Center Chief Ran-

dall Morgan ($108,668 per year) and the county’s civil attorney, Karla Hutchens, who pulls down $91,596 a year.

County government wages and salaries seem equitable as far as gender is concerned.

All told, Pulaski County employs 624 women and 645 men (573 of those women hold salaried positions, as do 588 of the men). The median hourly wage for women is actually higher, at $10.50 per hour, than that for the men, who earn a median wage of $10. The numbers on Little Rock employees weren’t quite so even. Men were four times as likely to land salaried positions.

In terms of hourly pay, the median wage for men was $17.71 per hour. The median hourly pay for women is $13.83.

We will be using this and other databases as a source for our reporting in the future,

To spay or to shelter?

Faulkner Co. animal advocates want funds for sterilization.

BY DAVID KOON

n While most counties in Arkansas would likely have to go hunting for funds to spend on animal welfare programs, Faulkner County animal advocates say their county has a different problem: It’s flush with cash set aside strictly for unwanted pets, but no political will to spend it.

Faulkner County has a voluntary program that allows landowners to earmark a percentage of their property tax for animal welfare. Enacted in 2004, the tax program has already taken in over $530,000, money the Quorum Court wants to spend on building an animal shelter. Some animal advocates in Faulkner County, however, say a portion of the money would be better spent spaying and neutering animals to cut down on the number of strays.

Faulkner County Judge Preston Scroggins said the shelter would cost “anywhere from $800,000 to a million dollars.” The voluntary tax program brings in between $70,000 and $80,000 a year, he said. The hope is that the tax will provide the shelter’s yearly operating budget. “There’s none of this going to be cheap,” he said.

If the Quorum Court goes ahead with its plan, Scroggins said, Faulkner will be the only county in the state to own and operate a shelter.

Scroggins said there have been several groups that have come before the Quorum Court and pitched proposals for spay and neuter programs, “but the court just didn’t seem to bite on it.”

Judi Standridge, a volunteer with the Humane Society of Faulkner County and the HSFC’s Companions Spay/Neuter Clinic, said the clinic has performed over 10,000 free sterilizations in four years, paid for by grants. She and others proposed a spay/neuter voucher system, paid for out of the animal welfare fund, to the Quorum Court last summer.

Standridge said the Quorum Court members aren’t schooled on animal welfare issues and what it takes to counter the problem of strays. She adds that the proposal to build a shelter is simply a way to get animal welfare advocates “off their back.”

Standridge said many animal advocates in Faulkner County believe that even if a

Top 10 salaries 1. Randall B Morgan, Chief/Detention Operation, $108,668.82 2. Karla M Hutchens, County Civil Attorney, $91,596.96 3. Floyd G Villines, County Judge, $91,592.80 4. Charles E Holladay, Sheriff, $91,592.80 5. Michael G Lowery, Chief Deputy, $90,896.78 6. Sherman D Smith, Public Works Director, $90,896.00 7. Ronald L Stephens, Director Of Reappraisal, $89,362.78 8. Joe D Thompson, Chief Administrator, $87,616.88 9. Michael Hutchens, Comptroller, $86,723.78 10. Joseph Musgrove, Information Systems Director, $85,407.92

GENDER MAKEUP SALARIED EMPLOYEES 645

588 624

573

MEDIAN HOURLY WAGE $

10.50

$

10

and consider them to be a useful tool for those who want a transparent government.

Let us know what you find. Write to data@ arktimes.com.

shelter is built, it will fill up quickly. “Then it’ll be a mass killing,” she said. “That’s why our organization decided to use all of our money and effort in the operation of a spay/ neuter clinic because we really feel like statistics tell us you can’t adopt your way out — or even euthanize your way out — of the overpopulation problem. You really have to start with spaying and neutering.” She contends a three-pronged approach — using the fund to pay for spaying/neutering, a shelter, and adoptions — is a better idea.

Justice of the Peace Barbara Mathes, who represents District 4 on the Quorum Court, said the proposals for using the fund to spay and neuter have been vague. “I didn’t think it was laid out well enough of how we’re going to do it, where the procedures are going to be done, and that sort of thing,” she said.

“What are we going to do?” Mathes said.

“Are we going to pick the stray dog up and spay or neuter it and then turn it back loose?

What are we going to do with it? … Who is going to pick up that animal? Where are we going to take it to? There’s a lot of unanswered questions.”

Judge Scroggins said that going to the fund for a spay/neuter program would mean an even longer amount of time before a shelter could be built, and could even deplete the fund. “If they did dip into the fund right now,” he said, “say you spent $50,000 to $60,000 a year on spay and neuter, it’d be gone pretty quick.”

Summer Restaurant Challenge Dine out - check in - get rewarded!

June 15 - July 13

the RULES THIS IS HOW YOU DO IT

Ben E. Keith is pleased to present Arkansas Times readers an opportunity to get rewarded by “checkingin� to participating restaurants. Visit any of the listed restaurants and checkin using the foursquare app on your smartphone device.

Checking-in may unlock individual restaurant specials, giveaways and more. The first 10 readers to submit check-in confirmation at 10 participating restaurants during the week will receive a $50 Ben E. Keith certificate that can be spent at any participating restaurant. A total of 40 certificates will be awarded.

The contest runs June 15July 13. The week is counted from Wednesday to Tuesday.

The contest is open to anyone 18 and older.

Submission confirmation & prize awards will be conducted by the Social Media Division of the Arkansas Times in person at 201 E. Markham, Suite 200 or via email at socialmedia@ arktimes.com. Look for the Ben E. Keith Summer Restaurant Challenge online at arktimes.com/ben-ekeith for complete rules and information on submissions.

the RESTAURANTS LITTLE ROCK Acadia - 3000 Kavanaugh Blvd.

American Pie Pizza - 10912 Colonel Glenn Rd. Arkansas Burger Company - 7410 Cantrell Rd. Ashleyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 111 W. Markham St. Brick Oven Pizza Co â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 14000 Cantrell Rd. #E Blue Coast Burrito â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 14810 Cantrell Rd. Bobbyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Country Cookinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 301 N. Shackleford Rd., Suite E1 Burgeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Restaurant - 5620 R St. CafĂŠ @ Heifer Âł 6SWTS` 7\bS`\ObW]\OZ Â&#x2019; E]`ZR /dS Capital Bar & Grill - 111 Markham St. Catering to You - 8121 Cantrell Rd. Cheers in the Heights - 2010 N. Van Buren Ciao Baci - 605 N. Beechwood Coast CafĂŠ Âł 7\ bVS @WdS` ;O`YSb 6OZZ Â&#x2019; " >`SaWRS\b 1ZW\b]\ /dS Cothamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s in the City â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 1401 W. 3rd St. Damgoode Pies - 2701 Kavanaugh, 6706 Cantrell Rd., % @]R\Sg >O`VO[ @R Dizzyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Gypsy Bistro Âł @WdS` ;O`YSb /dS Downtown Deli â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 323 Center St. The Faded Rose Âł $ # @SPaO[S\ >O`Y @R " < 0]e[O\ @R Frankeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Downtown Âł @SUW]\a 0cWZRW\U Â&#x2019; " 0`]OReOg Ferneau â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 2601 Kavanaugh Blvd.

Gellatteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 14810 Cantrell Rd. Gradyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Pizzas and Subs â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 6801 W. 12th St., Suite C Graffitiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 7811 Cantrell Rd. Green Cuisine Âł 4]]R B`cQY cacOZZg Ob '&# E $bV Ab Homerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Âł 3 @]]aSdSZb @R Jazziâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Âł # /aVS` /dS Krazy Mikeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 200 N. Bowman Rd. Loca Luna â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 3519 Old Cantrell Rd. Lulav Âł ESab $bV Ab Maddieâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Place Âł $ # @SPaO[S\ >O`Y @R McBrideâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s CafĂŠ & Bakery Âł 0O^bWab 6SOZbV ;SRWQOZ B]eS`a Â&#x2019; 9501 Lile Dr. The Oyster Bar â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 3003 W. Markham Red Door â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 3701 Old Cantrell Rd. Shotgun Danâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 10923 W. Markham St. SO Restaurant-Bar â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 3610 Kavanaugh Blvd.

Sufficient Grounds CafĂŠ Âł C\W]\ 0cWZRW\U Â&#x2019; " E 1O^Wb]Z Sufficient Grounds CafĂŠ Express Âł ;Sb`]^]ZWbO\ B]eS` Â&#x2019; 425 W. Capitol Tazikiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 8200 Cantrell Rd. Terri Lynnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Bar-b-q & Deli Âł < @]R\Sg >O`VO[ @R The House Âł % >OZ[ Ab The Pantry Âł " @]R\Sg >O`VO[ @R Town Pump Âł ! @SPaO[S\ >O`Y @R Vieux Carre â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 2721 Kavanaugh Blvd.

NORTH LITTLE ROCK American Pie Pizza Âł "&! <]`bV 6WZZa 0ZdR Argenta Market â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 521 N. Main St. Blue Coast Burrito â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 4613 E. McCain Blvd.

Fresh Cup Self-Serve Frozen Yogurt Âł "& $ <]`bV 6WZZa 0ZdR Gadwallâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Grill Âł <]`bV 6WZZa AV]^^W\U 1S\bS` Georgiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Gyros â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 2933 Lakewood Village Dr. Java Roasting CafĂŠ â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 6725 JFK Blvd.

Las Palmas â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 4154 E. McCain Blvd.

Renoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Argenta CafĂŠ â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 312 N. Main St. Ristorante Capeo â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 425 Main St. Rockyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Pub â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 6909 JFK Blvd.

Shotgun Danâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 4020 E. Broadway Starlite Diner â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 250 E. Military Rd. Starving Artist CafĂŠ â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 411 N. Main St. MAUMELLE American Pie Pizza â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 9708 Maumelle Blvd.

Cheers Maumelle â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 1901 Club Manor Drive Cock of the Walk â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 7051 Cock of the Walk Lane Key West Self Serve Yogurt Âł # 1]c\b`g 1ZcP >Yeg Woka Woka Custom Stir Fry â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 1800 Club Manor Dr. SHERWOOD Pigâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;n-Chik â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 7824 Hwy. 107 Shotgun Danâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Âł " ! 3 9WSVZ /dS JACKSONVILLE Cayenneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Cajun Cuisine â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 2650 John Harden Drive, Suite Q First Street CafĂŠ Âł $ < 4W`ab Ab Smokinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Buns Barbecue & Catfish â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 25401 Hwy. 107 CABOT Chef Candace â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 16B Ryeland Dr. CJâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s CafĂŠ & Deli â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 3065 Hwy. 367, Suite 5 CONWAY Blackwoodâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Gyros & Grill Âł & ! 6O`Y`WRS` /dS Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Henryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Restaurant â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 2853 Hwy. 365 Something Brewing CafĂŠ â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 1156 Front St. SCOTT Cothamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 5301 Highway 161 BENTON The Dairy Bar Âł #!$ 7\bS`abObS !

Danâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s I-30 Diner Âł % & 7\bS`abObS !

MALVERN Chile Peppers Âł % =ZWdS :O\QOabS` HOT SPRINGS Arlington Hotel Âł !' 1S\b`OZ /dS The Back Porch Grill Âł "& 1S\b`OZ /dS Belle of Hot Springs Âł # 1S\b`OZ /dS 6eg % A]cbV CafĂŠ 1217 Âł % ;OZdS`\ /dS 0 Cajun Boilers Âł & $ /ZPS`b >WYS Doeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s World Famous Steaks Âł "' " 0 1S\b`OZ /dS Fishermanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Wharf Âł # 1S\b`OZ /dS Grannyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Kitchen Âł !$ 1S\b`OZ /dS Gregâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Drive & Dine CafĂŠ Âł %!' /W`^]`b @R AcWbS / Hesterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Family Restaurant Âł " 1S\b`OZ /dS Higdon Square CafĂŠ â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 706 Higdon Ferry Rd. Jasonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Burgers & More Âł "& /[Wbg @R KJâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Grill Âł &!" /W`^]`b @R Leeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Grill Âł !# 1S\b`OZ /dS Luna Bella Âł " 5`O\R 7aZS EOg Mr. Whiskers Âł #!& ;OZdS`\ /dS The Pancake Shop Âł $ 1S\b`OZ /dS Pattyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s on the Lake Âł & /ZPS`b >WYS @R Pattyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Down the Road Âł $' /ZPS`b >WYS @R Rockyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Corner Âł $ 1S\b`OZ /dS Rolandoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Âł 1S\b`OZ /dS Smokinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; In Style BBQ Âł %& /ZPS`b >WYS @R Souper Sandwich Âł "# 1S\b`OZ /dS Taco Mama Âł ' ;OZdS`\ /dS Taco Pronto Âł "!# 1S\b`OZ /dS THE Steakhouse Âł ESabUObS >ZOhO Â&#x2019; $ /ZPS`b >WYS Whistle Stop Âł $ & /ZPS`b >WYS @R EUREKA SPRINGS Anglerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Grill and Pub Âł "#& 6eg $ ESab CafĂŠ Luigi â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 91 S. Main St. Catfish Cabin â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 3085 E. Van Buren Casa Colina Mexican Cantina â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 173 S. Main St. DeVitoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Restaurant â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 5 Center St. Ermilioâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 26 White St. Gaskinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Cabin â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Highway 23 North Grand Taverne â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 37 N. Main St. New Delhi CafĂŠ â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 2 N. Main St. Pizza Bar â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 13 N. Main St. Roadhouse Restaurant Âł $&!% 6eg $ ESab GREERS FERRY AREA Janssenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Lakefront Restaurant â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 9999 Edgemont Rd., Edgemont

Find out more at ARKTIMES.COM/BEN-E-KEITH The Foursquare app is available for download on most smartphone devices. This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by Foursquare. The information you provide will only be used for the purpose of verifying winners.

AS A R KA NS

TI M E S

BAR GUIDE

DRINK ON US THE ARKANSAS TIMES GUIDE TO NAVIGATING NIGHTLIFE IN CENTRAL ARKANSAS.

I

t’s June and it’s already oppressively hot. You know what’ll fix that?

Buzz Aldrin’s portable air-conditioned suit. Short of that, your best bet might be an ice-cold pale ale and a game of pool in your favorite wellrefrigerated bar. Refreshing, slightly numbing and inside — it’s all you can hope for in these scorching times.

To help you find just the right spot in which to seek refuge, we’ve revisited our favorite watering holes, sussing out their happy hours and special features. Let what follows guide you to buzzed bliss. And get it to go via Cocktail Compass, our handy iPhone app for finding bars and happy hours in Central Arkansas. Download it at arktimes.com/cocktailcompass.

and hamburger grease. And then you do it again the next weekend. 1316 Main St. 372-9990. midtownar.com. Full bar. 3 p.m.-5 a.m. daily. Happy hour: 3 p.m.-8 p.m. daily.

DIVES WE LOVE MIDTOWN BILLIARDS The picture of dive bar: a concrete floor, Polaroids and beer signs covering just about every inch of wall space, a chandelier made of PBR cans and three pool tables, stained so heavily that if you squint, they look like maps. You come to this slender bar, one of only a handful that have a private club license that allows them to stay open until 5 a.m. and the only one in downtown — from wedding receptions, from concerts, from anywhere that drinks have been served — because you don’t want the night to end. You leave after spending most of your time waiting in line for the bathroom and, if you’re smart, eating a hamburger (a late-night delicacy), carrying a dank combination of sweat, spilled beer and decades of unventilated cigarette smoke

SPECTATORS Some people might call Spectators a hole in the wall, but the regulars might not take too kindly to that. Tucked away just off MacArthur Drive in North Little Rock, Spectators is hidden just enough that you might drive by it a couple of times but it’s worth seeking out. This is a good-time bar with a decent menu and good prices on beer.

They serve “Imperial Pints” too, bigger than your average bear, so if you’re gonna have more than a couple, call a driver. Throw in the occasional live cover band — the last time we went we heard everything from KISS to “Amarillo by Morning”

ICON KEY

BRIAN CHILSON

OL PO

10 JUNE 15, 2011 • ARKANSAS TIMES

WHITE WATER TAVERN

G IC UB IN US GR OK M D O SM VE LI GO

S RT A D

Y PP A H

UR HO

E TV NG OK N TI A A O R SE TS KA R O OR P O S TD OU

BAR GUIDE

WHITE WATER TAVERN The bar’s a repurposed shuffleboard top. The mantle above holds a bowling pen; an oil painting of a regular for the last 40 years; a Busch bottle filled with, among other things, the ashes of a dead man and pubic hair from four women. It’s hard to say exactly how old the floors and walls are since the building’s burned three times in the last 30-odd years. Inside the stall in the men’s bathroom is graffiti that reads “Fort Sumter was an inside job.” Out the back door is a fenced-in area for the smokers who used to billow inside. Onstage is someone you’ve never heard of. Or someone whose songs you know all the words to. It doesn’t matter. 2500 W. Seventh. 3758400. whitewatertavern.com. Full bar. 2 p.m.-2 a.m. Mon.-Fri., 6 p.m.-1 a.m., Sat. Happy hour: 4 p.m.-7 p.m. Mon.-Fri.

BRIAN CHILSON

— and a good burger and that’s all you really need. 1012 W. 34th St., NLR. Full bar. $-$$. 791-0990. 11 a.m.-12 a.m.

Mon.-Sat. Happy hour: 4 p.m.-6:30 p.m.

Mon.-Thu., 11 a.m.-midnight Sat.

VINO’S

Main St. NLR. 376-7468. cregeens.com/ Argenta. Full bar. 11 a.m.-1 a.m. Mon.Wed., 11 a.m.-2 a.m. Thu.-Fri., 11 a.m.-1 a.m. Sat., 11 a.m.-12 a.m. Sun.

PIZZA D’ACTION A beloved, if cigarette smoke-drenched, Stifft Station hangout, with darts, ping-pong, pinball and outdoor seating. 2919 W. Markham St. 666-5403. Full bar. 11 a.m.-10 p.m.

Mon.-Wed.; 11 a.m.-10:30 p.m. Thu.-Fri.; 12-10 p.m. Sat.; 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Sun. Happy hour: 4 p.m.-8 p.m. Mon.-Fri.

HIP ON HOPS BOSCOS There are three reasons you might be enticed to visit this mini-chain for drinks: 1. It’s well situated, in the heart of the River Market, with a big, elevated deck that overlooks Riverfest Amphitheatre and the Arkansas River, though during concerts, you have to pay for the privilege of those seats. 2. One of only two restaurant/breweries in town, it’s got eight in-house brews on tap, ranging from a Bombay IPA to

BRIAN CHILSON

ALSO MARKHAM ST. One of only a few dive-y hangouts in West Little Rock. 11321 W. Markham St. 224-2010. Full bar. 11 a.m.2 a.m. Mon-Fri., 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. Sat., 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sun. Happy hour: 3 p.m.

-7 p.m. Mon.-Fri.

the seasonal Hook Slide Ale, made specially for the beer garden at Dickey-Stephens. 3. It’s one of the few places you can buy beer and take it home on a Sunday. All of the brewpub’s house beers are available to go in 64 oz. growlers for $10 apiece, with a $3 refundable deposit for each bottle. 500 President Clinton Ave. 907-1881. boscosbeer.com. Full bar. 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Mon.-Thu., 11 a.m.-12 a.m.

Fri.-Sat., 10:30 a.m.-10 p.m. Sun. Happy hour: 3:30 p.m.-6:30 p.m. Mon.-Fri. CREGEEN’S A friend of ours recently said that if you could combine the food from Dugan’s with the beer selection at Cregeen’s, you’d have the perfect Americanized Irish pub. They’re right.

CREEGEN’S

Cregeen’s food is about what you’d expect and not much more, but its beer selection is great, maybe even the best in North Little Rock. And isn’t that really why you go to a pub in the first place? The atmosphere at Cregeen’s is exactly what you want from a bar: friendly staff, a little loud but not rowdy, a few TVs if you want to watch the game and pub grub (throw in your typical Irish pub fare here too) aplenty. On a cool afternoon or evening you can sit outside and watch the trolley and the foot traffic roll down Main Street in Argenta, all while sipping on a tall, cool Guinness. 301

VINO’S With 19 beers on tap, including five terrific house brews (the Firehouse Pale is our favorite), you’ve got plenty to choose from here. Out back, there’s a raised deck and picnic tables on the patio below.

In the rear of the building is an all-ages venue space that’s known for booking punk rock that kids appreciate, but also hosts just about anything you can imagine. When there’s no music, there’s pinball to play and big flat-screens to watch the game on. And of course there’s always a slice of some of Little Rock’s best pizza to be had up front.

And don’t forget, Vino’s house-brews are always available to take home in growlers. 923 W. Seventh St. 375-8466. vinosbrewpub.com. Beer and wine. 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Mon.-Wed., 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Thu., 11 a.m.-12 a.m. Fri., 11:30 a.m.-12 a.m.

Sat., 11:30 a.m.-10 p.m. Sun. Happy hour: 4 p.m.-6 p.m. Mon.-Fri., 4 p.m.-10 p.m. Wed., 12 p.m.-6 p.m. Sat. PROST The first thing to remember about Prost is that the entrance is not on President Clinton Avenue, like the other bars in the Rivermarket area, but just Continued on page 12

www.arktimes.com • JUNE 15, 2011 11

BAR GUIDE

ERNIE BIGGS Piano bars: they’re equal parts Japanese karaoke room, late-night frathouse shout-along, “Sing Along with Mitch Miller” re-run and classic rock radio at rush hour. They’re proof that, no, your fourth vodka tonic isn’t going to “get your voice where it needs to be.” They’re kind of hokey, occasionally earassaulting and, without a doubt, a quirky, uniquely American institution. Not to mention incredibly popular. On weekends, the River Market dueling piano bar is packed more often than not, alive with people howling along to any number of piano bar staples: “Rocket Man,” “Bennie and the Jets” and, God knows, “Brown Eyed Girl.”

Biggs’ musicians appear on a rotating basis, drawing on touring piano bar pros, includContinued on page 14

BRIAN CHILSON

reputation as a nexus for singles looking to mingle. Even if that’s not your scene, don’t forget the deck. 2400 Cantrell Road.

375-5351. cajunswharf.com. Full bar.

4:30 p.m.-1 a.m. Mon.- Wed., 4:30 p.m.2 a.m., Thurs.-Fri., 4:30 p.m.-1 a.m. Sat. Happy hour: 4:30 p.m.-7 p.m. Mon.-Fri.

STICKYZ

Three Different Nights. Three Different Vibes.

Thursday: Pop | House Mix

Friday: Top 40 | Dance Mix

Saturday: Hip Hop | R&B

Sway

WHERE LITTLE RoCk PaRTIES

9 p.m. – 2 a.m. • VIP Seating & Private Events 501.907.2582 412 Louisiana Street www.ClubSway.com www.arktimes.com • JUNE 15, 2011 13

BAR GUIDE

ing a Brit who plays a mean R&B keytar.

The bar is no stranger to offering deepdiscount drink specials, as well. Catch a $2 pint of domestic draft on Sunday and Mondays and take advantage of “Dollar Night” on Wednesdays, where a buck will get you a domestic draft or any number of well drinks. 307 President Clinton Ave. 372-4782. erniebiggs.com. Full bar.

8 p.m.-1:30 a.m. daily. Happy hour: 8 p.m.-1:30 a.m. Sun.-Wed.

LOOK INSIDE SPECIALLY MARKED PACKS OF

CORONA EXTRA AND

CORONA LIGHT TO SEE IF YOU FIND A UNIQUE BOTTLE OR CAN.

ENTER YOUR CODE AT CORONABEACHGETAWAY.COM FOR YOUR CHANCE TO WIN.

14 JUNE 15, 2011 • ARKANSAS TIMES

STICKYZ ROCK ’N’ ROLL CHICKEN SHACK The name may have changed — a trademark fight stripped this beer and chicken joint from its former name, Sticky Fingerz — but this is still one of our favorite River Market spots and consistently the best place to hear music in the River Market. And when you get tired of the band or having to shout your conversation, there’s a big adjacent lounge, with cushioned seats and big booths, and a relatively new, large patio area. Plus, delicious chicken strips. 107 Commerce St. 372-7707.

Full bar. 11 a.m.-2 p.m., 4:30 p.m.-close Mon.-Fri., 11 a.m.-1 a.m. Sat. Varies on Sun. depending on concerts. Happy hour: 4-7 p.m. Mon.-Fri. WILLY D’s Noisy and determinedly festive when the music starts, this dueling-pianos arena is popular with guests from downtown hotels, we suspect, and home-towners looking for the occasional rowdy night out. It’s not the sort of establishment that attracts a regular happy-hour crowd. In fact, it doesn’t even have a happy hour, doesn’t open until 7 p.m., and the music sometimes doesn’t start until 9 p.m. There are a lot of tables close together, and even some grandstand-type seats along one wall. Not a place for the claustrophobic. It shares a kitchen with its next-door neighbor, Prost. The menu features various sausages on buns; burgers and other standard bar fare are available too. Smoking is permitted, which may offend some people, but no-smoking rules weren’t really made for places like this. 322 President Clinton Ave. 244-9540. willydspianobar.com. Full bar. 7 p.m.-2 a.m. Tue.-Fri., 7 p.m.-1 a.m. Sat.

ALSO JUANITA’S The venerable cantina/ Tex-Mex restaurant/venue is soon to move to the River Market, where it promises to continue to host bands of all stripes. 1300 S. Main St. 372-1228. www.juanitas.com. Full bar. Bar hours dependent on concerts. Happy hour (in the restaurant): 4 p.m.-8 p.m.

REVOLUTION Stickyz sister-restaurant/bar/venue hosts big-name acts on its stage, serves up good pub grub and offers one of the few decks in the River Market. 300 President Clinton Ave. 823-0090. Full bar. Hours vary depending on concerts Sun.-Wed. 7 p.m.-2 a.m. Thu.-Fri., 7 p.m.-1 a.m. Sat. Happy hour: 4 p.m.-7 p.m. Mon.-Fri.

HAPPY FEET DISCOVERY For years, “Disco” has been the crowned queen of Little Rock’s clubbing nightlife scene. Every Saturday night, in a semi-industrial complex off of east Cantrell, the expansive, multi-roomed warehouse turns into a jumping house of hedonism, replete with chest-rattling bass, go-go cages, pupil-dilating laser lights and, of course, those famous drag shows. The club offers hip-hop, techno and, now, live music, all housed in separate rooms with individual bars for each. At the end of this month, on Saturday, June 25, Discovery fetes owner and local club icon Norman Jones on his 65th birthday with a special “Medicare Birthday Party,” featuring a slate of party-starting familiars, including long-time Disco DJ favorite Big Brown. If Little Rock is going to see a crazy shake in June, this is going to be it. 1021 Jessie Road. 501666-2744. Full bar. 10 p.m.-5 a.m. Sat. $$$ JIMMY DOYLE’S COUNTRY CLUB While a lot of the local bar scene has gone to bumping music, appletinis and flat-screen TVs on every vertical surface, it’s still the same as it’s been for over 35 years out at Jimmy Doyle’s Country Club just off I-40 in North Little Rock: cold beer, a big dance floor and a live band kicking out the ’70s outlaw country and bluesy rock. In a world that’s running low on authenticity, Jimmy Doyle’s might be the area’s purest remaining expression of the honky tonk. Run by semi-retired

BRIAN CHILSON

BAR GUIDE

ELECTRIC COWBOY

singer/songwriter Jimmy Doyle and his wife Patsy Gale, the 10,000-squarefoot club features plentiful dive-bar patina, karaoke on Friday nights and live music from the Arkansas River Bottom Band on Saturday nights. The clientele runs toward the same vintage as “Urban Cowboy,” but that’s not necessarily a bad thing if you’re looking for a laid-back scene. The drinks are cheap, the band takes requests and the dance floor is usually full. Just be sure to wear your cowboy boots. 11800 Maybelline Road, NLR. 945-9042. Full bar. 7:30 p.m.-2 a.m. Fri.-Sat. Happy hour: 7:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m. Fri.-Sat. ELECTRIC COWBOY The country and western-themed nightclub plays dance music of all genres for the hordes to step to on its basketball-court sized dance floor. Tests of drunken courage sit in opposing corners: the famed electric bull in one, and an electronic punching bag in the other.

With pool tables, occasional live music, karaoke, happy hour and smoking. 9515 Interstate 30.

562-6000. www.electriccowboy.com/ littlerock. Full bar. 7:30 p.m.-5 a.m., Wed.-Sun. Happy hour: daily specials.

ALSO SWAY Perhaps the swankiest dance club in town, with a cozy patio out back. 412 Louisiana St. 907-2582. 8 p.m.-2 a.m. Thu.-Sat. Happy hour: 8 p.m.-10 p.m. Thu.-Sat. PULSE/OFF CENTER A gay bar from the owner of Discovery with drag shows at 11 p.m. and dancing next door at the theater-turned-disco Off Center.

307 W. 7th St. 374-4699. Full bar. CC. 9 p.m.-2 a.m. Wed.-Sat. Happy hour: 9 p.m.-midnight Wed.-Thu.

GAME TIME BIG WHISKEY’S AMERICAN BAR AND GRILL Big Whiskey’s Bar and Grill is right across the parking lot from the Arkansas Times, close enough we could probably throw a bottlecap from their patio and hit the window of the newsroom, so we’ve come to know its cool, dim confines well. It’s a very grown-up place, appointed in dark wood and soft lighting — which puts it in stark contrast to some of the more meat-market joints further down President Clinton. With more than twodozen flat screen TVs, it’s an ideal spot for watching whatever game you’re interested in. Or given that it’s situated with windows looking out on one of the busiest corners in Little Rock, it’s a great spot for great people-watching.

As for drinking, if you want to impress your friends, $20 gets you a shot of limited edition Jack Daniel’s single barrel whiskey brewed special for Big Whiskey’s and your name on a plaque on a barrel. Otherwise, there’s a full bar and 11 beers on tap. 225 E. Markham.

324-2449. Full bar. 11 a.m.-11 p.m.

Sun.-Tue., 11 a.m.-1 a.m. Wed.-Thu., 11 a.m.-1 a.m. Fri.-Sat. Happy hour: 4 p.m.-6 p.m. daily.

THE FOX AND HOUND From time to time, we watch the 1961 pool hall epic “The Hustler,” staring Paul Newman as Fast Eddie Felson; there’s something about the green felt of a pool table that gives us delusions of grandeur. So we should probably stay away from The Fox and Hound, with its acres of felt and 10 tournamentContinued on page 16

www.arktimes.com • JUNE 15, 2011 15

Good food. Good drink.

Good music.

In Historic downtown Hot Springs.

Authentic New Orleans Cocktails

BAR GUIDE

“Check-In” on June 15 - July 6 receive

quality billiard tables, lest we end up a bitter shell of any Authentic a man like Felson. The New Orleans Fox and Hound’s tables Cocktails! are available for $8 per hour, and are in a clean, friendly, well-lit setting.

400 N. Bowman Road 501-224-3377 1619 Rebsamen Road 501-663-9734 Though off-the-rack cues 336 A Central Avenue • 501.627.0702 www.thefadedrose.com are available at the tables, you can rent more Fast Eddie-worthy sticks at the front. If you’re not interested in shooting pool, the Fox and Hound also features a NORADworthy collection of flat Fresh Food. screen televisions showing sports of all sorts, a gspn!uif!gppe!boe! full bar and a generous The perfect combo for a night on the town. pub-style menu. The beer esjolt!up!uif!bncjfodf!boe!buufoujwf!tfswjdf-!xf!epoÖu!njtt!b!uijoh/!!

Cajun’s is famous for its fabulously fresh seafood, aged Angus selection is fairly extensive, too; and they offer drink specials like $2 Beef, and full-flavored good times. Come enjoy the great pint nights and $2.50 draft nights. food and fun atmosphere, including our famous deck on the Karoke is Tuesday night and live music is Friday and Saturday, with Arkansas River. an open mic night backed by a live band on Sunday. Card sharps, take note: Texas Hold ’Em poker tournaments happen on Monday and Thursday evenings. 2800 Lakewood Village, NLR. 753-8300. www. foxandhound.com. Full bar. 11 a.m.2 p.m. daily. Happy hour: 4 p.m.-7 p.m. daily.

1/2 off

You’ll have Fresh deck envy.

Air. deck envy.

You’ll have DbkvoÖt!jt!uif!dpnqmfuf!fyqfsjfodf<!gspn!uif!gppe!boe!

DbkvoÖt!jt!uif!dpnqmfuf!fyqfsjfodf<! esjolt!up!uif!bncjfodf!boe!buufoujwf!tfswjdf-!xf!epoÖu!njtt!b!uijoh/!!

You’ll have deck envy

DbkvoÖt!jt!uif!dpnqmfuf!fyqfsjfodf<!gspn!uif!gppe!boe

esjolt!up!uif!bncjfodf!boe!buufoujwf!tfswjdf-!xf!epoÖu!njtt!b!uij

GUSANO’S Need a place to watch the big game, the big fight, the big afternoon Seinfeld re-run? Gusano’s has got you covered. If Whether you’re looking for a casual dinner, a you’re in the River Market gourmet experience or the perfect business district, it’s really the place lunch, Copper Grill is the choice urban restaurant to go to watch sports, play for Little Rock’s food and wine enthusiasts. Enjoy some games and have a complimentary shuttle a relaxing dining atmosphere, beautiful streetside Best Pickup Bar couple of beers. Gusano’s service from area hotels patio, and our lively bar – where everyone is has big screen TVs hangvoters also recognized us in treated like a new neighbor. Copper Grill is your Best Pickup Bar ing from the ceiling in just premier downtown dining destination.

Best Place to Dance about every direction you voters also recognized us in Best Place For Live Music could possibly turn your head. If you’d rather do Best Place to Dance Best Outdoor Dining something than just watch, Best Place For Live Music there’s shuffleboard and pool in the m o n d a y - s a t u r d a y f r o m 4 : 3 0 p . m . | w w w. c a j u n s w h a r f . c o m back, behind its massive bar. With all Best Outdoor Dining 2 4 0 0 c a n t r e l l r o a d | o n t h e a r k a n s a s r i v e r | that 5 0crammed 1-375-5 3 5one 1 place, you’d into Gourmet. Your Way. All Day. Best Pickup Bar think it would be crowded as all getm o n d a y - s a t u r d a y f r o m 4 : 3 0 p . m . “A |riverfront w w w. c a decadent j u n s wseafood h a r fand . c oMason m jars full of patio out, but thanks to a big floor plan it’s 2 4 0 0 c a n t r e l l r o a d | o n t h e a r k a n s aPlay s rde i vDo…draw e r | 5throngs 0voters 1 - 3to7Cajun’s 5 - also 5 3Wharf.”

5 1recognized us in not. A large selection of appetizers go Best Place to Dance great with a brew or one of Gusano’s – The New York Times signature deep-dish, stuffed pizzas.

Best Place For Live Music313 President Clinton Ave. 374Lunch & Dinner, Opening at 11 a.m. mOnDay – SaturDay 1441. www.gusanospizza.com. Full wiThin walking diSTance from downTown hoTelS. monday-saturdayBest from 4:30 p.m.

Outdoor Dining bar. 11 a.m.-11 p.m. daily. Happy cajunswharf.com hour: 4 p.m.-7 p.m. daily.

501.375.3333 • 300 T hird S TreeT (d ownTown ) 2400 cantrell road | 501-375-5351 c Opper g riLL Lr. cOm

16 JUNE 15, 2011 • ARKANSAS TIMES

monday-saturday from 4:30 p.m.

2400 cantrell road

|

|

w w w. c a j u n s w h a r f . c o m

on the arkansas river

|

501-375-535

BAR GUIDE

3 BaRs

1

BRIAN CHILSON

UndeR FOX AND HOUND

BRIAN CHILSON

its numerous, monster-sized televisions, extensive bar selection and Martini Monday nights, featuring $3.50 stemmed cocktails strong enough to get your lady a teensy bit interested in Monday Night Football. With outdoor seating and karaoke, too. 17815 Chenal Pkwy. 830-2100. Full bar. 11 a.m.-midnight daily. Happy hour: 4 p.m.-6 p.m.

Mon.-Fri.

ZACK’S PLACE Sometime after its founding in 1988, the super-sized Midtown bar branded itself “the mother of all sports bars.” That’s a tall order: We’ll happily call it our favorite place in Little Rock to throw darts, though. Even for a neighborhood bar in the South, Zack’s bartenders are exceptionally welcoming and the drinks are poured with a heavy hand and are more than reasonably priced, but that row of dartboards mounted on a long stretch of wall is what keeps us coming back. There’s a certain unique nostalgia that comes with sharp darts, cold beers and smoking ashtrays that’s hard not to appreciate.

THE TAVERN

For those who don’t care for a round of Cricket or 501, Zack’s also offers trivia nights on Monday, live Texas Hold ’Em nights on Tuesday and Wednesday, karaoke on Thursday and Little Rock’s longtenured traveling bar DJ Debbi T, on Friday nights. 1400 S. University Ave. 664-6444. Full bar. 11 a.m.-2 a.m. Mon.Fri., 11 a.m.-1 a.m. Sat. Happy hour: 2 p.m.-7 p.m. Mon.-Fri. ALSO BUFFALO WILD WINGS A sports bar on steroids with numerous humongous TVs and a menu full of thirst-inducing items. 14800 Cantrell Road. 868-5279. www.buffalowildwings.com. 11 a.m.-1:30 a.m. Mon.-Sat., 11 a.m.-12:30 a.m. Sun. THE TAVERN SPORTS GRILL Recently opened in The Promenade at Chenal, this sports bar hopes to draw with

Roof!

WEST END More than 50 TVs, a massive bar, pool tables, comfortable seating and live music on the weekends make this a popular West Little Rock hangout.

With smoking, darts and shuffleboard, too. 215 N. Shackleford Road. 224-7665.

Full bar. 3 p.m.-2 a.m. Mon.-Thu. 11 p.m.2 a.m. Fri.-Sun. Happy hour: 3 p.m.-6 p.m. Mon.-Fri.

ON THE SWANKY SIDE CAPITAL BAR & GRILL You’ll be hard pressed to order any classic cocktail here that the bartenders can’t make — and make as good or better than you’ve ever had it.

A Mint Julep? Served, as tradition dictates, in a pewter cup with densely packed crushed ice and fresh mint. Perfection.

An Old Fashioned? You’ll forever think of the brandied cherries the Capital uses as a garnish as a central ingredient. Thursday through Saturday, expect to find the bar Continued on page 18

Join us for the

CoCktail Compass party thursday, June 15 and get half off an appetizer when you get the Cocktail Compass app!

322 president Clinton ave. the River market www.arktimes.com • JUNE 15, 2011 17

BAR GUIDE

DIVERSION TAPAS RESTAURANT You can get pretty diverted here, all right, right off your bar stool, if you’re tempted to have more than one of the delicious martinis that Diversion is known for.

On a recent trip, our barman informed us that the young women who frequent Diversion generally go for the flavored martinis, especially the chocolate and one appallingly named the “Jolly Rancher” (made with melon). The adult drinks — G&Ts and a dirty martini — we tried out were excellent (Bombay Sapphire), as was the Chardonnay, a generous pour for only $5, since it was Thursday, when selected wines are the happy hour drink. If you’ve got lots of lolly, this is a great place to perch at the bar, beneath the oversized chandelier, and watch the Hillcrest traffic go by. Things get busy late in the evening, when the crowd slinks to the dark depths of the upscale bar to inhabit comfortable leather couches. The older folks, who’ve decided to skip the cafeteria for the night and get drunk, will have the place to themselves just after work. With excellent tapas, including raw tuna and crab cakes. 2611 Kavanaugh Blvd. 501-414-0409. Full bar. 5 p.m.-close Tues.-Sat. Happy hour: 5 p.m. Tues.-Sat. MALLARD’S This hotel bar doesn’t feel like one. Rather, it gives off a highclass speakeasy vibe. Wood-paneled, dark and cool and tucked-away down a hall off the lobby of the Peabody, it’s where cigar aficionados, tourists and downtown revelers looking to escape the River Market strip gather to sit in plush, leather furniture by a fireplace. If you’re a nonsmoker, try the Peabody Lobby Bar, or on most Fridays in the summer, the Peabody RiverTop party room, where revelers can look out at the Arkansas River and hear live music. 3 Statehouse Plaza.

906-4000. peabodylittlerock.com. Full bar. 4:30 p.m.-midnight Mon.-Thu., 4:30 p.m. to 1 a.m. Fri.-Sat. ZIN URBAN WINE AND BEER BAR This is the kind of sophisticated

18 JUNE 15, 2011 • ARKANSAS TIMES

BRIAN CHILSON

hoppin’, with a mix of hotel guests and regulars vibin’ to the sweet swing of New Orleans expat Ted Ludwig’s seven-string guitar. 111 Markham St. 374-7474. capitalhotel.com/CBG. Full bar. 11 a.m.-close daily.

place you would expect to find in a bar on the ground floor of the Tuf-Nut lofts downtown.

Its pale palette — white leather chairs and wave-textured walls, gray wool banquettes, natural woods — is set off by pink and blue lights illuminating the wine glasses behind the bar. The wine menu is diverse and, besides by the glass and bottle, customers may order combinations of wine in small servings. It’s a place where one might hear wine snobs go on about the oaky cloak, the plummy legs, the acid mouthfeel, the acetone nose ... . Acetone nose? We chalked that up to the drift of air from the salon next door, a bouquet you could catch without ordering any wine at all. Still, the wine is good, even if it’s not what you ordered (on a recent trip, our waitress asked three times what our order was and still got it wrong, delivering white instead of red to the table).

The music is jazzy, easy to talk over. And to be fair to the waitress, she brought us samples of wine to taste to help us make our selection (Le Drunk Rooster chardonnay). The cheapest wines on the menu are $7 a (nicely full) glass or $23 a bottle; there’s also a $45 Serge Laporte Sancerre from France, a $47 Seghesio Old Vine Zinfandel from California and a $70 Moet Imperial Champagne. There are also 11 beers on the menu (including a Guiness Stout Draft in a can) and plates of meats, cheeses, figs, peppers, hummus and other bites. 300 River Market

ZIN

Ave., 501-246-4876. zinlr.com. Full bar.

4-10 p.m. Mon.-Wed., 4 p.m.-midnight Thu.-Sat., 5-9:30 p.m. Sun. Happy hour: 4 p.m. daily.

ALSO LULAV This comfortably chic downtown bistro turns into the V Lounge every night at 10 p.m., with drinks and mingling and an occasional DJ. 220 W. 6th St. 374-5100. lulaveatery.com. Full bar. 5 p.m.-1 a.m. daily. Happy hour: 5 p.m.-7 p.m. Mon.-Thu. CAPI’S This Pleasant Ridge Town Centerlocated Neuvo Mexican restaurant is a great spot to catch an early happy hour in West Little Rock. With a patio, too. 11525 Cantrell, Suite 917. 225-9600. capisrestaurant.com. Full bar. 11 a.m.-close Tue.Sun. Happy hour: 3 p.m.-6 p.m. Tue.-Fri. COPPER GRILL This sunny and ultramodern restaurant in downtown’s most chic condo tower is an elegant place for an after-work cocktail. With patio seating.

Third and Cumberland Streets. 375-3333.

Full bar. 11a.m.-10p.m. Mon.-Sat. Happy hour: 4 p.m.-7 p.m. Mon.-Sat. CRUSH An unpretentious bar/lounge in downtown Argenta with an appealing and erudite wine list. 318 Main St., NLR. 3749463. Full bar. 4 p.m.-10 p.m. Tue.-Thu., 4 p.m.-11 p.m. (or later) Fri.-Sat. Happy hour: 4 p.m.-7 p.m. Tue.-Sat. SONNY WILLIAMS’ STEAK HOUSE This upscale steakhouse in the River Market offers a Grand Piano Bar with players tickling the ivories Tuesday through Saturday.

500 President Clinton Ave. 324-2999.

Full bar. Piano Bar: 7 p.m.-11 p.m. (or later) Tue.-Sat.

WHERE EVERYBODY KNOWS YOUR NAME BAR LOUIE This new West Little Rock hangout’s menu might be a little hit and miss, but they make a drink, poured liberally and in a big glass.

There’s also a decent selection of beers and a list of specialty cocktails for those who prefer their drinks with titles like “Strawberry Fizz” and “Pom Peche.” Cocktail prices aren’t listed, so be sure to ask if you’re penny pinching. You could always try the happy hour specials too: $3.50 well drinks and draft beers from 4 pm. to 6 p.m. 11525 Cantrell Road. 228-0444. www.barlouieamerica. com. Full bar. 11 a.m.-2 a.m. Mon.-Fri.; 11 a.m.-1 a.m. Sat.; 11 a.m.-12 a.m. Sun. Happy hour: 4 p.m.-6:30 p.m. Mon.-Fri. FERNEAU On weekends and Thursday (part of the weekend for the bar crowd), this fine dining restaurant becomes one of the busiest bars in town, with the post-collegiate, UAMS crowd mixing with slightly older singles still looking to mingle. It’s a lovely space, with a curved granite bar, a small corner area where local musicians often perform, a small patio for the smokers and plenty of tables in the res-

BAR GUIDE

taurant if you feel like spreading out.

Try the Basil Lemon Drop Martini and anything on the delicious latenight menu, available 10 p.m.-1 a.m.

Thu.-Fri. and 10 p.m.-midnight Sat. 2601 Kavanaugh Blvd. 603-9208. ferneaurestaurant.com. Full bar.

5 p.m.-10 p.m. Tue.-Wed., 5 p.m.-2 a.m. Thu.-Sat. Happy hour: 10 p.m.midnight Thu.-Sat.

Brighten Up YoUr home with hand-painted FUrnitUre! Chairs • Tables sideboards • China CaBinets and more!

SELECT FURNITURE SALE NOW IN PROGRESS!

Oliver’s Antiques

501.982.0064 1101 Burman Dr. • Jacksonville Take Main St. Exit, East on Main, Right on S. Hospital & First Left to Burman NEw HouRS: MoNDay-SaTuRDay 10-5

Hot Springs’ Newest Restaurant For Fine Cuisine From Around The Globe Bleu Monkey Grill is honored to receive this prestigious award.

Thanks to the people that voted us the best! If you haven’t visited us yet, make us your choice the next time you visit Hot Springs.

(501) 520-4800 • 4263 Central avenue • Hot SpringS bleumonkeygrill.com

HILLCREST FOUNTAIN No reason to spin words here: The Fountain is not all things to all people. Anchored right in the middle of Hillcrest, the wine bar cum neighborhood dive is one of the few surviving smoking holes in town.

There’s no liquor on the menu. The layout — an open area in the front, an open porch in the back and, in between, a bar and row of clunky tables practically touching — can get cumbersome fast.

People tend to love it or stay far away, but we can get behind The Fountain for all of the above. The interior has a lived-in charm about it and, as shuffleboard all-stars know, their table is one of the best (and longest) in town. Plus, its back porch is one of the best places to people-watch: Crushing a beer and watching the after-work crowd tote groceries and joust for Kroger parking spaces is one Hillcrest’s great simple pleasures. 2809 Kavanaugh Blvd. 614-9818. Beer and wine only. 4 p.m.-1 a.m. Sun.-Wed., 4 p.m.-2 a.m. Fri.-Sat.. Happy hour: 4 p.m.-7 p.m. daily.

JOUBERT’S TAVERN There’s a lot to be said for the simple neighborhood bar. It’s not the place you probably go to pick up or be picked up, to raise hell, power drink or listen to a pumping beat.

Mostly, it’s just a cold beer, a football or baseball game on the television and maybe a game of pool if you’re feeling personally sportsmanlike. It’s the kind of bar that guys stop by on their way home from work to grab a brew; where the Continued on page 20

Centennial Bank believes in the importance of getting out in the community.

Where our customers are. So if you need us, we’ll be there for you. Even after hours. That’s why you can find us at your child’s soccer match. Or wherever you happen to be.

MY100BANK.COM | A Home BancShares Company

www.arktimes.com • JUNE 15, 2011 19

BAR GUIDE

dudes watching a baseball game on the TV behind the bar can probably reel off the stats of their favorite players of yore like the names of their kids. With six pool tables, a collection of vintage baseball trophies, and a few video games, it’s not the fanciest joint in town, but it does look like a place where it’d be easy to become a regular — especially if you like sports,

want a no-nonsense atmosphere, and live in midtown. 7303 Kanis Road. 664-9953.

Full bar. 2 p.m.-1 a.m. Mon.-Fri., 12 p.m.1 a.m. Sat. Happy hour: 2 p.m.-6 p.m., Mon. - Sat. KHALIL’S PUB & GRILL On a recent visit to Khalil’s, the lengthy dress code posted outside the door kept

us from going in, fearful we might be found in violation of one of the rules: “NO VISIBLE UNDERGARMENTS. NO GANG-RELATED TATTOOS. NO PANTS BELOW THE WAISTLINE. NO EXCESSIVELY BAGGY CLOTHING. NO WIFEBEATERS … “ So we just peered in at the three or four mid-afternoon day drinkers watching a baseball

DineLR.com

Whether it’s a celebration with friends, a relaxing family night out or a romantic evening for two, Little Rock is home to more than 500 delicious restaurants, clubs and bars that offer a myriad of tastes and atmospheres.

Find the perfect place for any occasion at DineLR.com.

20 JUNE 15, 2011 • ARKANSAS TIMES

game on TV. Cowboy hats are permitted apparently. Khalil’s is reluctant to give out information over the phone too, we discovered, but according to its website, it has live music on Friday, karaoke from 7 a.m. to last call on Wednesday and Saturday, and “Arkansas’s largest karaoke data base.”

Happy Hour is 3 p.m.-6 p.m.

Mon.-Fri., with $1 off draft beers, well drinks, and wine by the glass, and 50 percent off appetizers. Those appetizers from the restaurant next door are pretty interesting too – bierocks, Scottish eggs, German potato cakes, etc. 110 S. Shackleford Road. 224-0224. khalilspub.com.

Full bar. 11 a.m.- 2 a.m. Mon.-Fri., 11 a.m.-1 a.m. Sat., 11 a.m.-midnight Sun. Happy hour 3-6 p.m. Mon.-Fri. RENO’S With so many places to choose from in Argenta, it might be hard for you to pick out your favorite haunt, but Reno’s deserves as good a shot as any other. Decently priced beverages and a solid menu make this one of North Little Rock’s best places. The bar’s got a real neighborhood feel and it doesn’t cost an arm and a leg. Case in point: $2 well drinks on Tuesdays for happy hour. They also do $2 off draft beers every day from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. If you’re hungry, try the fried pickle slices. This is a smoking bar, but the high ceilings, fans and overhead vents make it easy for non-smokers to have a good time, too. 312 Main St. NLR. Full bar.

376-2900. www.renosargentacafe.com.

11 a.m.-12 a.m. Mon.-Thu., 11 a.m.-2 a.m. Fri., 11 a.m.-1 a.m. Sat. Happy hour: 4 p.m.-6 p.m. Mon.-Sat. TOWN PUMP A couple of years ago, the staple of Riverdale watering holes became, practically overnight, a rendezvous for Little Rock young guns.

Given that the bulk of the bar’s steady clientele consisted of gents who had been nursing beers since before the Pump rookies were born, it seemed like the makings of a volatile arrangement.

Two years later, the dive’s definition of “bar regular” has changed and, once again, burgers and beer have proven to be the great uniter. (God bless America.) The drink selections are pretty standard; fine by us as long as the tenders

BAR GUIDE

keep handing out the occasional whiskey and coke. And the food — well, there are precious few better places in town to commit carbocide: the Pump Burger is a Little Rock classic and the veggie burger is the best and most gloriously unhealthy in town. Another welcome addition: the spray-painted beach mural that whisks back porch patrons away to a world of white sands, cool breezes and, endearingly blurry thing it is, severe myopia. 1321 Rebsamen Park Road. 663-9802. Full bar. 11 a.m.-2a.m. Mon.-Fri., 11 a.m.-1 a.m. Sat., 11 a.m.-midnight Sun. Happy hour: 4 p.m.-7 p.m. daily and 11 a.m.-2 a.m. Wed.

take the

Summer Restaurant Challenge See page 9 for contest information!

ALSO 610 CENTER A low-key, gay-friendly bar from the owner of Discovery that’s a great spot for drinks after work. 610 Center St. 374-4678.

Full bar. CC. Happy hour: 4 p.m.-7 p.m. Mon.-Fri. CIAO BACI This fine dining spot transforms nightly into a popular lounge that serves specialty drinks until late. 605 N. Beechwood St. 603-0238. ciaobaci.org. Full bar.

5 p.m.-2 a.m. Mon.-Fri., 5 p.m.-1 a.m. Sat. Happy hour: 5 p.m.-2 a.m.

Wed. DUGAN’S A relatively new entry into the River Market District bar scene, this Irish pub is a great stop for an after-work beer, with with plenty of bar seating and tables and an outdoor patio. 403 E. 3rd St. 244-0542. duganspublr.com.

11 a.m.-2 a.m. Mon.-Sat., 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Sun. Happy hour: 4 pm-7pm SALUT This bistro has became the late night hangout du jour for post-collegiates and folks from the Heights and Hillcrest who don’t want to go home, but don’t want to go to Midtown either. 1501 N. University. 660-4200. 11 a.m.-2 p.m.

Mon.-Fri., 5 p.m.-9:30 p.m. Tues., 5 p.m.-5 a.m. Wed.-Sat. Happy hour: 5 p.m.-7 p.m. Tue.-Sat.

Rock Tradition.

SIDETRACKS A friendly (and gay-friendly) neighborhood tavern in Argenta. 415 Main St., NLR. 244-0444. Full bar. CC. 5 p.m.-2 a.m. Mon.-Sat., 4 p.m.-2 a.m. Sun. Happy hour: 5 p.m.-7 p.m. Mon.Thu. Look for us on Facebook

TRUNK SHOW: Friday & Saturday April 15-16

www.arktimes.com • JUNE 15, 2011 21

EYE ON ARKANSAS

Editorial n As he has nothing really to do, it is hard for a lieutenant governor to win distinction. There are stories of lieutenant governors who died in their offices, their indisposition unnoted for months or even years.

Nonetheless, the present l.g., Mark Darr, has promised to make a name for himself — (something other than “Fatuous Twerp,” which is the security detail’s code name for him) — and pursues his goal in a flighty and pesky sort of way.

As a candidate, Darr spoke of singlehandedly resisting President Obama’s health-care reform, a subject well beyond his authority, and comprehension. He was ignored, naturally.

Undaunted, as an officeholder he’s said he’ll join another inconsequential sort, the lieutenant governor of Missouri, in a lawsuit to assure inadequate health care at least for Arkansans and Missourians. (A bi-state slogan: “Come die in the Ozarks.”) Maybe he’ll sue to prevent the expenditure of federal highway money in Arkansas, as well as federal assistance to public schools, and relief for disaster victims. Satan finds uses for idle hands.

What Satan can do, Secretary of State Mark Martin can do.

As custodian of the Capitol grounds, Martin surely could find a riding lawnmower for Darr, a hose, some clippers. There are probably tiles that need replacing, cars in Martin’s large fleet that could stand a good wash. At the end of a hard day’s work, the lieutenant governor will be thinking libation, not litigation, and be much less likely to embarrass his fellow Arkansans.

Road to recovery? n All her sister institutions in the Southeastern Conference are watching to see if the University of Tennessee athletic program can be reconstituted so as to make UT again worthy of SEC membership. The merger of the separate men’s and women’s athletic departments at UT, and the naming of the former women’s athletic director as overall director, are encouraging signs. Men were responsible for the scandals that brought on an NCAA investigation and the exposure of a dozen violations, forcing the dismissal of coaches and the resignation of the previous AD. Much is yet to be done; large questions remain unanswered. Should UT drop the expensive, pressure-filled game of full-contact football, and replace it with “touch,” a variation for which many recent UT teams have seemed more suited anyway? Might gymnastics be a better winter activity for male athletes than basketball, a game dominated by female athletes, at least at Tennessee? Yes in both cases, probably.

201 East Markham Street, 200 Heritage Center West, P.O. Box 34010, Little Rock, Arkansas 72203 Home page: http://www.arktimes.com • E-mail: arktimes@arktimes.com PUBLISHER Alan Leveritt EDITOR

PHOTOGRAPHER

MANAGING EDITOR

ADVERTISING ART DIRECTOR

CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

ASSISTANT ART DIRECTOR

ASSOCIATE EDITORS

GRAPHIC DESIGNERS

Max Brantley Leslie Newell Peacock

Brian Chilson Mike Spain

Mara Leveritt

Patrick Jones

David Koon Bob Lancaster Gerard Matthews Doug Smith

Rafael Méndez Bryan Moats Sandy Sarlo

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Erik Heller Katherine Smith Daniels Angie Wilson

REAL ESTATE SALES EXECUTIVE Tiffany Holland

CLASSIFIED SALES EXECUTIVE Challis Muniz

LIFESTYLE EDITOR

DIRECTOR OF ADVERTISING

Lindsey Millar

Phyllis A. Britton

AUTOMOTIVE ADVERTISING MANAGER

EDITORIAL ART DIRECTOR

SPECIAL PROJECTS

Kai Caddy

Michelle Miller, Manager

SOCIAL MEDIA DIRECTOR

MUSIC EDITOR

SENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE

SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER

John Tarpley

Tiffany Holland

Heather Baker Kelly Ferguson Josh Bramlett

ADVERTISING TRAFFIC MANAGER Roland R. Gladden

ADVERTISING COORDINATOR Kelly Schlachter

PRODUCTION ASSISTANT Tracy Whitaker

IT DIRECTOR

Robert Curfman

CIRCULATION DIRECTOR Anitra Hickman

CONTROLLER Weldon Wilson

BILLING/COLLECTIONS Linda Phillips

OFFICE MANAGER Angie Fambrough

PRODUCTION MANAGER Ira Hocut (1954-2009)

association of alternative newsweeklies

FOR SUBSCRIPTION SERVICE CALL: (501) 375-2985

22 JUNE 15, 2011 • ARKANSAS TIMES

BRIAN CHILSON

Keep him busy

3 ON 2½: Children take to the court during this past weekend’s Hoop Jams 3-on-3 Tournament at the Clinton Presidential Center. NBA star Joe Johnson was honorary chairman for the event. Proceeds benefitted the Clinton Center and Arkansas Baptist College.

Trust LR with $40 million? n Little Rock Mayor Mark Stodola spent an hour with me Monday afternoon to answer questions about the $40 million economic development fund now envisioned for the city’s sales tax package.

So far — though it’s subject to change — the city is talking about a ¾-cent sales tax increase for operations and a half-cent, to run for eight years, to pay for capital projects.

The sum of those taxes together will still put the city rate below 2 cents on the dollar, less than many other cities in Arkansas.

It will be hard for me not to vote for a sales tax increase. See: A collapsing police station, ancient radio system and police force dozens short of patrol officers; a fire department in need of a new station; no street repair program; underfinanced code enforcement and parks.

But ... I’m suspicious about that $40 million pot for economic development, not very specifically outlined as “job recruitment, workforce training, port expansion and economic development infrastructure.”

Job recruitment and workforce training are capital costs? Port expansion might be and Stodola says improvements there could take $25 million, though details are lacking. He wants money to help UAMS and UALR establish a technology park. Infrastructure — sewers, roads, rail lines — is inevitably necessary for major projects. Money also could clear blighted areas for redevelopment or match money from the governor’s quick-closing fund.

In short, the message is: The city needs jobs and voters can trust city leaders with doling out their money to attract it. The mayor insists the City Board will have strict control. There will be return-of-investment guidelines. Incentives will be tied to private investments. Companies will be encouraged to enlist workers in Little Rock, not suburban communities.

Clawbacks of money on broken promises are mentioned. Unmentioned is an absolute promise of total transparency in spending, but Stodola promised to look into that.

Max Brantley max@arktimes.com

The city has its annual dole to the Little Rock Regional Chamber of Commerce to show for how it feels about transparency. It took an all-out tantrum to get the tiniest disclosure from the chamber on where taxpayers’ money goes. Surprise. It subsidizes the pay of people who take political positions against the interest of voters — on universal health care, working conditions, public schools.

What’s lacking, too, is some indication that the most fortunate in the community are being asked to contribute in a way commensurate with the disproportionate burden a sales tax puts on poor people.

Business gets incentives. Taxpayers pay in hopes of being trickled upon. Public-private partnerships too often have been like the Verizon Arena. The public built it with tax money. The private contributions were payments for tax deductible marketing expenses and fancy perks (naming rights and skyboxes).

Stodola says the business community may contribute a pot of money to campaign for the tax. This is small change. Some whopping private investment or major philanthropic stroke (see a philanthropist’s gift of a new performing arts hall in Kansas City) would go a long way toward making the struggling taxpayer feel like all really are in this together.

Stodola did say this: Though he remains a defender of the Chamber of Commerce $200,000 welfare payment, he said passage of new operating money wouldn’t mean new chamber riches. “It’s not my intent to give them any more money,” Stodola said. Could I get the guarantors of Little Rock government by the establishment — the at-large and silk-stocking-ward directors — to sign a pledge to that effect?

BRIAN CHILSON

The Romney elephant n Seven months out from the first voting, the first big Republican presidential debate Tuesday revealed the most disconnected lineup of candidates of modern times.

Maybe it will change.

There was an odd illogic to the whole gaudy two-hour CNN show. All the candidates condemned the economic record of their own party—joblessness and mammoth budget deficits—although, except for Rep. Ron Paul, they pretended that it was the work of President Obama. Their remedies were even more of what got us the big deficits and unemployment: cut or eliminate taxes paid by the rich and corporations and then rid the banks, investment companies, manufacturers and energy companies of all government restrictions on their conduct. Except for Rick Santorum, they pretty much repudiated the foreign policies of the two George Bushes and John McCain— military intervention in Muslim lands— though not by name.

But the real whimsy involved the party’s acknowledged front-runner, Mitt Romney, whom the rest of the field treated deferentially. The leader of the pack is the man who perhaps more even than Barack Obama is responsible for the health-insurance reform law, the Affordable Care Act, which Republicans everywhere are supposed to loathe as the toil of Satan. Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty had referred

Ernest Dumas to it Sunday as “Obamneycare,” but when CNN interlocutor John King asked him about it Pawlenty almost apologized. He did not mean anything by it but was just pointing out that Obama had bragged that it was patterned after Romney’s great work in Massachusetts.

Although they all condemned “Obamacare” and promised to repeal it (presidents don’t have that power) if they are elected, none of the others touched on Romney’s role although it was the mid-sized elephant in the room. They must all have hoped that Romney will founder on his own without their making so transparent the party’s big dilemma, that its likeliest leader is father of the nation’s first universal health insurance law.

Romney had tried to stand behind his proudest achievement but somehow distinguish it from Obama’s. It may work—he is even with Obama in the polls—but it is hard to see how his so-far nonsensical explanation can carry the day. His plan, he says, was right for Massachusetts but maybe not for the whole country. But, as

McDaniel’s manna gets more criticism n An appearance of a groundswell emerges against Attorney General Dustin McDaniel’s getting to divvy up large sums of legal settlement dollars that occasionally flow to the state.

The practice just doesn’t seem right, at least to me and to a more liberal pundit like Max Brantley and to assorted more conservative ones, not to mention, of course, every Republican in sight.

The statewide newspaper did a takeout Sunday, almost seeming to invite a lawsuit about whether this practice, hardly a new one and hardly unique to Arkansas, is constitutional.

The appropriation of state money is supposed to be the legislature’s exclusive purview under the state constitution. But, for a recent example, a lawsuit settlement payment of $18.5 million by Eli Lilly to the state for overstating the benefits of a brain drug was actually distributed outside the legislative process, essentially by McDaniel’s dictates as laid out in the consent decree.

John Brummett jbrummett@arkansasnews.com

By his office’s negotiation and by rounding: Eli Lilly wrote a $15 million check to the state’s Medicaid Trust Fund, another $1 million for Medicaid separately and $2 million to the attorney general’s office. McDaniel used a little of that $2 million to buy computers and software for his office so his people can do stings of Internet sex predators of children, a program he ballyhooed in a recent news conference.

State Rep. Jane English, Republican of North Little Rock, proposed a bill in the recent session to direct such settlement funds into the state treasury, where the legislature could distribute them. McDaniel ramped up his lobbying and held off the bill. It sounds as if the measure will come up again, with a tad more impetus

a sympathetic New Yorker article about his fight to achieve universal health insurance in Massachusetts pointed out last week, he hoped it would be the template for a national law for which he would lead the fight.

If Romney wins the nomination or is closing in on it as the battle in the federal courts to toss universal coverage because of the insurance mandate climaxes, can the Republican-dominated appellate courts fail to take notice of the glaring paradox? It would be undoing universal insurance—a reform long demanded by the public—because it included a bit of Republican orthodoxy.

The private insurance mandate actually did not originate with Romney. President Richard Nixon delivered the plan to Congress on Feb. 6, 1974. Everyone in America would be insured through either Medicare, Medicaid or a mandate for every business in the country, large or small, to offer private health insurance to its employees and pay 75 percent of the premiums with some government subsidy for a few years. Nixon fled the office soon afterward and President Gerald Ford futilely pled with Democrats to pass the bill.

The mandate to buy private insurance, though this time it was on individuals, not companies, was the centerpiece of Republican policy in the 1990s. The party’s main think tank, the Heritage Foundation, outlined it in 1990. It was the only way to hold people responsible for paying for their own care. Sen. John Chafee was the lead sponsor of the Republican plan, which

mandated private coverage, in 1993, but President Clinton refused to compromise and the whole enterprise failed.

Then came Romney, who thought the health-care crisis was Massachusetts’ No. 1 problem. He enlisted Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, the Democratic lion who had fought for universal coverage for 35 years.

Kennedy held out for a single-payer plan all those years but finally acknowledged that it was hopeless and that Nixon had fathered the only plan that ever had a chance of passage. He joined with Romney, who was persuaded by research that showed that without a mandate a third of the uninsured, mostly younger, would never be covered.

Romney and Kennedy went to Washington Jan. 14, 2005, to persuade the Bush administration, which needed to provide a waiver for the Medicaid aspect of the plan (the same as Obama’s). They got it. Bush would continue federal funds flowing to subsidize people buying insurance.

Barack Obama needed more persuasion. He opposed the mandate during the 2008 presidential campaign.

Kennedy hired Romney’s health expert to lead the Senate toward a Romney-style health law. In the late spring of 2009, as the Senate and House plugged along in writing an insurance law, they finally persuaded Obama that the Republicans were right all along and that without Romney’s or Nixon’s mandate on either individuals or businesses the country could never achieve anything close to universal coverage.

next time.

My view of all this is more expansive and far, far more controversial.

I believe legal settlement money ought to go into the state treasury for legislative distribution. But then I also argue that the same goes for all these regulatory agencies that collect their own cash, from licensing and so forth, generating what gets known either as “cash funds” or “special revenue.”

Typically, these regulatory agencies get the Legislature to approve their budgets with authority for them to spend their own cash funds or dedicated revenues. But it seems to me that all state agency money ought instead to go directly into the state treasury to await legislative appropriation by policy priority.

Just because an agency collects certain money doesn’t necessarily mean it needs all that money operationally.

No longer, for example, should the Real Estate Commission get to keep its own cash and build its independent office palace. That money ought to go to the state general fund. The Real Estate Commission ought to rent spartan office space.

I say that even if the Legislature gives every cent to, say, the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame, as, heck, it might. At least I could rail against that and constituents

could have the opportunity to consider it in their votes next time.

I acknowledge that my view is rather impractical in its breadth.

What’s different about the attorney general’s settlement money is that, unlike agency-generated cash and certain dedicated revenue streams, it gets disbursed without even a perfunctory review by a Legislature signing off on an authorizing line item in the budget.

Are there arguments for continuing to let the attorney general handle the money this way?

The main one seems to be that a defendant like Eli Lilly might be less inclined to settle if, in the interest of its public relations, it couldn’t be party to binding negotiations with the attorney general directing how the dollars would be spent.

The other is a judicial doctrine that settlement dollars ought to be used to address needs revealed in the lawsuit. But that gets us into a Norman French phrase, “cy pres,” derived from Latin and made into a legal doctrine by the English.

We’ll delve into that kind of thing in this space only under the greatest duress.

John Brummett is a columnist and reporter for Stephens Media’s Arkansas News Bureau. www.arktimes.com • JUNE 15, 2011 23

presents a

CITYWIDE Cocktail Compass Party Night!

Parties Currently Scheduled at

Copper Grill • dugan’s pub • Peabody Lobby Bar Mallards Bar • Stickyz • Revolution • Willy D’s • Deep Prost • Midtown Billiards • Cajun’s Wharf Town Pump • Capi’s Nuevo Latino sway • fri., june 17

Download the Cocktail Compass app Point your camera here to download the free iPhone app Or search for "Arkansas Times" in the app store

* Q R Code r eader r equ ir ed

Cocktail Compass Specials are available at each party location, just show your app Copper Grill Lemon Pomegranate Tea $4

Willy D’s, Deep and Prost Half Off Appetizer at all three locations

Dugan’s Pub Black & Tan $3.25

Midtown Billiards $1 Miller Lite Draft

Peabody Lobby Bar Mallards Bar $1 off any of the following: Strawberry Kiwi Infusion Martini (reg. $5) Blue “Pear”adise Martini (reg. $7) Pocket Pear Shot (reg. $7) Sweet “Pear”fection (reg. $7) Caprese Martini (reg. $7) Pitcher of Sangaria (reg. $10) Only at Mallards

Cajun’s Wharf Strawberry Lemonade $4

Stickyz Mutha Cluckas — Half Price Revolution Frozen Margaritas — Half Price

Town Pump $1 PBR Beer Pumpalicious Mixed Drink $4 Sherbert Delight Shot $4 Capi’s Nuevo Latino Miller Lite Draft $2 Margarita’s $5 frozen or rocks Prosecco & Popsicles $8

Party Thursday June 16

SWAY – Friday June 17 Party 9 until 2 $1 Draft Beer all night long

arts entertainment

This week in

Chubby Checker to Oaklawn

and

PAGE 26

Cedric the Entertainer comes to Robinson PAGE 27

TO-DO LIST 26

CALENDAR 28

MOVIES 40

DINING 42

‘BILLY BLYTHE’

IN THE BIG APPLE Bonnie Montgomery’s opera debuts this weekend.

M

etropolis Opera Project, an experimental opera company in New York, once mounted a hip-hop/ electronic opera in which Hitler, Castro, Saddam Hussein and Mother Theresa sang about the role of God in their lives, and Oprah, Ellen DeGeneres and Rosie O’Donnell rapped. Naturally, when a new opera that imagined the boyhood of Bill Clinton came across the desk of director Zachary James, he took notice.

“The composer had labeled it a folk opera,” said James, “and that really grabbed my attention.”

That composer would be Little Rock’s Bonnie Montgomery, who arrives in New York this week to watch as “Billy Blythe,” her opera drawn from the pages of Clinton’s memoir “My Life,” with a few detours through “Leading With My Heart,” his late mother Virginia Kelley’s autobiography, gets a New York stage treatment.

Montgomery previewed four scenes of “Billy Blythe” at two workshops in Little Rock back in December, but Metropolis will present all seven scenes, with

a full cast in showings scheduled for Sunday and Monday nights at the company’s Medicine Show Theatre at 52nd Street and 11th Avenue, in the Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood of Manhattan (a neighborhood being fortuitously relabeled by real estate marketers as — guess what? — Clinton).

In composing “Billy Blythe,” Montgomery often imagined the role of Virginia being sung by Megan Nelson, a classmate of Montgomery’s at the Conservatory of Music at the University of Missouri in Kansas City, where she earned a Master of Arts, with a specialty in documenting Southern music. The two kept in touch as Montgomery, a native of Searcy, moved to Nashville and Nelson moved to New York, where she sits on the board of Metropolis. Because of her travel schedule, Nelson isn’t able to perform the role of Clinton’s mother in the performances, but she is responsible for bringing “Billy Blythe” to the company’s attention. “She thought it was a match made in heaven for their troupe,” Montgomery says.

BRIAN CHILSON

BY KYLE BRAZZEL

SING A SONG OF CLINTON: Montgomery and Evan Jones gave a performance of the opera at a White Water Tavern after-party last November.

The company is billing the performances as “developmental readings,” meaning the performers will work on a bare stage, not in costume, while holding scripts. Though the previous staging in Little Rock summoned pre-Civil-Rightsera Arkansas with period props and clothing, Montgomery believes the material is vivid enough to punch through the skeletal presentation. “I feel confident that the mood and time period and the Southern character of the piece is going to come through,” she said. “There are a lot of colloquialisms and period sayings, and already it’s a minimalistic idea. It’s the 1950s, so it’s not like Victorian or something, you know?”

Montgomery has a lot invested in the performances. Eight members of the board of directors for North Little Rock’s Argenta Arts Council plan to attend the performances to gauge whether “Billy Blythe” could earn a place in the season for the new Argenta Community Theater.

And Montgomery also knows that Mondays — a day off for most Broadway performers — are the only chance most theater folk have to check out shows they ordinarily must miss because of performance obligations. (In fact, James, the show’s director, plays Lurch in the current Broadway production of “The Addams Family.”)

Continued on page 32 www.arktimes.com • JUNE 15, 2011 25

■ to-dolist

BY ROBERT BELL AND LINDSEY MILLAR

W EDN E SD AY 6/ 1 5

DIXIE BEE-LINERS

8 p.m., Juanita’s. $8 adv., $10 d.o.s.

n A lot of bluegrass outfits adhere strictly to the traditions of the genre, at times so much so that it feels a little academic and sterile. The Dixie Bee-Liners probably won’t be accused of being overly devoted to convention. Their take on bluegrass weaves in other influences and instrumentation, particularly country and some flute playing that recalls British folk acts like Fairport Convention. Lead singer Brandi Hart sings in a clear, clean tone, harmonizing beautifully with the other band members on the group’s latest, “Susanville,” a concept album about travelers on the interstates and blue-line highways of America.

Plinking, plucking banjo and mandolin strings move the songs forward while the fiddle scrapes out beautiful melodies and buzzing drones alike. This show would probably a good bet for anyone who’s into that Be Good Tanyas/Avett Brothers indiebluegrass milieu. RB.

‘CHICAGO’

7:30 p.m., Robinson Center Music Hall. $22-$52.

n Can Celebrity Attractions and Broadway in Little Rock at large continue its successes of the past year? If there’s a show that’ll keep up the trend, it’ll be “Chicago,” a tried-and-true classic. For the uninitiated, the musical follows workinggirl chorus dancer Roxie Hart, who, after killing her partner-in-adultery, winds up in jail, befriending Velma, a sultry vaudeville star and soon-to-be tabloid superstar. Filling this production’s role of sensationalist lawyer Billy Flynn is John O’Hurley, the “Dancing with the Stars” all-star, former “Family Feud” host, and the eccentric J. Peterman, maybe the best supporting character in the entire “Seinfeld” universe.

THU R SD AY 6/ 16

CHUBBY CHECKER

7 p.m., Oaklawn Park, Hot Springs. $20.

n Although everybody knows the Jitterbug and the Charleston and the Mashed Potato and Macarena and the Stanky Leg, there’s little doubt that the Twist was the ultimate dance craze, evidenced by the multiple chart-topping singles it spawned in the early ’60s. Though the original “Twist” was written and first recorded by Hank Ballard, of Midnighters fame, it was 26 JUNE 15, 2011 • ARKANSAS TIMES

BLUE-LINE TRAVELERS: The Dixie Bee-Liners come to Juanita’s.

Chubby Checker who took the song to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 not once, but twice. Checker had other big dance craze hits as well, including follow-ups “Let’s Twist Again” and “Slow Twistin’” as well as “Pony Time,” “The Hucklebuck,” “The Fly” and “Dance the Mess Around.” 2011 finds Checker playing the nostalgia circuit, with upcoming appearances at casinos around the country and a spot on the Malt Shop Memories Cruise alongside Little Anthony & the Imperials, Lou Christie, and that thing Mike Love insists on calling the Beach Boys. RB.

ARKANSAS SHAKESPEARE THEATRE 7:30 p.m., The Village at Hendrix. Pay what you can.

n As it has in years past, the Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre takes a two-for-us, two-for-the-masses approach with its 2011 season. From The Bard: “Othello” and “As You Like It.” From Aesop and Andrew Lloyd Webber, respectively: “The Tortoise and the Hare” and “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.”

New this year and much appreciated, the festival splits time between Conway and North Little Rock. Furthermore, in Conway it splits time between Reynolds Performance Hall at UCA and the green at The Village at Hendrix. Shakespeare’s comic romp “As You Like It” kicks off the season (and inaugurates the green at The Village at Hendrix) on Thursday night and continues at 7:30 p.m. for the following three nights. Meanwhile, Aesop’s “The Tortoise and the Hare” debuts at 10 a.m. Friday at Reynolds. “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” opens Thursday, June 23, at Reynolds. The

STILL TWISTIN’: Chubby Checker offers his hits at Oaklawn.

THIS IS NOT AN ADVERTISEMENT FOR HAIR PRODUCT: It’s the popular modern rock act Neon Trees, who play at Magic Springs on Saturday.

North Little Rock portion of the program, which includes four performances of “As You Like It,” starts on Friday, July 1, at the Argenta Community Theater. For more information and a full calendar, visit arkshakes.com. LM.

S ATU R D AY 6/ 19

JUNETEENTH

12 p.m., Mosaic Templars Cultural Center. Free.

n According to the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center, Juneteenth is the oldest known commemoration of the end of slavery in the U.S. In Little Rock, the celebration for years meant a massive Power 92 FM-sponsored concert at the Riverfest Amphitheatre, one that critics claimed deemphasized or omitted entirely the history and importance of the celebration. But beginning in 2009, local African-American leaders began a new tradition at the intersection of Ninth and Broadway, amidst what once was a thriving black business and entertainment district and where the African-American history-focused Mosaic Templars Cultural Center sits. This year, the celebration, which begins at noon and continues until 7 p.m., features performances by Zinse Agginie and the Drum Ballet of Hope, the Bongo Willie Drumming Circle, the Parkview Players living history program, the Gloryland Pastor’s Choir and more. The free festival will also offer cultural face painting and hair braiding, a rock climbing wall, games and food. For a complete list of activities, visit mosaictemplars.com. LM.

for Verizon and too big for any other venue that would have them in Central Arkansas, fans of bombastic New Wave revival will just have to settle for the Neon Trees. The mascara-wearing band of the moment, the Provo, Utah, four-piece comes to Arkansas on the strength of its major label debut, “Habits.” The album’s first three singles, particularly the Forever 21 anthem “Animal,” have landed the band performances on just about all the late-night talk shows and spots opening for 30 Second to Mars and at Lollapalooza. Of all those performing at Magic Springs this season, Neon Trees are likely to attract the biggest glut of young folks. Five or ten bucks on top of park admission gets you a reserved seat for the concert. LM.

CEDRIC THE ENTERTAINER

8 p.m., Robinson Center Music Hall, $47-$58

n At any given moment, the biggest standup comics in the business are numbingly unfunny (e.g. Jeff Dunham, Dane Cook, Larry the Cable Guy). Most of these folks are soon relegated to the margins of popular culture, to those straight-to-DVD duds

vying for your impulse buck at the grocery store checkout. Eventually, nobody even remembers who Carlos Mencia and Ralphie May were. Of course, many of the most popular comics are actually funny, and manage to parlay their standup acts to enormously successful acting careers and big paychecks. Cedric the Entertainer falls mainly into the latter category. He’s been doing standup since the early ’90s, some of it very funny, some not so much.

He’s acted on television and in a raft of movies and even briefly hosted a sketch comedy show on Fox and most recently was tapped by NBC to host the Merv Griffin Entertainment game show “It’s Worth What?” He also starred in what has to be one of the top-selling standup DVDs of all time, Spike Lee’s “The Original Kings of Comedy.” Odds are that if you were to put this down and go to the living room and look under your giant-ass flat-screen TV at that jumble of DVDs, you’d find a copy of “The Original Kings of Comedy” there, tucked in between “Shrek 2” and “The Bourne Ultimatum.” RB.

SUNDAY 6/19

THE ROSEBUDS, THE OTHER LIVES 9 p.m., Stickyz/$8 adv. $10 d.o.s.

n The jury is still out on whether it’s a good idea to play in a band with your better half. For every John and Yoko or Thurston and Kim, it seems there are several Lindsey and Stevies or Meg and Jacks or Richard and Lindas. Kelly Crisp and Ivan Howard started the Rosebuds in North Carolina shortly after they were wed, and the prolific band has earned some good reviews across several albums and EPs. But by 2009, their marriage had been failing for “two albums, maybe longer” according to the band’s Merge Records bio, and they split. The good news for fans of strident boy/girl indie pop is that while their marriage is over, Crisp and Howard opted for joint custody of the band. To be sure, the latest Rosebuds offering, “Loud Planes Fly Low,” is a break-up album. But “Blood on the Tracks” it ain’t. RB.

NEON TREES

8 p.m., Timberwood Amphitheater, Magic Springs. $39.99-$44.99.

n Since The Killers are likely too small

AN ORIGINAL KING OF COMEDY: Cedric the Entertainer yucks it up at Robinson on Saturday.

■ inbrief

THURSDAY 6/16

n Local troubadour Isaac Alexander plays at the Afterthought, 8 p.m., $5.

Athens, Ga.’s Ponderosa brings some crunchy southern indie rock to Juanita’s, 9 p.m., $8 adv., $10 d.o.s. Little Rock piano maestro John Willis takes the stage at the White Water Tavern, 10 p.m., $5.

Ol’ Puddin’haid plays all your favorites at the Thirst n’ Howl, 7:30 p.m., free.

For some skull-crushing, Christian metallic hardcore, Run With the Hunted, Words Within and Something to Stand For mosh it up at Downtown Music Hall, 7 p.m., $7. The Hitchcock whodunit “The 39 Steps” returns to The Rep, 8 p.m., $20-$40. The Ted Ludwig Trio plays jazz at the Capital Bar and Grill, 5 p.m., free.

FRIDAY 6/17

n The Weekend Theater opens its production of “Gypsy,” the Steven Sondheim musical based on the memoirs of famed striptease Gypsy Rose Lee, 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 2:30 p.m. Sunday through July 10, $16$20. Egypt Central, Madam Adam, Abused Romance and Candlelight Red offer a night of dark modern alternative rock at Juanita’s, 9 p.m., $8 adv., $10 d.o.s. San Antonio’s Pop Pistol and Fayetteville pop-punkers Dreamfast roll into Maxine’s, 8 p.m., $5 adv., $7 d.o.s. The Salty Dogs get down with their Bakersfield-style country at the White Water Tavern, 10 p.m., $5.

Thomas East tickles the ivories at Sonny Williams’ Steak Room, 7 p.m. June 17 and 18. Local faves The Wicked Good and Iron Tongue welcome Russellville post-rockers The Sound of the Mountain at Stickyz, 9 p.m., $5. Riverflicks screens “Coraline” at North Shore Riverwalk, 7 p.m., free. Just can’t get enough Christian metalcore? Get a fix with Inhale/Exhale, To Speak of Wolves and Even the Dogs at Vino’s, 8 p.m., $10.

SATURDAY 6/18

n The Tillman brothers take their boundary-pushing hip-hop act Ear Fear to The Afterthought, 9 p.m., $7. Ahead of some out-of-town dates later this month, The Elise Davis Band brings its catchy, sturdy folk rock to the stage of the White Water Tavern, 10 p.m., $5. Anyone in the mood for some moody punk rock should check out Embrace the Crash at Flying Saucer, 9 p.m. Those afflicted with ’80s Hits Nostalgia Syndrome (8HNS) might find relief via the slick covers of Members Only at Stickyz, 9:30 p.m., $5. Shannon Boshears plays blues-inflected rock at Markham Street Grill and Pub, 9 p.m., free. www.arktimes.com • JUNE 15, 2011 27

www.arktimes.com

afterdark

All events are in the Greater Little Rock area unless otherwise noted. To place an event in the Arkansas Times calendar, please e-mail the listing and all pertinent information, including date, time, location, price and contact information, to calendar@arktimes.com.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 15 MUSIC

Acoustic Open Mic with Andy Warr. The Afterthought, 8 p.m. 2721 Kavanaugh Blvd. 501-6631196. www.afterthoughtbar.com.

Bolly Open Mic Hype Night with Osyrus Bolly and DJ Messiah. All American Wings, 9 p.m. 215 W. Capitol Ave. 501-376-4000. allamericanwings. com.

Cody Canada & the Departed. Stickyz Rock ‘n’ Roll Chicken Shack, 9 p.m., $10 adv., $12 d.o.s.

107 Commerce St. 501-372-7707. www.stickyfingerz.com.

The Carper Family. White Water Tavern, 10 p.m.

2500 W. 7th. 501-375-8400. www.whitewatertavern. com.

Deas Vail, Falcon Scott. Downtown Music Hall, 7:30 p.m., $8 adv., $10 d.o.s. 211 W. Capitol.

501-376-1819. downtownshows.homestead.com.

Dixie Bee-Liners. Juanita’s, 8 p.m., $8 adv., $10 d.o.s. 1300 S. Main St. 501-372-1228. www.juanitas. com.

Grayson Shelton and War Chief, May The Peace Of The Sea Be With You, Burning the Past. Revolution, 8 p.m., $5 over 21, $10 under 21.

300 President Clinton Ave. 501-823-0090. revroom. com.

Hot Springs Music Festival 2011. The annual classical music festival returns to Hot Springs, offering nightly recitals at venues throughout town, through June 18.

Jim Dickerson. Sonny Williams’ Steak Room, 7 p.m. 500 President Clinton Ave. 501-324-2999. www. sonnywilliamssteakroom.com.

Jocko Deal. Cajun’s Wharf, 5 p.m. 2400 Cantrell Road. 501-375-5351. www.cajunswharf.com.

Karaoke at Khalil’s. Khalil’s Pub, 7 p.m. 110 S. Shackleford Road. 501-224-0224. www.khalilspub. com.

Karaoke. Hibernia Irish Tavern, 9 p.m. 9700 N. Rodney Parham Road. 501-246-4340. www.hiberniairishtavern.com.

Karaoke with Big John Miller. Denton’s Trotline, 8 p.m. 2150 Congo Road, Benton. 501-315-1717.

Ted Ludwig Trio. Capital Bar and Grill, 5 p.m., free.

111 Markham St. 501-374-7474. www.capitalhotel. com/CBG.

COMEDY

Sean Kent. The Loony Bin, 8 p.m.; June 17, 10:30 p.m.; June 18, 7, 9 and 11 p.m., $7-$10. 10301 N. Rodney Parham Road. 501-228-5555. www.loonybincomedy.com.

EVENTS

175th Birthday Party for Arkansas. A celebration of statehood with food, drink, auctions and more. Old State House Museum, 5:30 p.m., $75.

500 Clinton Ave. 501-324-9685. www.oldstatehouse. com.

FILM

Movies in the Park: “Notting Hill.” Riverfest Amphitheatre, 7 p.m. 400 President Clinton Ave. 28 JUNE 15, 2011 • ARKANSAS TIMES

p.m. 11321 W. Markham St. 501-224-2010. www. markhamst.com.

Chubby Checker. Oaklawn, 7 p.m., $20. 2705 Central Ave., Hot Springs. 501-623-4411. www. oaklawn.com.

“V.I.P. Thursdays” with DJs SilkySlim and Derrty Deja Blu. Sway, 8 p.m., $3. 412 Louisiana.

501-907-2582.

Hot Springs Music Festival 2011. See June 15.

Isaac Alexander. The Afterthought, 8 p.m., $5.

2721 Kavanaugh Blvd. 501-663-1196. www.afterthoughtbar.com.

Jim Dickerson. Sonny Williams’ Steak Room, 7 p.m. 500 President Clinton Ave. 501-324-2999. www. sonnywilliamssteakroom.com.

John Willis. White Water Tavern, 10 p.m., $5. 2500 W. 7th. 501-375-8400. www.whitewatertavern.com.

The Josh Love Band. Faulkner County Library, 7 p.m. 1900 Tyler St., Conway. 501-327-7482. www. fcl.org.

Karaoke. Zack’s Place, 8 p.m. 1400 S. University Ave. 501-664-6444. www.zacks-place.com.

Lucious Spiller Band. Stickyz Rock ‘n’ Roll Chicken Shack, 9:30 p.m., $5. 107 Commerce St. 501-372-7707. www.stickyfingerz.com.

Ol’ Puddin’haid. Thirst n’ Howl, 7:30 p.m., free.

14710 Cantrell Road. 501-379-8189. www.thirstn-howl.com.

Ponderosa. Juanita’s, 9 p.m., $8 adv., $10 d.o.s.

1300 S. Main St. 501-372-1228. www.juanitas.com.

Port Arthur Band. Parrot Beach Cafe, 9 p.m. 9611 MacArthur Drive, NLR. 771-2994.

Run With the Hunted, Words Within, Something to Stand For. Downtown Music Hall, 7 p.m., $7. 211 W. Capitol. 501-376-1819. downtownshows.homestead.com.

The Sound of the Mountain. Maxine’s, 8 p.m., free. 700 Central Ave., Hot Springs. maxinespub. com.

Ted Ludwig Trio. Capital Bar and Grill, 5 p.m., free.

111 Markham St. 501-374-7474. www.capitalhotel. com/CBG.

COMEDY

FOLK-ROCK GET-DOWN: The Romany Rye, a band led by California’s Luke MacMaster but otherwise made up of Little Rock musicians, returns to the White Water stage after a big recent bump in exposure, thanks to appearances in Paste and Rolling Stone. Beloved local singer/songwriter Adam Faucett, who’ll soon tour with The Romany Rye, opens the show, which begins at 10 p.m., Tuesday, June 21. The cover charge is $5.

SPORTS

Arkansas Travelers vs. Springfield Cardinals.

Dickey-Stephens Park, through July 15, 7 p.m., $6-$12. 400 W Broadway St., NLR. 501-664-1555. www.travs.com.

KIDS

Summer Sweets and Treats. Students in grades 1-5 delve into a literature based journey through the world of Willy Wonka. Wildwood Park for the Performing Arts 9 a.m., $50 registration fee, $100 session fee, $90 for Wildwood Park Family Members.

20919 Denny Road.

THURSDAY, JUNE 16 MUSIC

Josh Green and Tragikly White. Cajun’s Wharf, June 16-18, 5 and 9 p.m., $5 after 8:30 p.m. 2400 Cantrell Road. 501-375-5351. www.cajunswharf. com.

MUSIC

Brian Nahlen. Markham Street Grill And Pub, 9

Sean Kent. The Loony Bin, through June 17, 8 p.m.; June 17, 10:30 p.m.; June 18, 7, 9 and 11 p.m., $7-$10. 10301 N. Rodney Parham Road. 501-2285555. www.loonybincomedy.com.

EVENTS

Antique/Boutique Walk. Shopping and live entertainment. Downtown Hot Springs, third Thursday of every month, 4-8 p.m., free. 100 Central Ave., Hot Springs.

“Divas Dressing Darlings.” The Compassion Fashion Project and Little Rock Fashion Week fundraiser for Little Dresses for Africa. Donations of new or lightly used pillowcases appreciated. RK Collections, 6 p.m., free. 17717 Chenal Parkway.

Wine Tasting with Bruce Cochran. The Afterthought, 5:30 p.m., $10. 2721 Kavanaugh Blvd.

501-663-1196. www.afterthoughtbar.com.

FILM

Riverflicks: “Coraline.” North Shore Riverwalk, 7 p.m. Riverwalk Drive, NLR. www.northlittlerock.org.

LECTURES

Bob Holman. The Emmy-winning poet and “poetry czar” on the New York poetry scene discusses his collaboration with Chuck Close and reads recent works. Arkansas Arts Center, 6 p.m., $5. 501 E. 9th St. 501-372-4000. www.arkarts.com.

“Hello Folly! A Brief History of the Farkleberry Follies.” Creators Craig Douglass, Ben Combs and Bill Lancaster discuss the program of political satire produced by the Society of Professional Journalists. Arkansas Studies Institute, 6:30 p.m., free. 401 President Clinton Ave. 501-320-5792. www. arstudies.org.

SPORTS

Arkansas Travelers vs. Springfield Cardinals.

Dickey-Stephens Park, through July 15, 7 p.m., $6-$12. 400 W Broadway St., NLR. 501-664-1555. www.travs.com.

KIDS

Summer Sweets and Treats. See June 15.

FRIDAY, JUNE 17 MUSIC

Josh Green and Tragikly White. Cajun’s Wharf, through June 18, 5 and 9 p.m., $5 after 8:30 p.m.

2400 Cantrell Road. 501-375-5351. www.cajun-

UPCOMING EVENTS Concert tickets through Ticketmaster by phone at 975-7575 or online at www.ticketmaster.com unless otherwise noted.

JULY 20: CJ Ramone. 8 p.m., $15 adv., $20 d.o.s. Downtown Music Hall, 211 W. Capitol.

376-1819.

OCT. 4: Taylor Swift. 7 p.m., $27-$71. Verizon Arena. 975-9000, verizonarena.com. swharf.com.

Trademark. Denton’s Trotline, June 17-18, 9 p.m.

2150 Congo Road, Benton. 501-315-1717.

MUSIC

Angelyn Jolly. Dugan’s Pub, 9 p.m. 403 E. 3rd St. 501-244-0542. www.duganspublr.com.

Big John Miller. Markham Street Grill And Pub, 9 p.m. 11321 W. Markham St. 501-224-2010. www. markhamst.com.

Charlotte Taylor. The Afterthought, 9 p.m., $7.

2721 Kavanaugh Blvd. 501-663-1196. www.afterthoughtbar.com.

Crash Meadows. West End Smokehouse and Tavern, 10 p.m., $5. 215 N. Shackleford. 501-2247665. www.westendsmokehouse.net.

D-Mite and Tho-d Studios Showcase.

Cornerstone Pub & Grill, 8:30 p.m., $5. 314 Main St., NLR. 501-374-1782. cstonepub.com.

Egypt Central, Madam Adam, Abused Romance, Candlelight Red. Juanita’s, 9 p.m., $8 adv., $10 d.o.s. 1300 S. Main St. 501-372-1228. www.juanitas.com.

Glittercore. Downtown Music Hall, 8 p.m., $5.

211 W. Capitol. 501-376-1819. downtownshows. homestead.com.

Hot Springs Music Festival 2011. See June 15.

Inhale/Exhale, To Speak of Wolves, Even the Dogs. Vino’s, 8 p.m., $10. 923 W. Seventh St. 501-375-8466. www.vinosbrewpub.com.

Intimate Stranger, Pop Pistol, Dreamfast.

Maxine’s, 8 p.m., $5 adv., $7 d.o.s. 700 Central Ave., Hot Springs. maxinespub.com.

King Julian and Friends. Union Bistro, 9 p.m.

3421 Old Cantrell Road. 501-353-0360.

PG-13 (headliner), The Crumbs (happy hour).

Cajun’s Wharf, 5 and 9 p.m., $5 after 8:30 p.m. 2400 Cantrell Road. 501-375-5351. www.cajunswharf. com.

The Salty Dogs. White Water Tavern, 10 p.m., $5.

White Water Tavern, 10 p.m. 2500 W. 7th. 501-3758400. www.whitewatertavern.com.

Seven Sharp, Malcadence, Blind Mary. Fox and Hound, 9:30 p.m., $5. 2800 Lakewood Village, NLR. 501-753-8300. www.foxandhound.com/locations/north-little-rock.aspx.

Ted Ludwig Trio. Capital Bar and Grill, 9 p.m. 111 Markham St. 501-374-7474. www.capitalhotel.com/ CBG. The Last Slice. Midtown Billiards, 12:30 a.m., $5.

1316 Main St. 501-372-9990. midtownar.com.

The Wicked Good, Iron Tongue, The Sound of the Mountain. Stickyz Rock ‘n’ Roll Chicken Shack, 9 p.m., $5. 107 Commerce St. 501-372-7707. www.stickyfingerz.com.

Thomas East. Sonny Williams’ Steak Room, June 17-18. 500 President Clinton Ave. 501-324-2999. www.sonnywilliamssteakroom.com.

Tragikly White. Revolution, 9 p.m., $5. 300 President Clinton Ave. 501-823-0090. revroom.com.

Will Gunselman. Flying Saucer, 9 p.m. 323 President Clinton Ave. 501-372-7468. www.beerknurd.com/stores/littlerock.

COMEDY

Sean Kent. The Loony Bin, through June 17, 8 p.m.; June 17, 10:30 p.m.; June 18, 7, 9 and 11 p.m., $7-$10. 10301 N. Rodney Parham Road. 501-2285555. www.loonybincomedy.com.

EVENTS

LGBTQ/SGL Youth and Young Adult Group.

Diverse Youth for Social Change is a group for LGBTQ/SGL and straight ally youth and young adults age 14 to 23. For more information, call 244-9690 or search “DYSC” on Facebook. 6:30 p.m. 800 Scott St.

SPORTS

Arkansas Travelers vs. Springfield Cardinals.

Dickey-Stephens Park, through July 15, 7 p.m., $6-$12. 400 W Broadway St., NLR. 501-664-1555.

www.travs.com.

KIDS

Summer Sweets and Treats. See June 15.

SATURDAY, JUNE 18 MUSIC

Charlotte Taylor & Gypsy Rain. Discovery Nightclub. 1021 Jessie Road. 501-664-4784. www. latenightdisco.com.

Josh Green and Tragikly White. Cajun’s Wharf, 5 and 9 p.m., $5 after 8:30 p.m. 2400 Cantrell Road.

501-375-5351. www.cajunswharf.com.

Trademark. Denton’s Trotline, 9 p.m. 2150 Congo Road, Benton. 501-315-1717.

MUSIC

Brumley and Gardner, The Atomic Duo. Maxine’s, 8 p.m., $5. 700 Central Ave., Hot Springs. maxinespub.com.

Ear Fear. The Afterthought, 9 p.m., $7. 2721 Kavanaugh Blvd. 501-663-1196. www.afterthoughtbar.com.

Elise Davis Band. White Water Tavern, 10 p.m., $5. 2500 W. 7th. 501-375-8400. www.whitewatertavern.com.

Embrace the Crash. Flying Saucer, 9 p.m. 323 President Clinton Ave. 501-372-7468. www.beerknurd.com/stores/littlerock.

Hot Springs Music Festival 2011. See June 15.

“Inferno” with DJs SilkySlim, Deja Blu, Greyhound. Sway, 10 p.m. 412 Louisiana. 501-9072582.

Karaoke at Khalil’s. Khalil’s Pub, 7 p.m. 110 S. Shackleford Road. 501-224-0224. www.khalilspub. com.

Mayday By Midnight. West End Smokehouse and Tavern, 10 p.m., $5. 215 N. Shackleford. 501-2247665. www.westendsmokehouse.net.

Members Only. Stickyz Rock ‘n’ Roll Chicken Shack, 9:30 p.m., $5. 107 Commerce St. 501-3727707. www.stickyfingerz.com.

Mo Dedz. Town Pump, 10 p.m. 1321 Rebsamen Park Road. 501-663-9802.

Neon Trees. Magic Springs-Timberwood Amphitheater, 7:30 p.m., $5-$10. 1701 E. Grand Ave., Hot Springs.

Rare Remedy and The Push Down Turn.

Cornerstone Pub & Grill, 9 p.m., $5. 314 Main St., NLR. 501-374-1782. cstonepub.com.

Shannon Boshears. Markham Street Grill And Pub, 9 p.m. 11321 W. Markham St. 501-224-2010. www.markhamst.com.

Sychosys, Drop Dead Syndicate, Sufferkate, At War’s End. Juanita’s, 9 p.m., $8 adv., $10 d.o.s.

1300 S. Main St. 501-372-1228. www.juanitas.com.

Ted Ludwig Trio. Capital Bar and Grill, 9 p.m. 111 Markham St. 501-374-7474. www.capitalhotel.com/ CBG. The Weisenheimers with Amy McBride, Active Ingredient, The Thrift Store Junkies.

Vino’s, 8:30 p.m., $7. 923 W. Seventh St. 501-3758466. www.vinosbrewpub.com.

Thomas East. Sonny Williams’ Steak Room, through. 500 President Clinton Ave. 501-324-2999. www.sonnywilliamssteakroom.com.

Thread. Also includes Miss Caribbean Tan international model search. Fox and Hound, 9 p.m., $10.

2800 Lakewood Village, NLR. 501-753-8300. www. foxandhound.com/locations/north-little-rock.aspx.

Wes Hart Band (headliner), Andy Tanas (happy hour). Cajun’s Wharf, 5 and 9 p.m., $5 after 8:30 p.m. Cajun’s Wharf, 5 and 9 p.m., $5 after 8:30 p.m. 2400 Cantrell Road. 501-375-5351. www. cajunswharf.com.

ARGENTA COMMUNITY THEATER Friday, July 1 | 7:30pm Saturday, July 2 | 7:30pm Sunday, July 3 | 2:00pm & 7:30pm sponsored by

TICKETS

www.arkshakes.com 501.450.3265

COMEDY

Cedric The Entertainer. Robinson Center Music Hall, 8 p.m., $47-$58. Markham and Broadway. www.littlerockmeetings.com/conv-centers/robinson.

Sean Kent. The Loony Bin, 7, 9 and 11 p.m., $7-$10. 10301 N. Rodney Parham Road. 501-2285555. www.loonybincomedy.com.

EVENTS

Arkansas Farmers Market. Locally grown produce. Certified Farmers Market, 7 a.m.-12 p.m.

6th and Main, NLR. Falun Gong meditation. Allsopp Park, 9 a.m., free. Cantrell & Cedar Hill Roads.

Farmer’s Market. River Market Pavilions, through Oct. 31: 7 a.m. 400 President Clinton Ave. 375-2552. www.rivermarket.info.

Continued on page 31

www.arktimes.com • JUNE 15, 2011 29

■ theaterreview ‘The 39 Steps’

Arkansas Repertory Theatre, June 10

‘THE 39 STEPS’: Nikki Coble and Avery Clark star.

30 JUNE 15, 2011 • ARKANSAS TIMES

n Perhaps there will be a few theatergoers who won’t appreciate the current production of “The 39 Steps” at the Arkansas Repertory Theatre. It is, after all, an adaptation of a mostly forgotten Alfred Hitchcock film and mostly done so for laughs. When translated to the stage, the inherent silliness of the story — an ordinary British bachelor caught up in an absurdly complicated spy ring — is the primary attraction. The Rep’s production, directed by Bob Hupp, delivers the silliness with expert flair and even generates an emotional connection. But maybe there are some in the audience expecting and wanting more meat on their theatrical bones.

This group has to be in tiny minority because “The 39 Steps” is like theatrical champagne — it’s bright, fizzy and will lift your spirits. The trick at the center, in which four actors play a cast of hundreds and create on stage what only makes sense to film (such as a chase on top of a speeding train), is a seemingly endless fountain of fun. The play is funny, and funny to watch.

The race begins with dapper, pencil-mustached Richard Hannay (played by Avery Clark) bemoaning his boring life in London and the endless newspaper talk of war. He needs a diversion, something trivial, “I know. I’ll go to the theater!” he exclaims to great guffaws. There are many more knowing winks to the audience to come.

Hannay is almost instantly delivered from his boredom into the arms of the beautiful but mysterious Annabelle Schmidt (the first of three roles for Nikki Coble), who talks of secrets, Scotland and then falls over dead with a knife in her back.

On the run, Hannay bumps into and flees from a legion of characters, all of them played by Jason Guy (Clown 1) or Jason Collins (Clown 2). All of the crazy action is played out on Mike Nichols’ striking but spare set. The actors transport us to the speeding train, the Scottish mansion, a runaway car and elsewhere with the help of lights and a few props and their tremendous skill. The clowns literally do the heavy lifting (including a lamppost in one of the play’s best gags) but the pair are graceful and precise as ballet dancers. Only in a few spots did it seem like Guy and Collins go too broad (the couple that runs the hotel, for instance).

Clark has the straight-man role but he’s smart and intuitive and doesn’t miss many chances for finding laughs. For proof, check out the way he falls asleep. Clark effortlessly captures and keeps the attention thrown his way. The Rep has benefited greatly from his presence this season (he was the lead in “Hamlet”) and would do well to find him more roles. But those who haven’t had the chance or are in the mood for a sweet night in theater need to check out “The 39 Steps.”

— Werner Trieschmann

CALENDAR

Continued from page 29 Hillcrest Farmers Market. Pulaski Heights Baptist Church, 7 a.m. 2200 Kavanaugh Blvd.

Juneteenth Festival. Events, games, food, vendors and live music from Zinse Agginie and the Drum Ballet of Hope, Bongo Willie Drumming Circle, Gloryland Pastor’s Choir and more. Mosaic Templars Cultural Center, 12 p.m. 501 W. 9th St. 501-376-4602. www.mosaictemplarscenter.com.

SPORTS

Arkansas Travelers vs. Springfield Cardinals.

Dickey-Stephens Park, through July 15, 7 p.m., $6-$12. 400 W Broadway St., NLR. 501-664-1555. www.travs.com.

Family Saturday at Heifer Village. A familyfriendly day of exhibits, crafts and activities. Heifer Village, 11 a.m. 1 World Ave. 501-376-6836. heifer. org/heifervillage.

BENEFITS

take the

Summer Restaurant Challenge

The Musical Comedy

“Always Patsy Cline”!

“Sweet Dreams Again” -USA Today Now – June 26 The story of legendary country singer Patsy Cline’s friendship with fan Louise Seger, inspired by letters signed “Love always...Patsy Cline.”

Everybody Loves Opal June 28 – July 24 Gloria, Bradford and Solomon decide Opal Kronkie really needs plenty of insurance, a rapid demise and three beneficiaries. But Opal has more lives than her cat! Their hilarious attempts are topped only by the fact that soon they love Opal too! A comedy for the whole family.

See page 9 for contest information!

Colonel Glenn & University • murrysdinnerplayhouse.com • 562-3131

Walk to End Alzheimer’s. Riverfest Amphitheatre, 9 a.m. 400 President Clinton Ave. 501-265-0027. www.LRwalk.org.

KIDS

Summer Sweets and Treats. See June 15.

SUNDAY, JUNE 19 MUSIC

Eleanor Murray and Co. Vino’s, 6 p.m. 923 W. Seventh St. 501-375-8466. www.vinosbrewpub. com.

Fire & Brimstone. Hilton Garden Inn, 11 a.m.

4100 Glover Lane, NLR. Karaoke. Shorty Small’s, 6-9 p.m. 1475 Hogan Lane, Conway. 501-764-0604. www.shortysmalls. com.

“Margarita Sunday.” With Tawanna Campbell, Jeron, Dell Smith, Cliff Aaron and Joel Crutcher.

Juanita’s, 9 p.m. 1300 S. Main St. 501-372-1228. www.juanitas.com.

The Rosebuds, The Other Lives. Stickyz Rock ‘n’ Roll Chicken Shack, 9 p.m., $8 adv., $10 d.o.s.

Stickyz Rock ‘n’ Roll Chicken Shack, 9 p.m. 107 Commerce St. 501-372-7707. www.stickyfingerz. com.

Skrillex. River Market Pavilions, 4:30 p.m., $15.

400 President Clinton Ave. 375-2552. www.rivermarket.info.

Sunday Jazz Brunch with Ted Ludwig and Joe Cripps. Vieux Carre, 11 a.m. 2721 Kavanaugh Blvd. 501-663-1196. www.vieuxcarrecafe.com.

SPORTS

Arkansas Travelers vs. Springfield Cardinals.

Dickey-Stephens Park, through July 15, 7 p.m., $6-$12. 400 W Broadway St., NLR. 501-664-1555. www.travs.com.

KIDS

Summer Sweets and Treats. See June 15.

MONDAY, JUNE 20 MUSIC

Bob Boyd Band. The Afterthought, 8 p.m. 2721 Kavanaugh Blvd. 501-663-1196. www.afterthoughtbar.com.

Call to Preserve, Dead Icons, Dynasty.

Downtown Music Hall, 7 p.m., $8 adv., $10 d.o.s.

211 W. Capitol. 501-376-1819. downtownshows. homestead.com.

Karaoke. Thirst n’ Howl, 8:30 p.m. 14710 Cantrell Road. 501-379-8189. www.thirst-n-howl.com.

Motograter, Eddie and the Defiantz. Juanita’s, 9 p.m., $6 adv., $8 d.o.s. 1300 S. Main St. 501-3721228. www.juanitas.com.

Richie Johnson. Cajun’s Wharf, 5 p.m. 2400 Cantrell Road. 501-375-5351. www.cajunswharf. com.

SPORTS

Arkansas Travelers vs. Springfield Cardinals.

Dickey-Stephens Park, through July 15, 7 p.m., $6-$12. 400 W Broadway St., NLR. 501-664-1555. www.travs.com.

WHERE THE BEST NIGHTS ARE BORN. Amidst a crowd of familiar faces.

BRUSHING SHOULDERS WITH GREATNESS. Or just a great drink. ALWAYS CREATING BRILLIANT MEMORIES.

THE LOBBY BAR IS WHERE IT BEGINS.

CAMPS

Camp Wildwood. Campers age 11-14 will take part in a variety of art forms, including yoga, horti-

The Peabody Little Rock • Three Statehouse Plaza • Little Rock, Arkansas 72201 • 501-906-4000 • peabodylittlerock.com

Continued on page 32 www.arktimes.com • JUNE 15, 2011 31

■ musicreview

BONNIE MONTGOMERY: Will play music in New York, too.

Hot Springs Music Festival Symphony Orchestra n The Hot Springs Music Festival Symphony Orchestra, made up of professionals and students, gave the first of the four concerts it will give during the two-week festival this year June 7 at the Hot Springs Field House.

Peter Bay is principal conductor for the season.

The students include talented apprentices on scholarship who work side by side with mentors during the two-week festival.

Most mentors didn’t appear to be significantly older than their apprentices, but in any event the ensemble is composed of uniformly good players.

Regrettably, there were almost as many musicians as audience members; a pity, since the tab is only $15 per concert, with student tickets only $5. The orchestra is also sorely in need of a more suitable venue. I think the hall’s acoustics may be responsible for many of my criticisms.

The group played in with the “Bacchanale” from Saint-Saens’ “Sampson and Delilah” in an overly loud and exuberant rendition. The balance between the instruments left much to be desired, the brass overwhelming the other instruments and sounding harsh rather than sensuous.

The featured work was Liszt’s First Piano Concerto with Michael Gurst as soloist.

The concerto is one of the most melodramatic pieces in piano literature and Gurst was appropriately flamboyant and dramatic.

Especially during the breakneck finale, however, reverberation in the hall conspired to make notes indistinguishable one from another.

After intermission came Prokofiev’s Fifth Symphony, a work composed at the

height of World War II. There is some disagreement among scholars about Prokofiev’s intent. Is it a sop to Soviet orthodoxy or work of personal rebellion? Bay’s nononsense, keep-the-beat baton did not reveal which side of the argument he came down on. The symphony, especially in the first movement, is a grand workout for the brass and percussion. Once again, their sound overwhelmed the less virile instruments.

There was also a bit of roughness when the woodwinds get to shine at the beginning of the third movement, but then, almost miraculously, the whole thing came together in an evocation of the agony of war, bringing the concert to a most satisfying conclusion.

Sunday, I returned to hear the symphony along with the festival chorus in Mendelssohn’s “Elijah,” under guest conductor Michael Morgan. The orchestra was much better balanced than in the earlier concert and was at times brilliant, especially in the sections in which the prophets of Baal seek to bring fire down and in which Elijah is lifted up. The diction of the vocal ensemble, however, needed much work. I could barely understand the words even with the text in front of me, the exception being the a capella choir of angels, which sings briefly in Part 2. Morgan conducted authoritatively, however, and the evening overall was well worth the trip.

There are festival events nightly at various venues. The orchestra’s final concert is Saturday at 7:30, with more Liszt. “Les Preludes” contains most of the bridge cues from the old “Lone Ranger” radio show.

Should be fun.

— Edward Wooten

CALENDAR

314 Main St., NLR. 501-374-1782. cstonepub.com.

Karaoke Tuesday. Prost, 8 p.m., free. 120 Ottenheimer. 501-244-9550.

Karaoke with Big John Miller. Denton’s Trotline, 8 p.m. 2150 Congo Road, Benton. 501-315-1717.

Lucious Spiller Band. Copeland’s, 6-9 p.m. 2602 S. Shackleford Road. 501-312-1616. www.copelandsofneworleans.com.

There For Tomorrow, Conditions, Life on Repeat, Oceana. Juanita’s, 8 p.m., $10 adv., $12 d.o.s. 1300 S. Main St. 501-372-1228. www.juanitas. com.

Tuesday Jam Session with Carl Mouton. The Afterthought, 8 p.m., free. 2721 Kavanaugh Blvd.

501-663-1196. www.afterthoughtbar.com.

Continued from page 31 culture, culinary and performing arts and more.

Wildwood Park for the Performing Arts, June 20-July 1, 9 a.m.-4 p.m., $50 registration fee, $450 session fee, $405 for Wildwood Family members. 20919 Denny Road.

KIDS

Rock ’N Roll Camp. Children in grades 4-6 will experiment with various musical styles and instruments while learning about the life and music of Elvis Presley, culminating in a live performance by the students. Clinton Presidential Center, June 20-24, 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m., $175 member, $200 nonmember. 1200 President Clinton Ave. 501-748-0472. www.clintonpresidentialcenter.org.

Summer Sweets and Treats. See June 15.

TUESDAY, JUNE 21 MUSIC

Adam Faucett, The Romany Rye. White Water Tavern, 10 p.m., $5. 2500 W. 7th. 501-375-8400. www.whitewatertavern.com.

Brian & Nick. Cajun’s Wharf, 5 p.m. 2400 Cantrell Road. 501-375-5351. www.cajunswharf.com.

Karaoke Night. Cornerstone Pub & Grill, 8 p.m.

32 JUNE 15, 2011 • ARKANSAS TIMES

COMEDY

“WTF Comedy” with Michael “Doc” Davis, Tommy Kelley, Chucky D. The Loony Bin, 7 p.m.

10301 N. Rodney Parham Road. 501-228-5555. www.loonybincomedy.com.

DANCE

“Latin Night.” Revolution, 7 p.m., $5 regular, $7 under 21. 300 President Clinton Ave. 501-823-0090. www.revroom.com.

EVENTS

Charity Bingo Tuesday. ACAC, 6:30 p.m. 608 Main St. 501-244-2974. acacarkansas.wordpress. com.

Farmer’s Market. River Market Pavilions, through

BRIAN CHILSON

June 7, Hot Springs Field House

BILLY BLYTHE Continued from page 25

In readying the material, James and his team occasionally reached out to Montgomery to clarify her intentions. Because the material is presented as a series of vignettes, James wanted to be sure that an arc of character development emerges for young Billy. “It’s like these little special moments all over the place,” James said.

“We wanted to show how he grows in this short amount of time.”

Together, James and Montgomery identified what they call the Melon Scene — an exchange centering around the Hope Watermelon Festival in which Bill and his grandfather swap tall tales — as the moment Clinton becomes a political orator.

“You see that Grandpa’s teaching him how to present himself as a storyteller. He’s teaching him how to use metaphor,” said James.

As for Clinton himself, Montgomery doesn’t expect him to show up in the audience just because she has essentially brought “Billy Blythe” to his turf. “His people are aware of it,” she said. “From what I’m hearing, they’re probably just waiting to make sure it’s favorable before they make any move.” (MontgomOct. 31: 7 a.m. 400 President Clinton Ave. 375-2552. www.rivermarket.info.

Tales from the South. Authors tell true stories.

Dinner served 5-6:30 p.m., show at 7 p.m. To make a reservation, please call 501-372-7976. Starving Artist Cafe, 7 p.m. 411 N. Main St., NLR. 501-372-7976. www.starvingartistcafe.net.

SPORTS

Arkansas Travelers vs. Springfield Cardinals.

Dickey-Stephens Park, through July 15, 7 p.m., $6-$12. 400 W Broadway St., NLR. 501-664-1555. www.travs.com.

BOOKS

Meet the Author Series: Melanie Sue Bowles.

Meet the author of “The Horses of Proud Spirit” and “The Dogs of Proud Spirit,” both of which chronicled her experiences founding and operating a sanctuary for horses and dogs. Laman Library, 6:30 p.m. 2801 Orange St., NLR. 501-758-1720. www.lamanlibrary. org.

CAMPS

Camp Wildwood. See June 20.

Wilderness Explorers Day Camp. Children ages 11-13 will hike, canoe and learn survival skills. An overnight camp Thursday includes dinner provided by park staff. Pinnacle Mountain State Park, June 21-24, 9 a.m.-3 p.m., $100. 11901 Pinnacle Valley Road. 501-868-5806.

ery bumped into Clinton in Little Rock four times in the past year — once at the Capital Hotel, twice at a Democratic rally, then again at the Arkansas Studies Institute — and mentioned the opera to him on the first three encounters. Although he usually wishes her well, by the fourth, “I just didn’t say anything,” she recalled. “I don’t want to be that person.”)

After the curtain falls on “Billy Blythe” Monday night, Montgomery will have no time to rest. Using the Web site Sonicbids, which connects touring bands with gig opportunities, she arranged a full week of performances, in Manhattan’s East Village and at bars around Brooklyn, for her band, Montgomery Trucking.

“That was harder than getting my opera picked up,” she said of the band booking.

“I never knew that process would be so ridiculous. But I’m just excited to kind of do everything that I’ve worked towards all in one fell swoop while I’m in the city. It’s a weird juggling act that I do, composer and also front woman for a country band.”

But “Billy Blythe” remains foremost in her ambitions. “Sometimes I wish it would skyrocket,” she said, “but I feel like it’s rolling along at a really nice pace. It’s a dream of mine to see it have a life in Europe.”

KIDS

Rock ’N Roll Camp. See June 20.

Summer Sweets and Treats. See June 15.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 22 MUSIC

Acoustic Open Mic with Andy Warr. The Afterthought, 8 p.m. 2721 Kavanaugh Blvd. 501-6631196. www.afterthoughtbar.com.

Bolly Open Mic Hype Night with Osyrus Bolly and DJ Messiah. All American Wings, 9 p.m. 215 W. Capitol Ave. 501-376-4000. allamericanwings. com.

Bud Summers. Cajun’s Wharf, 5 p.m. 2400 Cantrell Road. 501-375-5351. www.cajunswharf.com.

Chase Coy, Rival Summers. Downtown Music Hall, 6 p.m., $10 adv., $12 d.o.s. 211 W. Capitol.

501-376-1819. downtownshows.homestead.com.

Jim Dickerson. Sonny Williams’ Steak Room, 7 p.m. 500 President Clinton Ave. 501-324-2999. www. sonnywilliamssteakroom.com.

Karaoke at Khalil’s. Khalil’s Pub, 7 p.m. 110 S. Shackleford Road. 501-224-0224. www.khalilspub. com.

Karaoke. Hibernia Irish Tavern, 9 p.m. 9700 N Rodney Parham Road. 501-246-4340. www.hiberniairishtavern.com.

Continued on page 34

Thank you – from America’s consumers and Convenience Stores.

Americans pay the highest swipe fees in the world.

That’s why Congress passed reform last year.

The big banks and credit card industry wanted to be bailed out of reform – they wanted to keep swiping our money.

Thank you to the U.S. Senators – including Arkansas’ own Senator Pryor – who stood up for consumers and Main Street small businesses.

America’s Main Street merchants and consumers thank you for not delaying debit swipe fee reform.

NACSonline.com

32 JUNE 8, 2011 • ARKANSAS TIMES

Founded in 1961 as the National Association of Convenience Stores, NACS is the association for convenience and fuel retailing, representing more than 2,100 retail and 1,500 supplier member companies. The U.S. convenience store industry has nearly 145,000 stores across the country and over 1.5 million employees.

We all see what you’re doing n Typical scene. A bar. Boy notices girl.

He approaches. Offers to buy her a drink.

“Kettle and soda.” A drink that says, “I’m practical but with high-end tastes.” She starts talking. About movies. She saw something recently she liked. Can’t remember the title. Had that guy from “Sideways” in it. It was cute. “Have you seen any good movies lately?” she asks. He responds, “Anything with Martin Lawrence.

But early Lawrence. I think he peaked at ‘Roscoe Jenkins’.” She moves on.

Let’s start over. Guy approaches girl.

Buys drink. They talk movies. She liked this Paul Giamatti movie. He gives a dour look and says, “Giamatti? (Sigh.) I’m really into this Armenian filmmaker right now.

She doesn’t have legs and she shoots everything on Saran Wrap. I haven’t watched a movie in a theater since my fistfight with Werner Herzog.” She moves on.

Once more. Guy approaches girl.

Drink. Talk movies. She liked this Giamatti movie. He saw that. He liked it too.

They get a second drink. She notices his

CALENDAR

Continued from page 32 Karaoke with Big John Miller. Denton’s Trotline, 8 p.m. 2150 Congo Road, Benton. 501-315-1717.

Lucero, Brother Andy and His Big Damn Mouth. Maxine’s, 8 p.m., $15 adv., $17 d.o.s. 700 Central Ave., Hot Springs. maxinespub.com.

Randy Rogers, Wade Bowen. Revolution, 8:30 p.m., $20. 300 President Clinton Ave. 501-823-0090. revroom.com.

Ted Ludwig Trio. Capital Bar and Grill, 5 p.m., free.

111 Markham St. 501-374-7474. www.capitalhotel. com/CBG. We Came as Romans, Through The Looking Glass, A Faith Forgotten. Juanita’s, 8:30 p.m., $12 adv., $15 d.o.s. 1300 S. Main St. 501-372-1228. www.juanitas.com.

COMEDY

Ben Creed. The Loony Bin, June 22-24, 8 p.m.; June 24, 10:30 p.m.; June 25, 7, 9 and 11 p.m., $7-$10. 10301 N. Rodney Parham Road. 501-2285555. www.loonybincomedy.com.

FILM

Movies in the Park: “How to Train Your Dragon.” Riverfest Amphitheatre, 7 p.m. 400 President Clinton Ave.

SPORTS

Arkansas Travelers vs. Springfield Cardinals.

Dickey-Stephens Park, through July 15, 7 p.m., $6-$12. 400 W Broadway St., NLR. 501-664-1555. www.travs.com.

CAMPS

Camp Wildwood. See June 20.

Wilderness Explorers Day Camp. See June 21.

KIDS

Rock ’N Roll Camp. See June 20.

Summer Sweets and Treats. See June 15.

THIS WEEK IN THEATER “The 39 Steps.” A man bored with his life meets a woman who says she’s a spy and soon the two are on the run from a mysterious organization in this adaptation of the Hitchcock classic. Arkansas Repertory Theatre, through June 26: through June 16, 7 p.m.; Fri., 8 p.m.; Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 2 and 7 34 JUNE 15, 2011 • ARKANSAS TIMES

Graham Gordy watch. “Where’d you get it?”

“This watch? ... Gander Mountain. You can barely notice that I had to tape the plastic camo band, though, right?” She leaves.

Try again. “This Watch? Nice, right? I car-jacked a rich couple right before I got here.” Leaves.

“This watch? It was my grandfather’s.

He wrested it from the clutches of a German soldier he killed at Omaha Beach. ...

I just loved him so much.” Ah, there it is.

Third drink.

It all means something. We purchase things, say things, believe things that demonstrate our positive traits. A man leaves his Porsche keys on the table, or mentions his lake house, or orders the 15-year-old, small-batch, single-malt scotch. (I’m rich.) p.m.; Thu., 7 p.m., $20-$40. 601 Main St. 501-3780405. www.therep.org.

“Always Patsy Cline.” A revue of the legendary country singer’s greatest hits as told through her correspondence with fan Louise Seger. For tickets or more information, call 562-3131 or visit murrysdinnerplayhouse.com. Murry’s Dinner Playhouse, through June 26: Tue.-Sat., 6 p.m.; Sun., 11 a.m. and 5:30 p.m., $23-$33. 6323 Col. Glenn Road. 501-5623131. murrysdinnerplayhouse.com.

Arkansas Shakespeare Festival: “As You Like It.” Shakespeare’s comedic masterpiece follows Rosalind, the daughter of a banished duke, as she falls in love with Orlando, a disinherited family friend, and exiles herself in the Forest of Arden. For more information, visit arkshakes.com. Hendrix College, June 16-19, 7:30 p.m. 1600 Washington Ave., Conway. www.hendrix.edu.

Arkansas Shakespeare Festival: “The Tortoise and the Hare.” A children’s theater retelling of Aesop’s timeless fable about a foot race between cocky hare and a deliberate turtle. Reynolds Performance Hall, University of Central Arkansas, Fri., June 17, 10 a.m.; Fri., June 24, 2 p.m.; Sun., June 26, 12 p.m.; July 1-2, 10 a.m. 201 Donaghey Ave., Conway.

“Chicago.” Robinson Center Music Hall, 7:30 p.m., $22-$52. Markham and Broadway. www.littlerockmeetings.com/conv-centers/robinson.

“Cinderella.” Royal Theatre, through June 16: Thu.-Sat., 7 p.m., $12 general, $10 seniors, $5 students. 111 S. Market St., Benton.

“Gypsy.” Based on the memoirs of Gypsy Rose Lee, the famous burlesque striptease artist, whose mother, Rose, became synonymous with the “ultimate show-business mother.” The Weekend Theater, through July 10: Fri., Sat., 7:30 p.m.; Sun., 2:30 p.m.

1001 W. 7th St. 501-374-3761. www.weekendtheater.org.

“Moonlight and Magnolias.” A farce of the lastminute re-write of the entire script for “Gone With the Wind.” Central Theatre, through July 2: Wed., Thu., 7:30 p.m.; Fri., Sat., 8 p.m.; June 26-July 3, 2 p.m., $22.50. 1008 Central Ave., Hot Springs.

GALLERIES, MUSEUMS NEW EXHIBITS, EVENTS

ARKANSAS ARTS CENTER, MacArthur Park: “A Couple of Ways: Artists and Poets,” discussion

He needs to get home. Walk his dog. (I care for things. I’m affectionate and reliable.) He’s an early riser. Runs at 5 a.m. every morning. (I’m athletic, ambitious, healthy.) He just moved and, “...had no idea [he] had so many books!” (He’s intelligent, cultured.)

The same goes for the negative. Just as snakes offer warnings in the wild — “red and yellow, kill a fellow” – humans give intimations that may protect us from, say, contagious disease, moral corruption or Kid Rock fans. If you’re looking for a mate who will be loyal, perhaps the young debutante in the mesh mini-shirt and lowcut T-shirt that reads “Save a horse. Ride a cowboy” isn’t the best option. Ladies, maybe the guy with the “F*%# The Police” neck-tat isn’t the one to bring to your sister’s wedding. (However, if we’re in the market for something more one-nightish, as it were, we may be willing to lower our long-term reproductive standards.)

The point is that all we wear, consume and emote as an easy way to display our deeper personality traits. Dates, or even an encounter in a bar or on a bus, are nothing less than a test of someone’s potential as a breeder.

And if you think you can opt out, you’re mistaken. We live in a world of

self-advertising and commercial signals and you’re giving them off whether you think you are or not. We all love consumption in one form or other; we just don’t like certain graceless versions of it. Sure, we hate the nouveau riche McMansions and SUVs, but our Toyota hybrid and our organic, spelt-based chocolate chip cookie are saying something just as loud or louder. What we really want is to attract those that are like us, and repel those who are unlike us. Besides, attempt to opt out entirely, while everyone else is opting in, and you run the risk of your genes being made obsolete. We’re in an arms race of consumer fitness and our stuff is no less an advertisement for our genes than our bodies are.

Now, there are things that our things can’t do. A sportscoat, whether it cost $1,600 or not, can’t fix your face. Maybe it’s not Sephora’s luxury toothpaste that you need; maybe it’s an orthodontist. But the seduction — with its requisite ruses, schemes and deceptions — is constant and only empowered and complicated by a commercial age. Life might be simpler were we to just approach an attractive person and say the words, “I want my baby to look like you,” but what would we do with our time?

of Chuck Close-Bob Holman exhibit “A Couple of Ways of Doing Something” and readings by Holman, 6:30 p.m. June 16 (reception 6 p.m.), $5; Father’s Day family art activities, 1-3 p.m. June 19. 372-4000.

BOSWELL-MOUROT FINE ART, 5815 Kavanaugh Blvd.: “Art Musings,” fund-raiser show and silent auction of work by clients and teachers in Arkansas State Hospital Creative Expressions, 5-9 p.m. June 17. 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Tue.-Fri., 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Sat. 664-0030.

KETZ GALLERY, 705 Main St., NLR: Tim Jacob, “puddle paintings,” reception 5-8 p.m. June 17, Argenta ArtWalk, show through mid-July. 11 a.m.5 p.m. Tue.-Fri., 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Sat. 529-6330.

LAMAN LIBRARY, Argenta Branch, 506 Main St.: Fletcher Larkin, pottery demonstration, 5-8 p.m.

June 17, Argenta ArtWalk.

OLD STATE HOUSE, 300 W. Markham St.: “Arkansas’s 175th Birthday Party,” dinner and painting auction to benefit the Old State House, 5:308 p.m. June 15, tickets $75, 664-1879.

SALVATION ARMY, 1515 W. 18th St., NLR: Dream Big free art classes for children in grades K-6, 10-11:30 a.m. June 18, 25, July 9, 16, 23, 30, parental consent required, sponsored by the Thea Foundation. 379-9512.

THEA FOUNDATION, 401 Main St.: Arkansas League of Artists show and sale, demonstrations

by Louise Carlisle, Melanie Johnston, Liz Kemp and Jeannie Stone, 5:30-8 p.m. June 17, Argenta ArtWalk. 379-9512. n Fayetteville ARKANSAS AIR MUSEUM, Drake Field, 4290 S. School: “Breaking Through the Clouds,” documentary on 1929 national women’s air derby, 1 p.m. June 18, $6 adults ($3 museum members), $3 students, free to children under 6. Presentations on careers in aviation 10:30 a.m.-noon. Co-sponsored

by Shiloh Museum of Ozark History and Rogers Historical Museum. 479-841-3791. arkairmuseum. org. n Morrilton RIALTO GALLERY, 101 E. Railroad Ave.: 6th annual “Arkansas Sculpture Invitational,” work by Arkansans and artists from five other states, 9 a.m.-6 p.m. June 18-19, $5 adults, children under 14 free. arkansassculptureinvitational.org.

Couple of Ways of Doing Something,” daguerreotype photographs by Chuck Close, poems by Bob Holman, through July 26; “The Impressionists and Their Influence,” paintings and works on paper from the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, private collections and the Arts Center Foundation collection, through June 26, $10 adults, $8 seniors, $6 youth, members free; “Michael Peterson: Evolution/Revolution,” wood sculpture, through July 3; “Currents in Contemporary Art,” “Masterworks,” “Paul Signac Watercolors and Drawings,” ongoing. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Tue.-Sat., 11 a.m.5 p.m. Sun. 372-4000.

BUTLER CENTER GALLERIES, Arkansas Studies Institute, 401 President Clinton Ave.: “The Art of Robin Tucker,” Atrium Gallery; “V.I.T.A.L. (Visual Images that Affect Lives),” work by Melverue Abraham, Rex Deloney, LaToya Hobbs, Ariston Jacks, Kalari Turner and Michael Worsham, Concordia Hall, through Aug. 27; Arkansas Art Educators’ “State Youth Art Show 2011,” through July 30, Main Gallery; “Norwood Creech: Selected Works from the Northeastern Arkansas Delta,” through June 18, Mezzanine Gallery.

9 a.m.-6 p.m. Mon.-Sat. 320-5791.

CANTRELL GALLERY, 8206 Cantrell Road: “20th annual Mid-Southern Watercolorists Open Membership Exhibit,” through July 16. 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

Mon.-Sat. 224-1335.

CHRIST CHURCH, 509 Scott St.: “A Walk Through Harmony Clinic,” photographs by Ranaa Tasneem, through June. 375-2342.

CHROMA GALLERY, 5707 Kavanaugh Blvd.: Work

by Robert Reep and other Arkansas artists. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Fri., 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Sat. 664-0880.

COX CREATIVE CENTER, 120 River Market (formerly Commerce): “Civil War Arkansas, 18611865,” traveling exhibit of images of people, places and battles, second floor, through June.

GALLERY 26, 2601 Kavanaugh Blvd.: Amber Uptigrove, Sulac, new work through July 9. 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Tue.-Sat. 664-8996.

GREG THOMPSON FINE ART, 429 Main St., NLR: “Best of the South,” paintings by Carroll Cloar, William Dunlap, Glennray Tutor and others. 664-2787.

L&L BECK GALLERY, 5705 Kavanaugh Blvd.: “Go West, Young Man!” paintings by Louis Beck. 10 a.m.6 p.m. Tue.-Sat. 660-4006.

LAMAN LIBRARY, 2801 Orange St.: “Feelin’ Groovy: Rock and Roll Graphics, 1966-1970,” through Aug. 21. 758-1720.

ONGOING EXHIBITIONS

ARKANSAS ARTS CENTER, MacArthur Park: “A

Continued on page 37

ALL KINDS OF FUN! NEON TREES

JOAN

June 18

BLAKE SHELTON

RODNEY ATKINS

at

BLACKHJETT THE EARTS

July 9

AND

3 DOORS DOWN S

SARA EVAN August 6

July 2 June 25

RICK SPRINGFIELD

EMILY OSMENT

WITH CODY

SIMPSON

July 30

MagicSprings.com Arkansas’ coolest theme park, largest water park and wildest concert series, so close to home!

Bring in a Pepsi can and save $10 off a season pass for fun all summer long!

Hurry, offer ends June 26!

July 16 CASTING CRO

WNS

August 13

(501) 624-0100

July 23

Reserved Seating on sale at MagicSprings.com

reCYCLE This ad is 100% recyclable.

Recycling plastic pays off. Just five two-liter bottles can be recycled into enough fiberfill to stuff an entire ski jacket. Keep Arkansas clean. Make it SHINE.

KeepArkansasBeautiful.com e Facebook e YouTube e 888-742-8701

KAP 0611 002 reCYCLE_9.25x5.87_4C.indd 1

www.arktimes.com • JUNE 15, 2011 35 6/6/11 4:54 PM

THURSDAY, JUNE 16TH - STARTS AT 5PM! — FUN FOR ALL AGES!

Jerry’s Barber Shop Save 40% on Select Bed & Bath.

5100 Kavanaugh • 644-4249

MON-FRI, 8AM-5PM SAT, 8AM-1PM

SPRING SAMPLE SALE!

UP TO 75% OFF!

5913 Kavanaugh 661.4696

5815 KAVANAUGH

663.9875

eggshellskitchencompany.com - 664.6900

SushiCafeRocks.com

LIVE MUSIC - WATERMELON REFRESHMENTS FOR ALL AGES!

ozarkoutdoor.com 5514 Kavanaugh 664.4832

Fresh squeezed limeade & margarita demonstration. Share your grill sob story and win a PK grill!

HAPPY HOUR 5-7PM DAILY!

ALL ON THE CHARLOTTE JOHN FRONT PORCH!

501.664.5646

5823 Kavanaugh 663.9888 Sharing Good Things With Good Friends

Open til’ 7PM on Third Thursday Next to Tipton & Hurst 1813 N. Grant 661.0687

Cool Summertime Toys!

TUESDAY 10% OFF ALL WINE 5208 Kavanaugh Blvd. 907.9463

Text My Red Mango

To 90210 For Daily Deals & Specials 5621 Kavanaugh Blvd. 663.2500

1900 N. GRANT • IN THE HEIGHTS 663.8999

5600 Kavanaugh Blvd, Suite Three 501.664.1515 fringebenefitssalon.com

Alaina Lee - Agent 5611 Kavanaugh 708-0095

happy foster homes desperately needed!

603-2073

www.careforanimals.org

local farmers will be set up throughout the neighborhood and at these fine merchants: eggshells • a porter briggs • care • ozark outdoor supply stephanos • proposals • the charlotte john co. • go running

PROUDLY SPONSORED BY

Advertised discounts valid Thursday, June 16 only.

CALENDAR

Continued from page 34 LOCAL COLOUR GALLERY, 5811 Kavanaugh Blvd.: Art and jewelry by members of artists’ cooperative. 265-0422.

M2GALLERY, 11525 Cantrell Road (Pleasant Ridge Town Center): “Westland: The Life and Art of Tim West,” artwork by West, photographs by Diana Michelle Hausam. 225-6257.

RED DOOR GALLERY, 3715 JFK, NLR: Buddy Whitlock, featured artist, also work by Lola Abellan, Mary Allison, Georges Artaud, Theresa Cates, Caroline’s Closet, Kelly Edwards, Jane Hankins, James Hayes, Amy Hill-Imler, Morris Howard, Jim Johnson, Annette Kagy, Capt. Robert Lumpp, Joe Martin, Pat Matthews and others.10 a.m.-5:30 p.m.

Mon.-Fri., 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sat. 753-5227.

REFLECTIONS GALLERY AND FINE FRAMING, 11220 Rodney Parham Road: Work by local and national artists. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tue.-Fri., 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Sat. 227-5659.

SHOWROOM, 2313 Cantrell Road: Work by area artists, including Sandy Hubler. 7:30 a.m.-4 p.m.

Mon.-Fri. 372-7373.

STATE CAPITOL: “Arkansans in the Korean War,” 32 photographs, lower-level foyer. 7 a.m.-5 p.m.

Mon.-Fri., 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sat.-Sun. STEPHANO’S FINE ART, 5501 Kavanaugh Blvd.: Work by Stephano, Patrick Cunningham, Liz Kemp, Jeff Waddle, B.J. Aguiar, Kelley Wise, Steve Thomas, Jeannie Clifton. 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Tue.-Sat., 1-5 p.m.

Sun. 563-4218.

UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS AT LITTLE ROCK: “Works from the UALR Permanent Collection,” Galleries I and II, through June 24. 9 a.m.-4 p.m.

Mon.-Fri. 569-8977. n Benton DIANNE ROBERTS ART STUDIO AND GALLERY, 110 N. Market St.: Work by Chad Oppenhuizen, Dan McRaven, Gretchen Hendricks, Rachel Carroccio, Kenny Roberts, Taylor Bellot, Jim Cooper and Sue Moore. 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Wed.-Fri., 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sat. 860-7467.

HERZFELD LIBRARY, Saline County Library: Students of Pat Reed, Benton artist, through June.

501-778-4766. n Bentonville SUGAR GALLERY, 114 W. Central Ave.: “Lines Across,” collaboration by students in the UA School of Architecture and the Fulbright College, through July 23. 2-7 p.m. Fri., 10-2 p.m. Sat. 479-273-5305. n Calico Rock CALICO ROCK ARTISTS COOPERATIVE, Hwy. 5 at White River Bridge: Paintings, photographs, jewelry, fiber art, wood, ceramics and other crafts. 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Tue.-Thu., 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Fri.-Sat., noon4 p.m. Sun. calicorocket.org/artists. n Fayetteville FAYETTEVILLE UNDERGROUND, 1 E. Square Plaza: Sean Fitzgibbon, acrylics; William M. Flanagan, watercolors; Sharon Killian, pastels; Hank Kaminsky, sculpture, through June. Noon-7 p.m. Wed.-Fri., 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sat. WALTON ARTS CENTER, Joy Pratt Markham Gallery: “Garden as Muse,” works by Sally Apfelbaum, Markus Baenziger, Syd Carpenter, Lois Dodd and Sarah McEneaney, Joy Pratt Markham Gallery, through June 4. 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Mon.-Fri., 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sat. 479-571-2747. n Heber Springs BOTTLE TREE GALLERY, 514 W. Main St.: Work by Maeve Croghan, Jonathan Harris, George Wittenberg. 501-590-8840. n Hot Springs AMERICAN ART GALLERY, 724 Central Ave.: “Flora, Fowl and Fauna,” paintings by Jimmy Leach.

501-624-055.

GALLERY 726, 726 Central Ave.: Shirley Anderson, Barbara Seibel, Sue Shields, Caryl Joy Young, Priscilla Cunningham, Trey McCarley, Pati Trippel, Janis Gill Ward and others. 501-915-8912.

GALLERY CENTRAL, 800 Central Ave.: Equine bronzes by Jan Woods. 501-318-4278.

JUSTUS FINE ART, 827 A Central Ave.: New paintings by Donnie Copeland, also work by Robin Hazard-Bishop, Mike Elsass, Steve Griffith, Robyn Horn, Dolores Justus, Tony Saladino and Rebecca Thompson. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Wed.-Sat. 501-321-2335.

LEGACY GALLERY, 804 Central Ave.: Landscapes

by Carole Katchen. 501-624-1044.

TAYLOR’S CONTEMPORANEA, 204 Exchange St.: Sui Hoe Khoo, paintings. 501-624-0516. n Perryville SUDS GALLERY, Courthouse Square: Paintings

by Dottie Morrissey, Alma Gipson, Al Garrett Jr., Phyllis Loftin, Alene Otts, Mauretta Frantz, Raylene Finkbeiner, Kathy Williams and Evelyn Garrett. Noon6 p.m. Wed.-Fri, noon-4 p.m. Sat. 501-766-7584. n Springdale ARTS CENTER OF THE OZARKS, 214 Main St.: “Living Spherically,” paintings by Matt Miller; “Archetypical Debris,” paintings by Kim and Laurie Foster, through July 1, McCuistion-Matthews Gallery.

9 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Fri., 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Sat. 479-7515441.

ONGOING MUSEUM EXHIBITS

ARKANSAS INLAND MARITIME MUSEUM, NLR: Tours of the USS Razorback submarine. 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Wed.-Sat., 1-6 p.m. Sun. 371-8320.

CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL MUSEUM VISITOR CENTER, Bates and Park: Exhibits on the 1957 desegregation of Central and the civil rights movement. 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. daily. 374-1957.

CLINTON PRESIDENTIAL CENTER, 1200 President Clinton Ave.: “Elvis,” memorabilia from films, including Elvis’ red MG from “Blue Hawaii,” through Aug. 21; “Elvis at 21, Photographs by Alfred Wertheimer,” 56 black and white images taken in 1956 by RCA Victor photojournalist, through Sept. 11; exhibits about policies and White House life during the Clinton administration. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Sat., 1-5 p.m. Sun. $7 adults; $5 college students, seniors, retired military; $3 ages 6-17. 370-8000.

HISTORIC ARKANSAS MUSEUM, 200 E. Third St.: “Forgotten Places: Rhonda Berry and Diana Michelle Hausam,” photographs, through Aug. 7; “Mid-Southern Watercolorists 41st Annual Exhibition,” through Aug. 13, Trinity Gallery; “Reel to Real: ‘Gone with the Wind’ and the Civil War in Arkansas,” artifacts from the Shaw-Tumblin collection, including costumes and screen tests, along with artifacts from the HAM collection, including slave narratives, uniforms and more; through April 30, 2012. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Sat., 1-5 p.m. Sun. $2.50 adults, $1.50, $1 children for tours of grounds. 3249351.

MacARTHUR MUSEUM OF ARKANSAS MILITARY HISTORY, MacArthur Park: Exhibits on Arkansas’s military history. 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Tue.-Fri., 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sat., 1-4 p.m. Sun. 376-4602.

MOSAIC TEMPLARS CULTURAL CENTER, Ninth and Broadway: “Southern Journeys: African American Artists of the South,” works by 55 AfricanAmerican artists, through Aug. 11; exhibits on African-Americans in Arkansas, including one on the Ninth Street business district, the Mosaic Templars business and more. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Tue.-Sat. 683– 3593.

OLD STATE HOUSE, 300 W. Markham St.: “An Enduring Union,” artifacts documenting the post-war Confederate and Union veteran reunions in the state; “Arkansas/Arkansaw: A State and Its Reputation,” the evolution of the state’s hillbilly image. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Sat., 1-5 p.m. Sun. 324-9685.

WITT STEPHENS JR. CENTRAL ARKANSAS NATURE CENTER, Riverfront Park: Exhibits on wildlife and the state Game and Fish Commission. n Calico Rock CALICO ROCK MUSEUM, Main Street: Displays on Native American cultures, steamboats, the railroad, and local history. www.calicorockmuseum. com. n England TOLTEC MOUNDS STATE PARK, State Hwy. 165: Major prehistoric Indian site with visitors’ center and museum. 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Sat., noon-5 p.m.

Sun., closed Mon. $3 for adults, $2 for ages 6-12.

961-9442. n Hot Springs MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART, 425 Central Ave.: “Organic Fiction,” paintings inspired by patterns in nature, by Hava Gurevich, through June.

501-609-9966 n Jacksonville JACKSONVILLE MUSEUM OF MILITARY HISTORY, 100 Veterans Circle: Exhibits on D-Day; F-105, Vietnam era plane (“The Thud”); the Civil War Battle of Reed’s Bridge, Arkansas Ordnance Plant (AOP) and other military history. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. MonSat., 1-5 p.m. Sun. $3 adults; $2 seniors, military; $1 students. 501-241-1943. www.arktimes.com • JUNE 15, 2011 37

OP UR A W EN CO eek 7 DA NV FO YS EN r IE NC E

YO

Food You Love From People You Know!

Food You Love From People You Know!

Sunday Special

10% off

Your Entire Purchase Valid 6/19/11

GUIDING PRINCIPLES

• Full Service Neighborhood Grocery • Commitment to Local Farmers • Fair and Competitive Pricing • Five Star Customer Service

ArgentA MArket

521 Main St. Argenta Arts District • (501) 379-9980 7am to 8pm Mon-Sat, 9am to 5pm Sun • argentamarket.com

Hello Folly!

A Brief History of the Farkleberry Follies Thursday, June 16, 2011, 6:30 p.m.

Darragh Center, Main Library

The Butler Center presents a screening of Hello Folly! A Brief History of the Farkleberry Follies and a panel discussion with Farkleberry Follies skit creators Craig Douglass, Ben Combs, and Bill Lancaster.

Video includes language and subject matter not suitable for all audiences.

take the

Summer Restaurant Challenge

See page 9 for contest information!

Win a $50 Gift Certificate just by checking-in at your favorite restaurants!

arktimes.com/ ben-e-keith

38 JUNE 15, 2011 • ARKANSAS TIMES

of people with no roof over their heads.

In Little Rock, the homeless often congregate in squalid camps that might be only yards from busy thoroughfares, but there are homeless people in every corner of the state, from the Delta to the mountains to the scrub pine forests in the south. In this documentary, filmmakers seek out the state’s homeless, and give the housed among us a peek at where we might be spare for a steady paycheck and the grace of God.

INDEPENDENT LENS: TWO SPIRITS 10:30 p.m. Sunday, June 19 NETFLIX PIX: THE A-TEAM AETN n “In 1972, a crack commando unit was n While gays and lesbians have made sent to prison by a military court for a great strides in gaining their rights to crime they didn’t commit. These men live as free and proud individuals in our promptly escaped from a maximum society over the past 20 years, transsecurity stockade to the Los Angeles gender people are still often misunderunderground. Today, still wanted by the stood and singled out, both for ridicule government, they survive as soldiers of and for violence. Straight society often doesn’t know what to do with this group within a group; these people who are born one gender, but who assert their right to live as another. For whatever reason, the homophobic backlash against transgender people can be even more violent and terrifying than the acts perpetrated against gays and lesbians.

The 1993 murder of female-to-male trans- ‘THE A-TEAM’: Now on Netflix Instant. gender Brandon Teena fortune. If you have a problem, if no one (a case later made into the film “Boys else can help, and if you can find them, Don’t Cry”) comes to mind. Less well maybe you can hire ... The A-Team.” If known, though equally brutal and senseyou’re an American male of a certain less, was the murder of Fred Martinez vintage, reading these words has autoJr., a 16-year-old Navajo boy from Cormatically triggered the Essploshun Cortez, Colo. On June 16, 2001, Martinez tex of your brain, not to mention the sig— who often dressed in girls’ clothing nature theme song that meant it was time — was savagely attacked and beaten to for everybody to dig into their Spaghetdeath by 18-year-old Shaun Murphy, a tiO’s and shut the hell up around Casa de local tough and homophobe who later Koon, circa 1984. The 1983-1986 series bragged to friends that he’d “beat up a about a team of commandos-for-hire fag.” Four days later, Martinez’ body was was must-see TV around my house. I found dumped in a canyon outside of had the lunch box. I had the T-shirt. I had town. Martinez’ life and the ensuing case the plastic B.A. van with real firing misagainst Murphy — who eventually pled siles in the grille. In other words, Netflix guilty to second-degree murder and was Instant has delivered yet another sumsentenced to 40 years in prison — cuts to mertime Christmas present to my house, the heart of gender, the law, LGBT bullyby putting the entire five-season run of ing, and how we protect the most vulner“The A-Team” online. Sure, it’s bound to able minority groups in the 21st century. be cheese-tastic after all these years. But If you care about the soul of America, this weekend, that won’t stop me from this doc is a must-see. opening that box of Mr. T cereal I’ve had HIDDEN IN PLAIN SIGHT: wrapped in plastic for a quarter-decade, HOMELESS IN ARKANSAS stretching an A-Team shirt over my 7 p.m. Tuesday, June 21 heaving body, and settling in for a fullAETN on reunion with my old friends B.A., n While one might think of an urban Hannibal, Face and Murdock. Do I have metropolis like New York or Los Angeto say it? Yes, I will: I love it when a plan les when the word “homeless” is mencomes together. tioned, Arkansas has more than its share — David Koon

For Sale in Central Arkansas?

find it at

arkansasautobuyer.com

7,158 New and Used Cars and Trucks Online This Week!

Photos! Descriptions! Prices! Only One Click Away!

HELP WANTED ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS Friday, June 17 – Thursday, June 23

CELEBRATING OUR 11th YEAR!

EvErything Must go r 2:00 4:20 7:15 9:15

Will Ferrell, Rebecca Hall, Christopher Jordan Wallace

thE DoublE hour nr 1:45 4:15 7:00 9:15

Kseniya Rapport, Filippo Timi Venice Film Festival

MiDnight in Paris Pg13 1:45 4:00 7:00 9:15

Owen Wilson, Rachel McAdams, Kathy Bates Directed by Woody Allen FREE WI-FI In thE thE bEavEr Pg13 2:00 4:20 6:45 9:15 lobby Mel Gibson, Jodie Foster, Anton Yelchin Directed by Jodie Foster WintEr in WartiME Pg13 2:15 6:45 Official Netherlands Entry Academy Awards - Best Foreign Language Film skatElanD Pg13 4:25 9:00 Shiloh Fernadez, Ashley Greene, Heath Freeman Sundance Film Festival thE WaR oF thE WoRlds (1953) NR • Tues 6/21 • 7pm • ONly $5 NOW SERVING BEER & WINE

9 PM SHOWS FRI & SAT ONLY

501-312-8900

EMAIL CINEMA8@CSWNET.COM FOR SPECIAL marketstreetcinema.net SHOWS, PRIVATE PARTIES & BUSINESS MEETINGS OR FILM FESTIVALS 1521 MERRILL DR. CALL (501) 223-3529 & LEAVE MESSAGE

hAve fun.

See reSultS!

‘GREEN LANTERN’: Ryan Reynolds stars as the DC Comics superhero in this sci-fi action flick that also stars Blake Lively.

JUNE 17-18

movielistings All theater listings run Friday to Thursday unless otherwise noted.

Check www.arktimes.com for updates. Market Street Cinema showtimes at or after 9 p.m. are for Friday and Saturday only.

Northside WomeN’s Boot Camp is the QuiCkest, easiest Way to Jump-start your FitNess program.

A specialized program of fitness instruction, nutritional counseling provided by Certified Class Instructor/ Personal Trainer Kaytee Wright.

LoCATIon: Lakewood nLR, classes at 5:15am and 8:30am M,W,F

Night Classes oN moN, Wed, thurs at 6:15

call Kaytee Wright 501-607-3100 For more information and the Women’s Boot camp calendar, visit www.northsidefitness.net

Northside A c h i ev e . B e l i ev e . S u cc e e d.

FitNess 40 JUNE 15, 2011 • ARKANSAS TIMES

NEW MOVIES The Art of Getting By (PG-13) — A high school senior with a fatalistic outlook starts to change his view of the world after meeting a free-spirited classmate. Rave: 12:00, 2:35, 5:00, 7:45, 10:30 The Double Hour (NR) — An Italian mystery thriller about a former cop and Slovenian immigrant, who fall into a passionate romance that takes them down some dark turns. Market Street: 1:45, 4:15, 7:00, 9:15.

Everything Must Go (R) — Will Ferrell stars in this loose Raymond Carver adaptation about a career salesman whose good days are behind him. Market Street: 2:00, 4:20, 7:15, 9:15.

Green Lantern (PG-13) — Ryan Reynolds stars as the DC Comics superhero in this sci-fi action flick that also stars Blake Lively and Peter Sarsgaard. Breckenridge: 1:00, 4:15, 7:10, 9:55 (2D) 12:05, 2:35, 5:05, 7:40, 10:15 (3D). Rave: 10:45 a.m., 11:45 am., 1:30, 2:30, 4:15, 5:15, 7:00, 8:00, 9:45, 10:45 (2D) 12:00 a.m., 10:15 a.m., 11:15 a.m., 1:00, 2:00, 3:45, 4:45, 6:30, 7:30, 9:15, 10:15 (3D).

Riverdale 10: 11:35, 2:05, 4:30, 7:25, 10:15.

Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer (PG) — Judy Moody (Jordana Beatty) has planned an awesome summer adventure, but her plans are derailed by a series of small misfortunes in this kid comedy. Breckenridge: 12:20, 2:40, 5:00, 7:15, 9:40. Rave: 10:55 a.m., 1:30, 4:00. Riverdale 10: 11:25 a.m, 1:45, 4:00, 6:10, 8:20 Mr. Poppers Penguins (PG) — Jim Carrey plays a businessman whose life takes a turn for ridiculous after he inherits six penguins. Breckenridge: 12:30, 2:45, 5:15, 7:30, 9:50. Rave: 12:15 a.m., 11:40 a.m., 12:45, 2:15, 3:15, 4:45, 5:45, 7:15, 8:15, 9:45, 10:45.

Riverdale 10: 11:00, 1:05, 3:10, 5:20, 7:35, 9:45.

RETURNING THIS WEEK African Cats (G) — A Disney (read: sentimentalized) nature doc narrated by Samuel L. Jackson. Movies 10: 12:50, 3:10, 5:25, 7:40, 9:55.

The Beaver (PG-13) – A down and out executive and family man tackles his debilitating depression with the help of a beaver hand puppet. With Mel Gibson. Directed by Jodie Foster. Market Street: 2:00, 4:20, 6:45, 9:15.

Bridesmaids (R) — After her best friend gets engaged, a broke, lovelorn maid of honor has to fake her way through crazy bridesmaid rituals. With Kristen Wiig and Maya Rudolph. Breckenridge:

12:35, 4:35, 7:25, 10:10. Rave: 10:35 a.m., 1:35, 4:50, 7:55, 11:00. Riverdale 10: 11:10 a.m., 1:50, 4:35, 7:30, 10:05. Riverdale 10: 11:10, 1:50, 4:35, 7:30, 10:05.

Fast Five (PG-13) – The fifth installation of the “Fast and the Furious” series sees the crew in Rio, stuck between a drug lord and a tenacious federal agent. With Vin Diesel and Paul Walker. Riverdale 10: 11:20 am., 2:05, 4:50, 7:35, 10:15.

The Hangover Part II (R) – The Wolf Pack ends up blacking out and having to retrace the night before again. This time in Asia. With Zach Galifianakis and Ed Helms. Breckenridge: 12:10, 2:30, 4:25, 4:55, 7:20, 9:35, 10:00. Rave: 11:05 a.m., 1:50, 4:40, 7:00, 7:40, 10:25. Riverdale 10: 11:40, 2:15, 4:50, 7:05, 9:55.

Hoodwinked Too: Hood vs. Evil (PG) – Red Riding Hood and the Wolf are called upon to track down the kidnapped duo of Hansel and Gretel.

Voiced by Glenn Close and Patrick Warburton.

Movies 10: 12:25, 2:45, 5:00, 7:05, 9:30.

Jumping the Broom (PG-13) – Two AfricanAmerican families from different socioeconomic backgrounds spend a wedding weekend together in Martha’s Vineyard. With Angela Bassett and Laz Alonzo. Riverdale 10: 11:45, 2:10, 4:40, 7:20, 9:50.

Kung-Fu Panda 2 (PG) – Po (Jack Black) is living it up as The Dragon Warrior, but a mysterious villain threatens to ruin his plans. Breckenridge: 12:40, 2:50, 5:05, 7:35, 9:50 (2D) 12:25, 7:00 (3D). Rave: 10:30 a.m., 1:00, 3:30, 5:50 (2D) 11:25 a.m., 1:55, 4:25, 6:55, 9:35 (3D). Riverdale: 11:05, 1:00, 3:05, 5:05, 7:05, 9:15.

Limitless (PG-13) – A metropolitan copywriter runs from a group of assassins after discovering and taking a top-secret drug that gives him superhuman abilities. With Bradley Cooper and Robert DeNiro.

Movies 10: 12:05, 2:30, 5:05, 7:35, 10:05.

The Lincoln Lawyer (R) — Matthew McConaughey plays a lawyer who works out of the back of his Lincoln in this adaptation of a Michael Connelly novel. Movies 10: 1:00, 4:00, 7:00, 10:00.

Midnight in Paris (PG-13) – Woody Allen’s 41st movie takes a modern-day screenwriter back to the legendary Paris of the 1920s to rub elbows with the cultural and literary icons he admires. With Owen Wilson and Rachel McAdams. Market Street: 1:45, 4:00, 7:00, 9:15. Rave: 10:20 a.m., 12:50, 3:20, 5:55, 8:35, 11:05.

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (PG-13) — Capt. Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) crosses paths with Angelica (Penelope Cruz), who forces him onboard her ship to find the Fountain of Youth. Breckenridge: 12:15, 4:45, 7:50. Rave: 1:40, 4:55, 7:10 (2D) 10:10 a.m., 8:10, 11:30 (3D).

Priest (PG-13) – A legendary warrior-priest breaks his religious vows in order to save his niece from a pack of vampires. With Paul Bettany and Cam Gigandet. Rave: 9:50.

Prom (PG) – High school prom night sees couples come together, come apart and secrets get spilled.

With Aimee Teegarden, Thomas McDonell. Movies 10: 12:35, 3:05, 5:30, 7:55, 10:20.

Rango (PG) – A quixotic chameleon has to succeed at being the daredevil he thinks he is after winding up in an old West town. Movies 10: 12:00, 2:25, 4:50, 7:20, 9:50.

Rio (G) – A domesticated macaw from suburban Minnesota takes to Rio de Janeiro to find the freewheeling bird of his dreams. Voiced by Jesse Eisenberg, Anne Hathaway. Riverdale 10: 1:25, 3:45, 6:05, 8:25. Movies 10 (3D): 12:15, 2:35, 4:55, 7:15, 9:35.

Skateland (PG-13) – A coming-of-age tale about a teen-aged manager of a Reagan-era skating rink in east Texas. With Shiloh Fernandez and Ashley Greene. Market Street: 4:25, 9:00.

Soul Surfer (PG) – In spite of losing an arm in a shark attack, a teen-age girl with a passion for surfing returns to the ocean. With AnnaSophia Robb and Helen Hunt. Movies 10: 12:30, 2:55, 5:20, 7:45, 10:10.

Super 8 (PG-13) – After a group of friends films a train wreck in a small Ohio town, inexplicable things begin happening around the crash site and locals start to disappear into thin air. Directed by J.J. Abrams. Breckenridge: Rave: 10:50 a.m., 11:50 a.m., 1:20, 1:45, 2:50, 4:20, 4:35, 5:50, 7:20, 8:50, 10:00, 10:35, 11:10, 11:50. Riverdale 10: 11:33, 2:00, 4:25, 6:45, 9:10.

Thor (PG-13) – The comic book hero comes to life as the cocky warrior gets banished to Earth and has to defend humans from impending doom. Directed

by Kenneth Branagh. Riverdale 10: 11:50, 2:20, 4:45, 7:35, 9:35.

Winter in Wartime (PG-13) – A 14-year-old in Nazi-occupied Holland comes to the aid of a wounded British paratrooper. Directed by Martin Koolhoven. Market Street: 2:15, 6:45.

X-Men: First Class (PG-13) – Professor Xavier’s gifted students explore their new-found powers as the Cold War reaches a fever pitch. With James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender. Rave: 10:10 a.m., 1:25, 4:35, 7:50, 8:45, 11:15, 11:55. Riverdale: 11:15, 1:55, 4:35, 7:15, 9:55.

Chenal 9 IMAX Theatre: 17825 Chenal Parkway, 821-2616, www.dtmovies.com.

Cinemark Movies 10: 4188 E. McCain Blvd., 9457400, www.cinemark.com.

Cinematown Riverdale 10: Riverdale Shopping Center, 296-9955, www.riverdale10.com.

Market Street Cinema: 1521 Merrill Drive, 3128900, www.marketstreetcinema.net.

Rave Colonel Glenn 18: 18 Colonel Glenn Plaza, 687-0499, www.ravemotionpictures.com.

Regal Breckenridge Village 12: 1-430 and Rodney Parham, 224-0990, www.fandango.com.

■ moviereview The best kind of popcorn flick

FREE TO THE PUBLIC

Even with clear antecedents, ‘Super 8’ stands on its own. n The less you know about “Super 8” before you see it, which you should, the more you’ll enjoy it. The storytelling is that tight. The opening shot of the film, of a steel mill’s accident-free-days sign being manually reset to “1,” is a quiet obituary that expands into a fully told tragedy within another five shots and six lines.

Director J.J. Abrams, infa‘SUPER 8’: Gabriel Basso, Ryan Lee, Joel Courtney and mous for piling up loose Riley Griffiths star. ends in “Lost,” reveals just enough, at the right intervals, to make every new fact a revelation. ing, and driving straight at the train. In the The characters — centrally, a group of head-on, the train derails (spectacularly) small-town middle-schoolers cobbling toand then ... strange things start happening. gether a zombie thriller for a student film The Air Force arrives to play hero/villain. competition in 1979 — are likeable, bePets flee the county. Microwaves and car lievable, earnest and funny. The mystery engines go missing in scores. And like the propelling the story’s events is intense and boys, you can’t wait for their Super-8 Kosatisfying. People you know will soon list dak film of the accident to finally get dethis among their favorite movies; it’s a veloped. To say more really would muck shoo-in for a Best Picture nomination this up the fun. year. This is popcorn cinema at its finest.

With Steven Spielberg’s producer credit Now then, onto spoilers. The accident above the title on the movie posters, it’s at the mill killed, horribly, the mother of a easy to compare “Super 8” to some of his sensitive boy named Joe Lamb (Joel Courtearly, kid-centric summer blockbusters ney, in his film debut) left now with his (not least for its depiction of government father, a well-meaning but distant sheriff’s force, “E.T.” comes to mind). The teens’ deputy. (He’s played by Kyle Chandler, fellowship also recalls “Stand by Me” or perhaps the most recognizable face in the even, for several reasons of plot and theme, entire cast, and best known for his work in Stephen King’s “It.” Certain angles hark to “Friday Night Lights.”) When school lets classic horror films of the ’40s and ’50s, out for the summer, Joe’s best buddy since overhead reaction shots that put a frightforever, the bigger, bossier Charles (Riley ened screamer before us and give the audiGriffiths, another talented kid you’ve never ence the sensation that some awful thing is seen before), enlists him and a few other Right Behind Us. friends to finally knock out this zombie But for its classic feel, truly “Super 8” is flick. When Charles tells Joe that he has its own universe. For once in these bloated gotten Alice Dainard to play the ingenue, summertime sci-fi explosionfests, the comJoe swoons. Alice, played by Dakota’s little ing-of-age drama that provides cover for sister Elle Fanning, is bold enough to swipe the action and suspense doesn’t feel like an her dad’s car for a night-location shoot at a afterthought — indeed, the characters truly train station, but she also has a bone with are the story. When you think back on the Joe, since her father (Ron Eldard), a drunk, movie, you may find the most memorable keeps running afoul of Joe’s dad, the cop. scenes are those in which 13- and 14-yearTo Joe, that’s irrelevant. When she settles old actors are actually talking with one andown long enough to let him prep her other. This is an action movie, and at times a make-up on location at a train station, Joe’s quite intense one, but there’s nothing more gentle daubing alone tells us heartbreaking exciting than being there with Joe when he volumes about first childhood romances. applies zombie makeup to Alice, coaches As they rehearse the scene at the station, her on how to act undead and watches, a train appears in the distance. The crew heart swelling, as she throws herself into scrambles, with Charles yelling “producbeing the scariest damn zombie ever. There tion value!” and racing to catch the train in are lots of quality explosions here, but the the shot. As it storms past, only Joe notices muted fireworks are even better. a truck speeding to an intersection, turn— Sam Eifling

GUEST SPEAKER:

DAVID REMNICK

EDITOR OF THE NEW YORKER & AUTHOR

FRIDAY, JUNE 24, 2011 AT 2:00 PM The Oxford American magazine and Winthrop Rockefeller Institute are hosting the inaugural Oxford American Summit for Ambitious Writers on June 21 – 26, 2011, atop breathtaking Petit Jean Mountain. Debuting at the Summit will be the free “Interviews on the Mountain” series, featuring David Remnick, William Whitworth and Pico Iyer. All three sessions of this stimulating series are FREE to the public and promise to provide insight for readers and writers alike.

Seating is limited! To reserve your place, please visit:

SUMMIT.oxfordamerican.org/registration CALL TOLL FREE: 866-972-7778 or 501.727.5435 PETIT JEAN MOUNTAIN | 1 ROCKEFELLER DRIVE | MORRILTON, AR 72110

The Central Arkansas Library System’s 2011 Fred K. Darragh Distinguished Lecture presents

Frederick Lane

Privacy, Anonymity, & Intellectual Freedom in the Facebook Era Frederick Lane is an expert on the impact of emerging technologies on society, especially personal & workplace privacy, student use & misuse of technology, and the culture wars.

Thursday, June 23, 6:30 p.m.

Main Library’s Darragh Center 100 Rock Street, Little Rock This program is free and open to the public.

RSVP to lblackwell@cals.org or 918-3029. www.cals.org www.arktimes.com • JUNE 15, 2011 41

n Long in development, The Root Cafe celebrated its grand opening Tuesday. The local foods-oriented cafe is located in the former home of Sweden Creme, at 1500 S. Main Street. The interior of the cafe can accommodate around 15. Outside there’s seating for dozens more. The menu, available at therootcafe.com, includes burgers, homemade bratwurst, a Reuben, a curry chicken salad sandwich, a spicy vegetarian bahn mi and seasonal salads and soups. The cafe plans to be open 7 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 8 a.m.-3:30 p.m. on Saturday. The phone number is 414-0423. n In celebration of the launch of this week’s Bar Guide, the Times is hosting a series of Cocktail Compass Parties throughout Central Arkansas on Thursday, June 16. All of our readers who have Cocktail Compass, the portable iPhone app version of our bar guide, will receive special discounts on drinks from Capi’s, Cajun’s Wharf, Copper Grill, Dugan’s Pub, Mallards, Midtown, the Peabody Lobby Bar, Revolution, Stickyz and Town Pump.

Meanwhile, Sway will host a Cocktail Compass party on Friday, June 17. For more details on the specials, see the ad on page 24 of this issue or download Cocktail Compass at arktimes.com/ cocktailcompass.

Restaurant capsules Every effort is made to keep this listing of some of the state’s more notable restaurants current, but we urge readers to call ahead to check on changes on days of operation, hours and special offerings.

What follows, because of space limitations, is a partial listing of restaurants reviewed by our staff.

Information herein reflects the opinions of the newspaper staff and its reviewers. The newspaper accepts no advertising or other considerations in exchange for reviews, which are conducted anonymously. We invite the opinions of readers who think we are in error.

Restaurants are listed in alphabetical order by city; Little Rock-area restaurants are divided by food category. Other review symbols are:

B Breakfast

L Lunch

D Dinner

$ Inexpensive (under $8/person)

$$ Moderate ($8-$20/person)

$$$ Expensive (over $20/person)

CC Accepts credit cards

LITTLE ROCK/ N. LITTLE ROCK AMERICAN ADAMS CATFISH CATERING Catering company with carry-out restaurant in Little Rock and carry-out trailers in Russellville and Perryville. 215 N. Cross St. All CC. $-$$.

501-374-4265. LD Tue.-Sat. ALL AMERICAN WINGS Wings, catfish and soul food sides. 215 W. Capitol Ave. Beer. $-$$. 501-376-4000.

ALLEY OOPS The restaurant at Creekwood Plaza (near the Kanis-Bowman intersection) is a neighborhood feedbag for major medical institutions with the likes of plate lunches,

42 JUNE 15, 2011 • ARKANSAS TIMES

■ dining Dude food The Tavern Sports Grill’s man-cave chic injects some machismo into the Promenade. n There’s no drought of sports bar and grills in and around Little Rock. So it’s hard to get hot and excited about the addition of yet another ESPN and carbs and beer joint to the list of local restaurants. That said, we can get down with Monday Night Football, cheeseburgers and Bud Light just as much as — maybe more than — the next guy.

So it’s hard to moan about The Tavern Sports Grill, the two-month young restaurant and The Promenade at Chenal’s newest kid on the block. It’s an unapologetically machismo eatery, oversized and standing in contrast to the shopping center’s bustle of boutiques, shoe stores and nicer dining establishments.

But a traditional or authentic sports bar it isn’t, so don’t expect to find cozy, neighborhood drinking hole ambience. The ceilings reach up 30 feet or so, the booths and tables are still shiny and wanting for wear, the interior smells like “clean, new restaurant,” not, you know, like food. And you’re not going to find Cliff and Norm arguing about the Celtics at the bar.

That said, it seems the owners were aiming to establish a warehouse-sized man cave, and they did a fine job.

The first thing you’ll notice when you step through the door is the enormous screen on a far wall, blasting last night’s highlights.

The Tavern also flaunts “over 30 HD TVs,” so you’ll never have the game out of your sight line.

We anchored down in a booth overlooking the Chenal 9 IMAX and debated whether or not to give the wings a shot. After all, $8.99 is always a hefty wager to make on a dozen wings that may or may not be worth the energy it takes to chew them. Boy, we were happy we took the dive.

The 12 wings — half hot, half honey mustard — were some of the best we’ve had in town. So good, in fact, that my lunch partner and I sent our thumbs up to the chef, who came out to tell us that it takes five hours in a smoker, a flash in a deep fryer and more time over burning applewood chips to bring out a smoky flavor and make the meat

slide right off of the bone.

We debated ordering up yet another round, but remembered that our main courses were going to tax our stomachs’ elasticity enough as is. Again: a good move.

The pulled pork sandwich ($8.99) is a monster: tender, smoked pork, wet with sauce and slapped onto a roll. After tasting what the kitchen staff can do with a smoker, our expectations were set high. And quickly lowered. Simply, it’s a fine sandwich but another exhibit in why barbecue should be done by the people who obsess over it and not just filler on a menu.

The Tavern Burger ($9.99), on the other hand, is one of those kitchen sink numbers with everything piled high and sloppy: bacon, mushrooms, grilled onions, jalapenos and cheese. In our case, Cheez Whiz, because, after all, if you’re going to eat something ridiculous, you might as well go for the gold. It’s the “suicide Slushy” of burgers, with any and every flavor canceling each other out and turning into one big, meaty tongue bomb. In other words, the exact type of thing we’re trying to order in a sports bar.

During The Tavern’s first few weeks, we

shied away from checking it out after hearing a few less-than-stellar reactions. Fortunately, it seems like the grill is working out some of the kinks that are to be expected when opening a new place.

While we’re not going to get evangelical about any paint-by-the-numbers sports bar, one thing’s for certain: Those wings sure are damn tasty.

burgers and homemade desserts. Remarkable Chess Pie. 11900 Kanis Road. Full bar, All CC. $-$$. 501-221-9400.

LD Mon.-Sat. ATHLETIC CLUB What could be mundane fare gets delightful twists and embellishments here. 11301 Financial Centre Parkway. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-312-9000.

LD daily.

B-SIDE The little breakfast place in the former party room of Lilly’s DimSum Then Some turns tradition on its ear, offering French toast wrapped in bacon on a stick, a must-have dish called “biscuit mountain” and beignets with lemon curd. Top notch cheese grits, too. 11121 Rodney Parham Road. Full bar, All CC. $$. 501-554-0914. B Wed.-Fri.; BR Sat.-Sun. BAR LOUIE This chain’s first Arkansas outlet features a something-for-everybody menu so broad and varied to be almost schizophrenic. 11525 Cantrell Road, Suite 924. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-228-0444. LD daily.

BIG WHISKEY’S AMERICAN BAR AND GRILL A modern grill pub in the River Market with all the bells and

whistles: 30 flat screen TVs, boneless wings, whiskey on tap. Plus, the usual burgers, steaks, soups and salads. 225 E. Markham. Full bar, All CC. $$. 501-324-2449. LD daily.

BOBBY’S COUNTRY COOKIN’ One of the better plate lunch spots in the area, with some of the best fried chicken and pot roast around, a changing daily casserole and wonderful homemade pies. 301 N. Shackleford Road, Suite E1. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-224-9500. L Mon.-Fri. BOGIE’S BAR AND GRILL The former Bennigan’s retains a similar theme: a menu filled with burgers, salads and giant desserts, plus a few steak, fish and chicken main courses.

There are big screen TVs for sports fans and lots to drink, more reason to return than the food. 120 W. Pershing Blvd.

NLR. Full bar, All CC. $$. 501-812-0019. D daily.

BUFFALO GRILL A great crispy-off-the-griddle cheeseburger and hand-cut fries star at this family-friendly stop.

1611 Rebsamen Park Road. Full bar, All CC. $$. 501-2969535. LD daily. 400 N. Bowman Road. Full bar, Beer, All CC. $$. 501-224-0012. LD daily.

CAFE 201 The hotel restaurant in the Crowne Plaza serves up a nice lunch buffet. 201 S. Shackleford Road. Beer, Wine, All CC. $$. 501-223-3000. BLD daily.

CATFISH CITY AND BBQ GRILL Basic fried fish and sides, including green tomato pickles, and now with tasty ribs and sandwiches in beef, pork and sausage. 1817 S. University Ave. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-663-7224.

LD Mon.-Sat. CHEERS IN THE HEIGHTS Good burgers and sandwiches, vegetarian offerings and salads at lunch and fish specials, and good steaks in the evening. 2010 N. Van Buren.

Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-663-5937. LD Mon.-Sat. 1901 Club Manor Drive. Maumelle. Full bar, All CC. 501-851-6200.

LD daily, BR Sun. CORNERSTONE PUB & GRILL A sandwich, pizza and beer joint in the heart of North Little Rock’s Argenta district.

314 Main St. NLR. Full bar, All CC. $-$$. 501-374-1782.

CRACKER BARREL Chain-style home-cooking with plenty of variety, consistency and portions. Multiple locations state-

BRIAN CHILSON

what’scookin’

THE TAVERN BURGER: Wouldn’t be a sports bar without it.

The Tavern Sports Grill 17815 Chenal Parkway 830-2100 thetavernsportsgrill.com Quick bite

The newest attempt at bringing man-cave chic to the masses sticks to the old burgers and beer and flat-screen TV formula that’s been around for years. Fortunately, the wings – smoky and falling off the bone – are a step above the rest. And if there’s a way to mess up a bottle of beer, The Tavern hasn’t figured it out yet.

Hours

11 a.m. to midnight daily.

Other info

Full bar. Credit cards accepted.

BRIAN CHILSON

■ UPDATE CORNERSTONE Cornerstone has good pub food, but it’s more than that. Their menu boasts a number of salads, sandwiches, burgers and appetizers. Try the Razorback Sub, made up of fried chicken strips doused in Cornerstone’s special blend of hot sauce, covered with provolone cheese and stuffed into a wheat hoagie. It’s great. Our dinner companions had the Cornerstone burger and had nothing but great things to say. One word of warning, the cheese dip is just so-so. 314 Main St. NLR. Full bar. $-$$. 501-3741782. www.cstonepub.com. wide. 3101 Springhill Drive. NLR. 945-9373. BLD. DAVE AND RAY’S DOWNTOWN DINER Breakfast buffet daily featuring biscuits and gravy, home fries, sausage and made-to-order omelets. Lunch buffet with four choices of meats and eight veggies. All-you-can-eat catfish on weekend nights. 824 W. Capitol Ave. No alcohol. $. 501-3728816. BL daily.

E’S BISTRO Despite the name, think tearoom rather than bistro -- there’s no wine, for one thing, and there is tea. But there’s nothing tearoomy about the portions here. Try the heaping grilled salmon BLT on a buttery croissant. 3812 JFK Boulevard. NLR. No alcohol, All CC. $$. 501-771-6900.

FLIGHT DECK A not-your-typical daily lunch special highlights this spot, which also features inventive sandwiches, salads and a popular burger. Central Flying Service at Adams Field. Beer, Wine, All CC. $-$$. 501-375-3245. BL Mon.-Sat. GREEN CUISINE Daily specials and a small, solid menu of vegetarian fare. Try the crunchy quinoa salad. 985 West Sixth St. No alcohol, CC. $-$$.

JASON’S DELI A huge selection of sandwiches (wraps, subs, po’ boys and pitas), salads and spuds, as well as red beans and rice and chicken pot pie. Plus a large selection of heart healthy and light dishes. 301 N. Shackleford Road.

Beer, Wine. $-$$. 501-954-8700. BLD daily.

JIMMY JOHN’S GOURMET SANDWICHES Illinoisbased sandwich chain that doesn’t skimp on what’s between the buns. 4120 E. McCain Blvd. NLR. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-945-9500. LD daily.

KITCHEN EXPRESS Delicious “meat and three” restaurant offering big servings of homemade soul food. Maybe Little Rock’s best fried chicken. 4600 Asher Ave. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-666-3500. BLD Mon.-Sat., LD Sun. LETTI’S CAKES Soups, sandwiches and salads available at this cake, pie and cupcake bakery. 3700 JFK Blvd. NLR. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-771-2837. LD (closes at 6 p.m.) Mon.-Fri. L Sat. LYNN’S CHICAGO FOODS Outpost for Chicago specialties like Vienna hot dogs and Italian beef sandwiches. Plus, other familiar fare -- burgers and fried catfish, chicken nuggets and wings. 6501 Geyer Springs. No alcohol, All CC. $. 501-568-2646. LD Mon.-Sat. MADDIE’S If you like your catfish breaded Cajun-style, your grits rich with garlic and cream and your oysters fried up in perfect puffs, this Cajun eatery on Rebsamen Park Road is the place for you. 1615 Rebsamen Park Road. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-660-4040. LD Tue.-Sat. MIMI’S CAFE Breakfast is our meal of choice here at this upscale West Coast chain. Portions are plenty to last you through the afternoon, especially if you get a muffin on the side. Middle-America comfort-style entrees make-up other meals, from pot roast to pasta dishes. 11725 Chenal Parkway. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-221-3883. BLD daily.

MORNINGSIDE BAGELS Tasty New York-style boiled bagels, made daily. 10848 Maumelle Blvd. NLR. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-753-6960. BL daily.

MR. BELL’S SOUL FOOD Rose City soul food spot owned by Leon and Loreta Bell serves typical meat-andtwo options: smothered pork chops, pigs feet, yams, greens.

The desserts are delectable; the dinner menu includes an all-you-can eat choice (as long as advance payment is made and no doggy bags are expected). 4506 Lynch Drive. NLR. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-945-9000. LD Sun.-Fri. (closes at 6 p.m. Sun. and 7 p.m. Mon.-Fri.).

ORANGE LEAF YOGURT Upscale self-serve national yogurt chain. 11525 Cantrell Road. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$.

501-227-4522. LD daily.

PHIL’S HAM AND TURKEY PLACE Fine hams, turkeys and other specialty meats served whole, by the pound or in sandwich form. 11121 N. Rodney Parham Road. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-225-2136. LD Mon.-Fri. L Sat. RED MANGO National yogurt and smoothie chain whose appeal lies in adjectives like “all-natural,” “non-fat,” “glutenfree” and “probiotic.” 5621 Kavanaugh Blvd. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-663-2500. LD daily.

RESTAURANT 1620 Steaks, chops, a broad choice of fresh seafood and meal-sized salads are just a few of the choices on a broad menu at this popular and upscale West Little Rock bistro. It’s a romantic, candlelit room, elegant without being fussy or overly formal. 1620 Market St. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-221-1620. L Mon.-Fri., D Mon.-Sat., BR Sun. SADDLE CREEK WOODFIRED GRILL Upscale chain dining in Lakewood, with a menu full of appetizers, burgers, chicken, fish and other fare. It’s the smoke-kissed steaks, however, that make it a winner -- even in Little Rock’s beefheavy restaurant market. 2703 Lakewood Village. NLR. Full bar. $$-$$$. 501-812-0883.

SAY MCINTOSH RESTAURANT Longtime political activist and restaurateur Robert “Say” McIntosh serves up big plates of soul food, plus burgers, barbecue and his famous sweet potato pie. 2801 W. 7th Street. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-664-6656. LD Mon.-Sat. L Sun. SIMPLY NAJIYYAH’S FISHBOAT AND MORE Good

catfish and corn fritters. 2900 S. University Ave. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-562-3474.

SLICK’S SANDWICH SHOP & DELI Meat-and-two plate lunches in state office building. 101 E. Capitol Ave. 501-3753420. L Mon.-Fri. SPECTATORS GRILL AND PUB Burgers, soups, salads and other beer food, plus live music on weekends. 1012 W. 34th St. NLR. Full bar, All CC. $-$$. 501-791-0990. LD Mon.-Sat. SPORTS PAGE Perhaps the largest, juiciest, most flavorful burger in town. Grilled turkey and hot cheese on sourdough gets praise, too. Now with lunch specials. 414 Louisiana St. Full bar, All CC. $-$$. 501-372-9316. L Mon.-Fri. STARVING ARTIST CAFE All kinds of crepes, served as entrees or as dessert, in this cozy multidimensional eatery with art-packed walls and live demonstrations by artists during meals. The Black Forest ham sandwich is a perennial favorite with the lunch crowd. Dinner menu changes daily, good wine list. “Tales from the South” dinner and readings at on Tuesdays; live music precedes the show. 411 N. Main St. NLR. Full bar, All CC. $$. 501-372-7976. L Tue.-Sat., D Tue., Fri.-Sat. SUFFICIENT GROUNDS Great coffee, good bagels and pastries, and a limited lunch menu. 1401 W. Capitol. No alcohol, All CC. $. 501-372-1009. BL Mon.-Fri. T.G.I. FRIDAY’S This national chain was on the verge of stale before a redo not long ago, and the update has done wonders for the food as well as the surroundings. The lunch combos are a great deal, and the steaks aren’t bad. It’s designed for the whole family, and succeeds. Appetizers and desserts are always good. 2820 Lakewood Village Drive, NLR. $$-$$$. 501-758-2277.

THE TAVERN SPORTS GRILL Burgers, barbecue and more. 17815 Chenal Parkway. Full bar, All CC. $-$$.

501-830-2100. LD daily.

TROPICAL SMOOTHIE CAFE Besides the 30 different fruit smoothies on the menu, the cafe also serves wraps and sandwiches (many of them spicy) and salads. 10221 N. Rodney Parham Road. No alcohol, All CC. $$. 501-2242233. BLD daily.

VICTORIAN GARDEN We’ve found the fare quite tasty and somewhat daring and different with its healthy, balanced entrees and crepes. 4801 North Hills Blvd. NLR. $-$$.

501-758-4299. L Tue.-Sat.

Private CorPorate LunCheons Well Done!

best steak 2005-2011 a s P e C ta C u L a r s e t t i n g F o r s u C C e s s F u L L u n C h e o n s , M e e t i n g s , a n d P r e s e n tat i o n s . C o n ta C t J i M M y y o u n g at 5 0 1 . 3 2 4 . 2 9 9 9 or sonny@sonnywiLLiaMssteakrooM.CoM

5 0 0 P r e s i d e n t C L i n t o n av e n u e ( i n t h e r i v e r M a r k e t d i s t r i C t ) C a l l f o r r e s e rvat i o n s 5 0 1 . 3 2 4 . 2 9 9 9 • w w w. s o n n y w i L L i a M s s t e a k r o o M . C o M

ASIAN BENIHANA - THE JAPANESE STEAKHOUSE Enjoy the cooking show, make sure you get a little filet with your meal, and do plenty of dunking in that fabulous ginger sauce.

2 Riverfront Place. NLR. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-3748081. L Sun.-Fri., D daily.

CHI’S DIMSUM & BISTRO A huge menu spans the Chinese provinces and offers a few twists on the usual local offerings, plus there’s authentic Hong Kong dim sum available. 6 Shackleford Drive. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-2217737. LD daily. 17200 Chenal Parkway. No alcohol, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-821-8000.

FU LIN Quality in the made-to-order entrees is high, as is the quantity. 200 N. Bowman Road. Full bar, All CC. $$.

501-225-8989. LD daily.

HUNAN BALCONY The owner of New Fun Ree has combined forces with the Dragon China folks to create a formidable offering with buffet or menu items. 2817 Cantrell Road. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-666-8889. LD. HUNAN ORIENTAL CUISINE Old favorites such as orange beef or chicken and Hunan green beans are still prepared with care in very nice surroundings out west. 11600 Pleasant Ridge Drive. Full bar, All CC. $$. 501-223-9966.

LD daily.

IGIBON JAPANESE FOOD HOUSE It’s a complex place, where the food is almost always good and the ambiance and service never fail to please. The Bento box with tempura shrimp and California rolls and other delights stand out.

11121 N. Rodney Parham Road. Beer, Wine, All CC. $$.

501-217-8888. LD Mon.-Sat. KOBE JAPANESE STEAKHOUSE & SUSHI Though answering the need for more hibachis in Little Rock, Kobe stands taller in its sushi offerings than at the grill. 11401 Financial Centre Parkway. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-2255999. L Mon.-Sat. D daily.

P.F. CHANG’S Nuevo Chinese from the Brinker chain. 317 S. Shackleford. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-225-4424.

PANDA GARDEN Large buffet including Chinese favorites, a full on-demand sushi bar, a cold seafood bar, pie case, salad bar and dessert bar. 2604 S. Shackleford Road. Beer, Wine, All CC. $-$$. 501-224-8100. LD daily.

PEI WEI Sort of a miniature P.F. Chang’s, but a lot of fun and plenty good with all the Chang favorites we like, such as the crisp honey shrimp, dan dan noodles and pad thai.

205 N. University Ave. Beer, Wine, All CC. $$. 501-2809423. LD daily.

SUPER KING BUFFET Large buffet with sushi and a

Continued on page 44

¡ N U E VO L AT I N O ! rday Satu ch, r o f us Brun Join ch and ch too! n u Lu ay Br n riday F d Sun Music 8pm Live hts at Nig

Arkansas Times 2010 Best New Restaurant

Authentic Mexican, Southwestern & Caribbean Best Happy Hour Deal in West Little Rock!

Tuesday - Sunday, 11am - Close

Lunch and Dinner reservations accepted for groups of 5 and more.

11525 Cantrell Rd • Pleasant Ridge Town Center 501-225-9600 • www.capisrestaurant.com www.arktimes.com • JUNE 15, 2011 43

delicious tacos, tamales and more. Always bustling. 3811 Camp Robinson Road.

NLR. Beer, All CC. $-$$. 501-753-9991. BLD daily.

BENTON BROWN’S COUNTRY STORE AND RESTAURANT The multitude of offerings on Brown’s 100-foot-long buffet range from better than adequate to pretty dadgum good. 18718 I-30 North. Benton. No alcohol, All CC. $$. 501-778-5033. BLD daily.

SMOKEY JOE’S BAR-B-QUE A steady supplier of smoked meat for many a moon.

824 Military Road. Benton. 501-315-8333. LD Mon.-Sat. L Sun.

No. 0511

AROUND ARKANSAS

When this puzzle is done, the 11 circled letters can be connected by a curved line to spell a two-word phrase appropriate to this puzzleʼs theme.

FAYETTEVILLE A TASTE OF THAI Terrific Thai food, from the appetizers to the entrees to the desserts. Only the brave should venture into the “rated 5” hot sauce realm. 31 E. Center St. Fayetteville. All CC. $$-$$$. 479-251-1800. LD Mon.-Sat. ARSAGA’S FAYETTEVILLE COFFEE ROASTERS A locally owned and operated chain of Fayetteville-area coffeeshops featuring hot coffee and chai, sweet pastries, sandwiches and live performances by area musicians. 1852 N. Crossover Road.

Fayetteville. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. (479) 527-0690. BLD daily.

DAMGOODE PIES A somewhat different Italian/pizza place, largely because of a spicy garlic white sauce that’s offered as an alternative to the traditional red sauce. Good bread, too. 37 East Center St. Fayetteville. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$.

479-444-7437. LD daily.

HERMAN’S RIBHOUSE Filets, not ribs, are the big seller at this classic, friendly, dumpy spot. The barbecue chicken is another winner. 2901 N. College Ave. Fayetteville. 479-442-9671.

MARKETPLACE GRILL Appetizers set on fire, Italian chips, funky low-fat dressings, prime rib and pasta in big ceramic bowls, the fare is a combination of old standbys and new-age twists. Also at 3000 Pinnacle Hills in Rogers. 4201 N. Shiloh.

Fayetteville. No alcohol. 479-750-5200. LD 600 Skyline Dr. Conway. No alcohol, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-336-0011. LD Daily.

SLIM CHICKEN’S Chicken in all shapes and sizes with sauces. Also locations in Rogers, 3600 W. Walnut Street; and Conway, 550 Salem Road. 2120 N. College Ave. Fayetteville. All CC. $$-$$$. 479- 443-7546. LD 550 Salem Road. Conway. All CC. $$-$$$. 501-450-7546. LD Mon.-Sun.

■ CROSSWORD

EL ACAPULCO Tex-Mex served in hefty portions in a colorful atmosphere. 201 Highway 65 N. Conway. No alcohol, All CC. $$. 501-327-8445. LD Mon.-Sun. EL HUASTECO Reasonably priced Mexican fare. 720 S. Salem Road. Conway.

No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-764-1665. LD Mon.-Sun. EL PARIAN Traditional Mexican and Tex-Mex favorites are offered by this Arkansas restaurant chain. 2585 Donaghey. Conway. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-513-1313.

LD Mon.-Sun. FABY’S RESTAURANT Nuevo Mexican and Continental cuisine meet and shake hands at Faby’s. The hand-patted, housemade tortillas are worth the visit alone.

2915 Dave Ward. Conway. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-329-5151. LD Mon.-Sun. THE GREAT AMERICAN GRILL Hotel restaurant. 805 Amity Road. Conway. No alcohol, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-329-1444. BLD Mon.-Sun. LA HUERTA MEXICAN RESTAURANT Standard Mexican fare with an emphasis on family favorites. 1052 Harrison Street. Conway. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-7620202. LD Mon.-Fri. LOS AMIGOS Authentic Mexican food where everything is as fresh and tasty as it is filling. At lunch, go for the $4.99 all-you-can-eat special. 2850 Prince St. Conway.

No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-329-7919. LD daily.

MARKETPLACE GRILL CONWAY Big servings of steak, seafood, chicken, pasta, pizza and other rich comfort-style foods. 600 Skyline Dr. Conway. No alcohol, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-336-0011. LD Daily.

MIKE’S PLACE Delicious New Orleans-inspired steaks and seafood, plus woodfired pizzas, served in a soaring, beautifully restored building in downtown Conway.

808 Front St. Conway. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-269-6493. LD daily.

PATTICAKES BAKERY 2106 Robinson Ave. Conway. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$.

(501) 205-1969b.

SLIM CHICKEN’S OF CONWAY Chicken in all shapes and sizes with sauces. 550 Salem Road. Conway. All CC. $$-$$$. 501-450-7546. LD Mon.-Sun. SOMETHING BREWING CAFE Coffee, pastries, sandwiches and such dot the menu of this longtime Conway favorite. 1156 Front St. Conway. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-327-5517. BLD Mon.-Sun.

Edited by Will Shortz

CONWAY

Across 1 Pipe part 5 Babycakes 9 Paper orders 14 Leonardo of ___ (mathematician who wrote about the 33-Across) 15 Out of kilter 16 Have dinner at home 17 Food with a heart 19 Blue-collar worker 20 Popular online lectures about “ideas worth spreading” 21 Alvyʼs love interest in a Woody Allen film 22 Father-anddaughter boxers 23 Pres., e.g.

25 ___ Lingus 26 Midsize Kia

29 Cephalopod known for its shell 31 “Now I see!”

32 “Both work for me” 33 Mathematical sequence related to a pattern found in a 17-, 29-, 42- or 58-Across, informally 40 Sneeze producer 41 Cam button 42 Cochlea locale 45 Honoluluʼs ___ Palace 48 “___ man walks into a bar …”

49 No. after a no.

50 Razor brand 51 Sayings of Jesus 53 No longer able to shoot 57 Some waffles 58 Van Gogh subject 59 Link with

ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE A D D S D E A N Z I T I F P P A M I E M A R T I D A S S A N S M I D I R Y B L O W B I B I Q U I T

A C T H O O R S S B A L G E E S E S Y O U

P A I N T B A L L

A B L E W A S I E R

R E D L I N I N G

M A S T

A T T U

S E E R

T L R O A V I N E N E S H O I N D G R O W R I A N T T E R S I O E N D

O R E D O R E T S A R O O S T

A I B O H P

S L I D E

O W A X I T O Z E

60 Sauce thatʼs made “Old World Style” 61 Singer Bareilles with the 2007 top 10 hit “Love Song” 62 26-Across, e.g.

63 Yemeni port 64 Ship-to-ship communication Down 1 Short row 2 Ring around a rim 3 Cornerstone abbr.

4 Tiki bar staple 5 “The Black ___” (2006 film) 6 They thought C3PO was a god in “Return of the Jedi” 7 Scroll storers 8 Pumpernickel grain 9 Badinage 10 Merit 11 Like much Schoenberg music 12 Surroundings 13 Mocking looks 18 Pacify 23 Homo sapiens, e.g.

24 Stupidity syllables 26 Speaker of stupid syllables 27 Greek letter associated with the 33-Across 28 Web browser subwindow 29 More pleasant

1

2

3

4

5

14

6

7

8

9

15

17

13

38

39

55

56

21

27

23

28

24

25

29

31

30

32

33

34

35

36

37

40 43

41

44

45

48 51

12

19

22

42

11

16

18

20

26

10

49

46

47

50

52

53

54

57

58

59

60

61

62

63

64

Puzzle by Jonah Kagan

30 Like oddly conjugated verbs: Abbr.

32 Razzle-dazzle 34 Unbarred, to a bard 35 “Because I felt like it” 36 “A Clockwork Orange” narrator 37 Glass behind a radio microphone

38 Night of poetry 39 Chem. or biol.

42 They may start as sandbars 43 Knuckle-head move?

44 Pestered 45 “Youʼll enjoy this” 46 Said aloud 47 Old-time crooner Julius

50 N.B.A. player/manager Danny 52 Itsy-bitsy bit 53 Pair 54 Sound of an air kiss 55 Architect Saarinen 56 Heavy cart 58 Miguelʼs Mrs.

For answers, call 1-900-285-5656, $1.49 a minute; or, with a credit card, 1-800-814-5554.

Annual subscriptions are available for the best of Sunday crosswords from the last 50 years: 1-888-7-ACROSS. AT&T users: Text NYTX to 386 to download puzzles, or visit nytimes.com/mobilexword for more information.

Online subscriptions: Todayʼs puzzle and more than 2,000 past puzzles, nytimes.com/crosswords ($39.95 a year).

Share tips: nytimes.com/wordplay.

Crosswords for young solvers: nytimes.com/learning/xwords.

HOT SPRINGS ARLINGTON HOTEL Massive seafood buffet on Friday nights, breakfast buffet daily, served in the splendor of a grand old hotel. 239 Central Ave. Hot Springs.

501-623-7771. BLD. THE BLEU MONKEY GRILL High end, artfully prepared pastas, salads, sandwiches and appetizers are one of the hallmarks of this classy/casual newcomer to the Hot Springs dining scene. Stay for the interesting dessert menu. 4263 Central Ave. Hot Springs. Full bar, All CC. 501-520-4800. LD daily.

CAJUN BOILERS Expertly prepared boiled shrimp, crawfish and such, served in a fun atmosphere. 2806 Albert Pike. Hot Springs. Beer, Wine, All CC. $-$$. 501-7675695. D Tue.-Sat. HOT SPRINGS BRAU HAUS All the usual schnitzels are available, an inviting bar awaits as you enter, and the brick-walled place has a lot of history and coziness.

801 Central Ave. Hot Springs. 501-624-7866. LD. JACK’S PANCAKES-N-STEAKS Read the walls of this recently relocated Hot Springs mainstay and get the gritty stories and memories that make the town come alive. Burgers and steaks are done well; breakfasts tend to be oversized but half-size portions are available. 1105 Albert Pike. Hot Springs. All CC. $$. (501) 624-5558.

BLD daily.

JASON’S BURGERS AND MORE Locals love it for filets, fried shrimp, ribs, catfish, burgers and the like at good prices. 148 Amity Road. Hot Springs. 501-525-0919. LD. LA HACIENDA Authentic Mexican food; array of entrees. 3836 Central Ave. Hot Springs. 501-525-8203. LD. OHIO CLUB Great atmosphere and a standout burger highlight what claims to be the state’s oldest bar. 336 Central Ave. Hot Springs. Full bar, All CC. $-$$. 501-6270702. LD daily.

ROD’S PIZZA CELLAR Terrific handmade pizzas highlighted by the Godfather, a whopper. Lunch specials are a steal, especially the buffet. 3350 Central Ave. Hot Springs. Beer, Wine, All CC. $-$$. 501-321-2313. LD Tue.-Sun.

JACKSONVILLE THE ORIGINAL FRIED PIE SHOP Fried pies for breakfast, lunch and dinner. 1321 T.P. White Drive. Jacksonville. $-$$. 501-985-0508. www.arktimes.com • JUNE 15, 2011 45

How To Use Free Social Media

TO SELL!

Join Kelly Ferguson, one of Arkansasâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s top social media marketing executives June 24 for an introduction to social media marketing using Facebook, Twitter and other social media sites to sell your product or service.

Marketing Hasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t Changed But the Tools Are NEW! Facebook, Twitter and the hundreds of other social media platforms are powerful new marketing tools and they are free, but you need to know how to use them. This two hour presentation by the Director of Social Media Marketing at the Arkansas Times will help you master this new and valuable technology.

Kelly Ferguson r )PX /05 UP VTF TPDJBM NFEJB ,OPXJOH TPDJBM NFEJB CVTJOFTT FUJRVFUUF JT UIF EJíFSFODF CFUXFFO TVDDFTT BOE GBJMVSF )FSF BSF UIF NPTU DPNNPO TPDJBM NFEJB QJUGBMMT r )PX UP ñOE NPOJUPS BOE SFTQPOE UP SFWJFXT BOE QVCMJD QPTUJOHT BCPVU ZPVS CVTJOFTT $POTVNFST BSF OPU POMZ QPTUJOH SFWJFXT PO SFTUBVSBOUT BOE IPUFMT BU 6SCBO 4QPPO BOE 5SJQ "EWJTPS UIFSF BSF NPSF BOE NPSF TJUFT UIBU IPTU SFWJFXT PG EPDUPST MBXZFST BOE PUIFS QSPGFTTJPOBMT r )PX UP UBLF QPTTFTTJPO PG ZPVS (PPHMF CVTJOFTT QBHF BOE VTF JU BT B QPXFSGVM NBSLFUJOH UPPM :PV IBWF POF XIFUIFS ZPV LOPX JU PS OPU BOE JO NBOZ DBTFT QFPQMF BSF QPTUJOH SFWJFXT PG ZPVS CVTJOFTT PO JU

r )PX UP FNQMPZ WJEFPT :PV5VCF BOE QIPUPT UP TIPX ZPVS QSPEVDU PS TFSWJDF VTJOH 'BDFCPPL BOE PUIFS TPDJBM NFEJB TJUFT r )PX UP VTF 'PVS4RVBSF (PXBMMB BOE PUIFS (14 ESJWFO MPDBUJPOBM TPDJBM NFEJB TJUFT UP BUUSBDU BOE TFMM OFX DVTUPNFST XJUI TQFDJBMT BOE DPOUFTUT *O UIF MBTU IPVST PWFS QFPQMF iDIFDLFE JO UP B CVTJOFTT JO -JUUMF 3PDL VTJOH 'PVS4RVBSF %JE UIFZ DIFDL JOUP ZPVS CVTJOFTT MPPLJOH GPS B TQFDJBM BOE ñOE OPUIJOH r )PX UP SFJOGPSDF XIBU ZPV BSF BMSFBEZ EPJOH UP QSPNPUF ZPVS CVTJOFTT XJUI UIFTF OFX TPDJBM NFEJB QMBUGPSNT r -FBSO IPX UP VTF TPDJBM NFEJB UP DPNQMJNFOU ZPVS XFCTJUF BOE PDDBTJPOBMMZ UP SFQMBDF JU

This two-hour seminar is free but you must RSVP. Seating is limited so please call 501-375-2985 or email kellyferguson@arktimes.com 9 a.m to 11 a.m. Friday June 24 at the Little Rock Regional Chamber of Commerce Building 200 East Markham. Free (but limited) parking available at the Chamber from La Harpe PRESENTED BY

HOSTED BY

the FANTASTIC

MR. FOX

An illustrator makes his mark in comics

JUNE 15, 2011

BY KATHERINE WYRICK PHOTOGRAPHY BY BRIAN CHILSON

W

hen we meet Matt Fox, he’s on the way to a neighboring apartment complex to retrieve a clean shirt for the shoot—such is the life of a young downtown dweller.

Fox’s apartment is what you might expect of a 26-yearold guy—sparsely furnished, littered with books, magazines and movies, a computer idling in the corner, a milk crate holding miscellany. But a closer look offers insight into this artist’s world: a zine called “King City” and a wildly colorful Japanese graphic novel sit on the coffee table next to a DVD of a campy horror flick about man-eating sheep. “It’s kind of a mess,” Fox says sheepishly (though not killer-sheepishly). Today one wall displays Fox’s impressive repertoire, some of the images grotesque others strangely beautiful.

A self-taught artist, the boyishly handsome Fox was born and raised in small town Connecticut but lived in Arkansas for a couple years; he moved back to the state with his family when he was sixteen. Asked if he can trace his passion for drawing back to childhood, Fox says, “I don’t think I was any more creative than your average kid. We all grew up with crayons and coloring books. But you get to a point where you either grow out of it or you grow into it. I think what clinched it for me was the first time I saw the anime Akira. I was probably 11 or 12 at the time, and anime was still fairly obscure to the average American. It was dark and dirty and violent Continued on page 50

hearsay

Matt Fox sits, his wall of work behind him.

➥ Shoes with serious sole. The belles of BOX TURTLE just returned from market and are fired up about all they saw.

They tell us that shoes with thick hiking boot soles are majorly in, as are red laces. ➥ The healing arts. Check out Art Musings: Creative People Cooperate, Friday, June 17, 5-9 p.m. at BOSWELL MOUROT FINE ART. This fundraising exhibition features 32 paintings and drawings by the Creative Expressions Program at the Arkansas State Hospital, a program that uses the visual arts to benefit hospital clients and empower them through recovery. ➥ Like milk and honey. B. BARNETT now carries the TokyoMilk line. The collection includes lotions, soaps, bubble baths and candles. Perfect for those who like their beauty products with an edgy, vintage vibe. ➥ “A” list celebs love Lobao. Don’t miss these two happenings at BARBARA JEAN, June 16-17: the Lafayette 148 Fall 2011 Event and the Claudia Lobão Jewelry Event. Claudia Lobão will make an appearance! While there, also check out their new Valentino handbags! ➥ In-Vesta-gate this. Starting Thursday, VESTA’S is having an ISDA trunk show featuring ISDA’s fall and early winter collection for 2011. ➥ Little Rock born interior designer PARKIN SAUNDERS, 50, died in New York on June 8. Saunders was known for his impeccable style and encyclopedic knowledge of art and design. His personal design philosophy was that “all good things go together.”

ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT TO THE ARKANSAS TIMES • JUNE 15, 2011 47

BOX TURTLE

FATHER KNOWS

BEST An unconventional gift guide for Father’s Day

Y

ou’ve given the tie, the golf-related gifts, the “kiss the cook” apron and other grill goods. Now it’s time to explore Father’s Day offerings for the cool dad. Here we bring you a wide array of gifts for dear old daddy-o.

awesome tiger tee by Missy Lipps Gama-Go T-shirts man bowl for coins and things

guitar key grips

CLINTON MUSEUM STORE Elvis coffee Elvis dark chocolate bacon wallet

graffiti cocktail shaker

cassette coin bag

small glass trays

bento box

EVOLVE

Toms shoes for dudes

48 JUNE 15, 2011 • ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT TO THE ARKANSAS TIMES

Dosh bi-fold wallet.

Made from recycled materials. Additional colors available.

cuff links by Arkansas artist James Hayes. More designs available.

ARKANSAS ARTS CENTER MUSEUM SHOP

KREBS 7” Santoku knife by Shun

graffiti pen

bamboo cutting board

three-mirror cherry wood kaleidoscope

dad box with multi-purpose tool

Emile Henry pizza stone for grill or oven (made in France)

5924 R StReet LittLe Rock 501.664.3062

HISTORIC ARKANSAS MUSEUM

Lodge Logic reversible pro grid iron griddle cast iron cookware

BAUMAN’S Peter Millar shirt & belt

handsome wooden pen

MR. WICK’S

Salvatore Ferragamo shoe Denim by Diesel

Samuelsohn’s popular spring menswear.

HAPPY FATHER’S DAY 25% to 50% OFF Select Items Tumi Bag V.K. Nagrani Socks (made in Italy)

Tom Ford Grey Vetiver Fragrance

Acme pen by Thom Reaves ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT TO THE ARKANSAS TIMES • JUNE 15, 2011 49

Jewelry Loan Services, LTD INSTANT, CONFIDENTIAL CASH LOANS ON FINE JEWELRY

Let Us Help You! Located in Crown Jewelry, where there is always a GIA Graduate Gemologist on site.

150 Brookswood Road Sherwood, AR

501-590-3238

501-225-M2LR M2LR.COM

MAKE DAD A HAPPY CAMPER THIS FATHER’S DAY

O

BY KATHERINE WYRICK

n a recent visit to the farmer’s market, I stopped to admire a cool aluminum trailer spilling forth vintage goods (story featured in the June 1st issue of CUE). Noting my enthusiasm for said trailer, a passerby presented me with her husband’s business card that read Dave Schwertel: Custom Trailers. She explained that though he wasn’t the creator of that particular teardrop trailer, he’s perhaps the only person in the area who currently builds them.

I recently caught up with Schwertel and asked what led him to undertake such a camp-tastic project. He says, “I’ve always liked retro styling, and I saw some teardrop trailers on a TV show back in 2003. With that in mind, I researched teardrops and discovered there were many styles back in the late 40’s and early 50’s.” He then (literally) took matters into his own capable hands. Schwertel says, “I’m trained in mechanical design, and one day I sat down at my computer with Autocad and some pics of teardrops and designed a 3D model and parts list of the 4’ wide x 4’ tall x 10’ long late 1940’s teardrop. The 10’ version is the most aerodynamic . . . most builders build the 8’ versions because the 10-footers take a little more materials and time, but the 10’ gives more galley and sleeping space.” (It sleeps two comfortably.)

In 2008, Schwertel started building his first teardrop—complete with 110 volt plug, air conditioning and Route 66 theme—in his shop/ garage. His goal was to have it camping-ready for the 2009 Hot Rod Power Tour, a 7-day/7-city car cruise. “It was a hit! People loved it!,” exclaims Schwertel. “At the gas stations it took 20 minutes to fuel up

FOX

Continued from page 47

OUR GOAL IS TO HELP YOU FIND LIFE’S BALANCE We invite you to experience a yoga class or massage treatment with us.

Whether needing bodywork on problem areas or just wanting to unwind and reconnect mind, body and spirit.

419 MAIN ST NORTH LITTLE ROCK

Between Starving Artist & Ristorante Capeo

and absolutely gorgeous. I grew up watching Looney Toons, so Akira could’ve come from another planet as far as I knew. I think that’s when I really started getting into art.”

Now what inspires Fox most is “being around other productive people.” He says, “If I watch an amazing film, or see a band play a great show, it makes me want to race home and start drawing. And I’d rather read an interview with an artist than pore over their work if I’m looking to be inspired. And if that’s the case: Paul Pope, Brandon Graham, Sam Hitti, Milton Glaser, Will Eisner, guys like that.”

Fox has found a home in this medium.

“I have a lot of respect for gallery art, but I have no desire to be that kind of artist.

Illustration is problem-solving and storytelling at the same time. That’s so much more exciting to me than any other kind of art.” He counts many styles of comics as influences, including “ligne claire” (French for “clear line”). Fox describes it as “the visual equivalent of an Ernest Hemingway sentence.” (Think “Tintin.”)

“The idea is to only give as much information as you need to tell the story,” he adds.

As for the process of inking a comic, Fox explains it as follows: “Over the last few years, I’ve kinda nailed down a process that I’m pretty fast with. I’ll usually

50 JUNE 15, 2011 • ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT TO THE ARKANSAS TIMES

Schwertel’s hand-made trailer. because of all the onlookers.”

He sold that first one to a man from Ohio and has built several others since. Outfitting the trailers is a family affair; Schwertel’s wife takes care of the wall-papering and makes the custom curtains. (The exterior side stripe can also be the color of your choosing.) Each trailer takes about three to four months to build. (Schwertel does have another full-time job after all.) When completed, they are light enough to be towed by a four-cylinder vehicle, fit easily into a standard garage and are perfect for camping, tailgating or simply transporting stuff (in style).

Each trailer includes custom-made birch cabinetry, his and hers entry doors with venting windows and vintage style door locks, A/C, a spare tire and ample storage. The galley includes a microwave, AC/DC lights and lots of space for everything you need to enjoy a long or short trip. A fully tricked-out trailer typically runs $4,200.

Schwertel is currently working on another Route 66 trailer—but he plans on keeping this one for himself.

Dave Schwertel Custom Trailers (501) 442-6799 www.TearDropPerformance.com d_schwertel@yahoo.com

Local artist supports Alzheimer’s Association Walk, June 18th

M

att Fox, co-creator of the online comic “Long Walk to Valhalla,” is also allied with a walk of an altogether different sort. As Administrative Coordinator of the Alzheimer’s Association, he works on development for walks, fundraising events and education programs. He’s also the first point of contact in the Association’s office for people dealing with the disease, providing information, referrals and care consultations.

This summer’s Alzheimer’s Association Walk—during which participants will raise critically needed funds for Alzheimer’s care, support and research—takes place on June 18, 10:00 a.m. at the Riverfest Amphitheatre. In addition to the three-mile walk, participants will enjoy refreshments, information from local vendors and service providers and a special tribute to those who have experienced or are experiencing Alzheimer’s. Start or join a team today at www.LRWALK.org

do a few thumbnails no bigger than two or three inches. Once I’m happy with the idea, I’ll do a pencil sketch on a regular piece of copy paper. Working small helps you have a bird’s-eye view of the balance and composition. Then I scan it in and blow it up to however big I want the inks to be, usually between 11 x 17 and 19 x 24. Then I print that out and use a light table to ink. I use Sumi Ink and Windsor Newton Series 7 brushes pretty much exclusively. I’ll use a nib or calligraphy pen if I want sharp, messy linework or texture. From there I scan the inks, then clean up and color them in Photoshop.

Using this process I can get an illustration done in about eight hours if I really need

to, which is pretty important when you’re doing editorial illustration.”

To find Fox’s current projects, visit www.wetblackghost.com. Wet Black Ghost is the name under which he and writer Adam Smith make and self-publish comics. Fox says, “He’s been writing comics and essays for zines for years, but we started working together about a year ago. We’ve got a little eight-page, oneshot sci-fi comic called ‘Mule,’ and we’re working on a larger book right now called ‘Long Walk to Valhalla’ which is being put online with page updates every Monday.”

Judging from the few brooding panels of “Long Walk to Valhalla” tacked on his apartment wall, it’s a walk worth taking.

ROAD TRIP!

$

99

N O S R E P R PE

Price Includes

s 2OUND 4RIP 4OUR "US 4RANSPORTATION TO THE #ONCERT s 'ENERAL !DMISSION 4ICKETS TO THE #ONCERT s $INNER BEFORE THE SHOW s ,IVE -USIC %NROUTE s +EG ON "OARD

Charge by phone (all major credit cards) 501-375-2985. Or mail check or money-order to Arkansas Times Music Bus, Box 34010, Little Rock, AR 72203.

Reserve Your Seat Today!

The Arkansas Times Music Bus leaves Little Rock from 2nd & Main (in front of the parking deck) at 3 p.m.

Thursday Aug. 4th and will return that night after the concert. We will have dinner in the Jonesboro Arts & Entertainment District, and then head for the concert at 7:30 p.m.

TRANSPORTATION PROVIDED BY LITTLE ROCK TOURS

NATIVES GUIDE Comic book stores

Collector’s Edition This former McDonald’s (complete with drive-thru window) is one of Arkansas’s oldest comic book stores and offers much the same fare as its sister shop The Comic Book Store. Notable titles on display include “The Librarian” (faster than an impending overdue fee, more thorough than the Dewey Decimal System), “Black Panther” (a beefed up Bobby Seale, perhaps), and “Obamouse” (exactly what it sounds like). There is also a selection of dime 52 JUNE 8, 2011 • ARKANSAS TIMES

Kapow! Comics The unsightly strip mall exterior betrays little of the wonders waiting inside Kapow! Comics. Most of the comics are filed away neatly in drawers, making this shop feel much more spacious than its counterparts.

Kapow! also offers a much-needed selection of graphic novels as well as toys (Heroclix especially), rare comics, and long boxes of comics for $1 each packed tight. The people behind the counter are knowledgeable and welcoming (shout out to Shane!), and they might even offer you a first-timebuyer’s discount. Look out for an entire wall devoted to zombie comics. 4047 E. Kiehl Ave., Sherwood. 834-5769. www.kapow-comics.com. Noon-6 p.m.

Sun.-Tue., 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Wed.-Fri., 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Sat. The Bat Cave Located mere yards away from the campus of Hendrix College, this crammed nook almost feels more like a pre-teen boys’ hangout spot than a store, complete with refrigerator, couch, flatscreen TV and nonstop matches of the granddaddy of trading card games, Magic: The Gathering.

By the door, visitors are reminded that they are entering a “PG” environment where coarse language is frowned upon. The Bat Cave’s sign declares its offerings as “comics, movies, and sports memorabilia,” but inside all three of those appear to take a backseat to toys and games of several varieties. On the store’s notice board, a handwritten note lays out “Possible D&D Names” including, but far from limited to, “Wendy McBurgerKing” and “Loof Oregano.” 1155 Front St., Conway. 329-2939. 10 a.m.-7 p.m.

Mon.-Sat.

COLLECTOR’S EDITION

KAPOW! COMICS

BRIAN CHILSON

The Comic Book Store The bread and butter of this store is Marvel and D.C., and all of the familiar heroes cover every corner of this place in the form of posters and figures. Beside one of the many comic book racks, a threatening Wolverine poster reminds shoppers that if “you bend it, you buy it.” The actual person behind the counter is quite a bit friendlier. There is a large selection of T-shirts, toys and old sci-fi novels, but few graphic novels.

9307 Treasure Hill Road. 227-9777. www.thewildstars.com/cbs.html. 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Mon.-Sat.

store pulp novels from the 1940s and ’50s for $5 each. Be sure to check the magazine rack for “New Growing Antlers,” a fine homebrewed work by local writer Michael Inscoe and illustrator Phillip Huddleston. 3217 John F. Kennedy Blvd., NLR. 791-4222. www. thewildstars.com/ce.html. 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Mon.-Sat.

BRIAN CHILSON

A

s some comic book artists and writers gain serious scholarly attention and every other Hollywood blockbuster comes straight from the heroic pantheons of D.C. and Marvel, comic book stores are perhaps more relevant now than ever. Still, it’s a bit surprising that Central Arkansas can sustain four comic book stores considering the dearth of independent booksellers locally and beyond. Maybe it’s the specificity of comic offerings and the unparalleled devotion of its regulars that have made these stores a going concern for years. Whatever the reason, the following shops continue to offer exhilarating stories for all ages and ranges of superpowers.

In addition to these stores, comics fans should also check out the upcoming River City Comic and Card Show set for 10 a.m.-4 p.m. July 30 at 1111 W. Maryland in Sherwood. Go to rivercity.arkgeeks.com for details or call 492-9007.

TRAVS HOME VS. NWA NATURALS 6/24 – 6/27

RAY WINDER FIELD GRANDSTAND SEAT GIVEAWAY! SAT. 6/25 AND MON. 6/27 FIRST 4,000 FANS RECEIVE A RAFFLE TICKET FOR PAIR OF CLASSIC SEATS SATURDAY 6/25: POST-GAME FIREWORKS MONDAY 6/27: BUSINESSPERSON’S SPECIAL 1:00 PM GAME

Get Your Bead Fix Here!

June 17 In THe ARGenTA DISTRICT 5-8pm THe THIRD fRIDAy of eACH monTH

CHeCk ouT THe neIGHboRHooD!

FOR GROUP OUTING AND PRIVATE PARTY INFORMATION CALL 664-1555 - TRAVS.COM

703 N. MaiN St. • North LittLe rock 501.537.0928

SPONSORED BY

for a LiSt of bead cLaSSeS:

argentabead.com

Join us for a pottery demonstration with fletcher larkin!

After the Artwalk, Experience Artistic Dining With Us! 411 Main St. • North Little Rock 501-372-7976 www.starvingartistcafe.net

®

Be more

Argenta Branch 506 Main Street North Little Rock (501) 687-1061

www.lamanlibrary.org

Bus stops n Dispatches from the S.P. American History bus tour: Here we are in Boston, home of the Boston Tea Party, the same one we have today with all the patriots in it. I used to wonder why it was the Boston Tea Party, thinking Boston Tea was a brand name, like Lipton Tea, so it should’ve been like the Lipton Tea Party — easier to remember — but it was because it happened right here in good old Boston harbor.

It wasn’t Boston brand tea or any other brand, and wasn’t in the little flow-through paper bags with the string and paper tab, either. Because they didn’t even have those back then. The flow-through bag came later like around the Civil War or the one on the continent of Korea.

I don’t know why they thought they had to dress up as Indians. Maybe the Indians at the first Thanksgiving had shared some extra outfits with them. Maybe it was like Halloween and they were Hiawatha and Pocahontas. No one came as pilgrims, tho.

Or the turkey!

This is also where Paul Revere rode his horse to warn the British that they were about to come upon themselves.

He didn’t mean that in the nasty way it sounds. I know Paul Revere’s horse wasn’t named Trigger, but I call it that just to pull

Bob L ancaster the chain of the lamestream media. Probably something like Boy or Nellie, which would explain the expression “Whoa Nellie!” But I will keep on calling him Trigger after my own Trig that I got instead of an abortion.

Now here we are at Plymouth Rock, where some of the first Plymouth cars were made, as I understand it. One line of compact cars that they made was the Mayflower. They came for religious freedom and invented death panels to get rid of their witches. One witch said, “Give me liberty or give me death,” so they did.

Here we are bypassing New York City because no history happened there except I appeared as myself on SNL and George Washington had the White House there before they moved it to where it is now. In New York, they had a White House and a Colored House and his slaves had to stay in the Colored House. Except the one that he stood on his back to get on his horse.

The slaves were just 3/5ths people then.

2 adult females, show potential.

AKC reg. $3,000 & $2,500. Puppies: female-$1,500 male-$500.17 wks.

ADVERTISING SALES

(580)236-9214 chrisgibson15@yahoo.com

Are you a performance based earner or a take-what-you- can-get kind of person?

Security National Life in partnership with the funeral homes we serve is looking for the person who believes they should be rewarded for their efforts. We offer the ability to earn a six (6) figure income within three (3) years, quality management, training, incentives and with a strong company to support your sale.

If you have what it takes, please email your resume to hsrecruiter@securitynational.com and reference REC006 in the subject box.

You may also visit our website at www.securitynational.com

Roll Up Your Sleeves and Join Us! Waste Management in Little Rock is Hiring CDL Drivers and Technicians Techs: 1+ yrs. exp. working w/ diesel engines and heavy trucks, supply own tools, 21+ yrs. old Drivers: Valid CDL w/ Airbrakes, 1+ yrs. exp. driving w/ a CDL, 21+ yrs. old

54 JUNE 15, 2011 • ARKANSAS TIMES 54 June 15, 2011 • ARKANSAS TIMES

C

The Arkansas Times has one position open in Advertising Sales. If you have sales experience and enjoy the exciting and crazy world of advertising then we d like to talk to you. In addition to our popular weekly issue, we also publish our “over the top” website and blogs. Annually we have special focus issues that cover everything from education, careers and dining. What does all this translates to? A high income potential for a hard working advertising executive.

We have fun, but we work hard.

If you have a dynamic energetic personality - we d like to talk to you.

Please send your resume and cover letter to Phyllis Britton (phyllis@arktimes.com ) EOE

At Waste Management, each eligible employee receives a competitive total compensation package - Health Care Benefits, Life Insurance, Short Term Disability, Vacation, Personal Days, Stock Purchase Plan, Incredible 401k plan, Tuition, Reimbursement and more! Please note that benefits may vary by site.

Call or go online to apply!

1-877-220-JOBS (5627) www.wmcareers.com Media Code: AFT EOE M/F/D/V

the debt limit. They told him to cut spending or they would cut off funding for the war. He said, “How much less can I pay them than nothing?” They finally had to eat their horses. I imagine that was a lot like eating moose. Moose is not as good as red-nosed reindeer but better than eating your sled dogs.

Here we are at Philadelphia, home of Benjamin Franklin. He invented the printing press and electricity. But palled around with old sourpuss atheists like Paine and would arrive late at all the Constitution meetings because he was out putting his Poor Richard into more places it didn’t belong than Bill Clinton. This was around the same time Dick Clark started Bandstand here. The Liberty Bell is here but it’s broke. Wm. Penn was a Founding Father who founded or fathered something here but nobody remembers what.

Here we are at Gettysburg, where the Norths and Souths fought more than anywhere else. It was most famous for when their pickets charged each other. Lee said, “I regret I have but one life to give for my country” and U.S. Grant got drunk. If he could get elected GOP prez after that, why can’t I? Next up, bus toots (too long for tweets) from Maryland, where The Star Spangled Banner was wrought, and from Virginia Commonwealth, which sounds socialist (“common wealth”) but that’s just a word accident like I’m always having. Sta tuned!

S

LASSIFIED LASSIFIED

”

NEAPOLITAN MASTIFFS FOR SALE

Oh, and the statue, but who wants to just stand around 200 yrs holding a lamp?

Here we are crossing the Delaware River into New Jersey just like the Father of Our Country when it was full of icebergs.

I can’t believe he could throw a silver dollar across this wide of a river. Or anybody else. There was your first example of the federal government just throwing money away. Ha! Tom Edison was here in New Jersey when he built the light bulb. Without that, no makeup mirrors! So thanks, Tom! He also said “Mr. Watson, come here. I need you.” And “What hath God wrought?”

That “wrought” is an old-fashioned way of saying “wrote.” (Answer to the question: “The Bible.” Duh!) And the bicycle. And the stereo.

NJ gave us Sopranos, and Miss America Padge where I missed my big chance.

And Princeton where Al Einstein was, his name means one beer mug, and he had a theory that explained a lot of stuff but destroyed our morals. Him and old Darwin and their theories! Oh, and they might make me take the fat NJ governor as my running mate next year. Jeepers, is he fat!

The thing about the helicopter made me wonder how they got one big enough so it didn’t fall over sideways when he got on.

Now here we are at Valley Forge, where the Father of Our Country and his boys nearly froze to death and nearly starved because Congress wouldn’t raise

Field Workers-10 temporary positions; approx 10 months; Duties: to plant sugar cane by hand, to operate tractors in the sugar cane fields in preparation of the fields for planting and to prepare the land for next year planting and harvesting. $ 8.97 per hour; Job to begin on 8/1/11 through5/30/12. Must have 3 months experienced required in job offered. All work tools provided. Housing and transportation provided to workers who can not reasonably return to their permanent residence at the end of the work day; _ guaranteed of contract. Employment offered by Charles Guidry located in Erath, LA. Qualified applicants may call employer for interview at (337) 654-2403 or may apply for this position at their nearest State Workforce Agency using job order # 384845. For more inforegarding your nearest SWA you may call (501) 682-7719.

Field Workers-15 temporary positions; approx 6 months; Duties: to operate tractors in the sugar cane fields during the harvesting of the crop. To prepare the fields and maintenance of the crop. $8.97 per hour; Job to begin on 8/1/11 through 1/31/12.

Must have 3 months experienced required in job offered. All work tools provided.

Housing and transportation provided to workers who can not reasonably return to their permanent residence at the end of the work day; _ guaranteed of contract. Employment offered by Charles Guidry located in Erath, LA. Qualified applicants may call employer for interview at (337) 654-2403 or may apply for this position at their nearest State Workforce Agency using job order # 384829. For more info regarding your nearest SWA you may call (501) 682-7719.

Employment Field Workers-5 temporary positions; approx 10 months; Duties: to operate tractors during the preparations, planting and maintenance of the crop before, during and after the harvesting season. $8.97per hour; Job to begin on 8/1/11 through 5/31/12. All work tools provided.

Housing and transportation provided to workers who can not reasonably return to their permanent residence at the end of the work day; _ guaranteed of contract.

Employment offered by A & S Farms, Inc. located in Jeanerette, LA. Qualified applicants may call employer for interview at (337) 519-3398or may apply for this position at their nearest State Workforce Agency using job order # 384961. For more info regarding your nearest SWA you may call (501) 682-7719.

Field Workers-6 temporary positions; approx 10 months; Duties: to operate tractors in the fields during the preparation, planting and maintenance of the crop before, during and after the harvesting season. $8.97 per hour; Job to begin on 7/15/11 through 5/12/12. 3 months experience in job required. All work tools provided. Housing and transportation provided to workers who can not reasonably return to their permanent residence at the end of the work day; _ guaranteed of contract. Employment offered by Fox Enterprise of Louisiana located in Forest Hill, LA. Qualified applicants may call employer for interview at (318) 419-7598 or may apply for this position at their nearest State Workforce Agency using job order # 384962. For more info regarding your nearest SWA you may call (501) 682-7719.

General Farm Workers - 3 temporary positions; approx 10 months; Duties: to operate tractors in the sugar cane fields for fertilizing, planting, maintenance and harvesting of the crop. Manuel shovel work, cleaning drains, hoeing of weeds and general farm labor. $8.97 per hour; Job to begin on 7/1/11 through 4/30/12. 3month experience required in job offered. All work tools provided. Housing and transportation provided to workers who can not reasonably return to their permanent residence at the end of the work day; _ guaranteed of contract.

Employment offered by Advanced Agricultural, Inc. located in Duson, LA. Qualified applicants may call employer for interview at (337) 2781217or may apply for this position at their nearest State WorkforceAgency using job order # 383861. For more info regarding your nearest SWA you may call (501) 682-7719. $$$HELP WANTED$$$ Extra Income!

Assembling CD cases from Home! No Experience Necessary! Call our Live Operators Now! 1-800-405-7619 EXT 2450 http://www.easyworkgreatpay.com (AAN CAN)

Adoption & Services ”*Adoption is love* Absolute devotion, close-knit family, lots of LOVE, security awaits 1st baby. Carmela. Expenses paid 1-800-989-8921

FLIPSIDE

FREE

!

BOOK A SESSION, WE’LL DOUBLE THE TIME

AND GET A FREE FACEBOOK DISC OF YOUR PHOTOS

NO GIMMICKS • NO SITTING FEES • NO HIDDEN CHARGES CALL OR EMAIL NOW FOR BEST STUDIO TIMES!

STUDIO1 P

Advertise your business or event here for as little as

We at OOTW can only accept as many pets as we have foster homes available. Offering a dog or cat a temporary home until their forever home is found can be a very rewarding experience. Please consider becoming a foster home for OOTW, fostering will give you great satisfaction of knowing you have helped save a life and we can’t do it without you.

$50!

ContaCt us at ContaCt@ootwresCue.org out of the woods

Find out how!

Call Challis now at 375-2985

animal rescue of arkansas P.o. Box 7365 Little rock, ar 72217 www.ootwresCue.org

Chenal adult day Center

Psychic Reader & Advisor

We're off our rockers and loving it!

Looks into Past, Present, Future Specialized Reading in Tarot Card-Metal Object-Shakra call & consult for an appointment

The To-do lisT

501-223-9046

We're Sharing The Caring!

M-F 7:30 am-5:30 pm Call Today • 501-716-9180 www.chenaladultdayservices.com

20 years public experience All major credit cards accepted

Newest LocatioN DowNtowN LittLe rock river market

The To-do lisT ➤➤➤ The comprehensive list of everything worth doing this weekend from Times entertainment editor, Lindsey Millar. Whether it’s live music, dance, theater or an exhibit, Lindsey steers you to the best. The To-Do List email newsletter arrives in your in-box every Wednesday afternoon with an eye toward planning for your weekend. The To-Do List is a sure bet for your active life!

➤➤➤ The comprehensive list of everything worth doing this weekend from Times entertainment editor, Lindsey Millar. Whether it’s live music, dance, theater or an exhibit, Lindsey steers you to the best. The To-Do List email newsletter RIVERMARKET BAR & GRILL arrives in your in-box every Wednesday afternoon with an eye toward planning for your weekend. The To-Do List is a sure bet for your active life!

CLUBS, CONCERTS & MORE @ arktimes.com

TO-DO FROM ROCK CANDY

H

O

T

501.650.1806

Arkansas Times Flipside

If you want to help save the lIves of pets, becomIng a foster home Is just one way to help.

MENTION THIS AD AND GET ADDITIONAL PRINTS FREE

O

G

R

A

P

H

Y

www.studio-1-photo.com

REWARD! S T O L E N

This sign was STOLEN Friday after Midnight at T Street and Cantrell.

Reward offered – no questions asked. See Larry at Nouveau Cleaners or call 501-223-5700.

Macximize

Learn to get more from your Mac at home or office.

• Aid in choosing the right Mac for you and your budget • iMac, MacBook, iPad, iPhone • Troubleshooting • Wireless internet & backup

• Data Recovery • Hardware Installs • Hard drive installation & memory expansion • Organize photos, music, movies & email

Call Cindy Greene - Satisfaction Always Guaranteed

MOVING TO MAC

www.movingtomac.com

cindy@movingtomac.com • 501-681-5855

Summer 2011

Apricot Girls! boutique & party studio

AppArel • HAndbAgs • Accessories

9871 Brockington Rd • Sherwood AR 501.833.1000 TU-FR 10am-6pm • SAT 10am-5pm

apricotgirlsboutique

Happy Hour Genius.

Download our free happy hour app.

Find the nearest happy hour any time.

Hundreds of places to choose from!

Search for “Arkansas Times” in the app store.

LIST

RIVERMARKET BAR & GRILL

T O -D O iT’s Free!

AT THE BACKSTAGE PASS

CLUBS, CONCERTS & MORE @ arktimes.com

FROM ROCK CANDY LIST SubScribe for thiS local newS email!

Go To ArkTimes.Com S U B S C R I B E

AT THE BACKSTAGE ➤➤➤➤➤ WEEKLY ROCK CANDY

WEEKLY

iT’s Free!

DAILY UPDATE PASS

TO-DO LIST

EATARKANSAS DIGEST

• Lor autatincil dolutpat. Anklnmlae lkdnm dkdoe dkoaioe.

• Lske kci Lor autatincil dolutpat. Andre dunt utpat.

• Aclken eknos lciiine autatincil dolutpat. Andre dunt utpat.

SubScribe for thiS local newS email!

WEEKLY

UPDATE

• Lor autatincil dolutpat. Anklnmlae lkdnm dkdoe dkoaioe.

• Lor autatincil dolutpat. Anklnmlae lkdnm dkdoe dkoaioe.

• Lske kci Lor autatincil dolutpat. Andre dunt utpat.

SMILES & CORN DOGS AT THE ARKANSAS STATE FAIR

Restaurants with changes, corrections or for more information email cocktailcompass@arktimes.com

SMILES & CORN DOGS AT THE ARKANSAS STATE FAIR

Presented by your drinking buddies at

www.arktimes.com • June 15, 2011 55

from Here

Retirement looks good

“

We take retirement living to new heights !

”

– Beth Ward

• Nightly Gourmet Dining • “Happy Half-Hour” Nightly Before Dinner • 24 Hour Controlled Access • Large Apartments With Balconies • Scheduled Transportation Available • All Utilities Paid • Weekly Housekeeping & Linen Service

WOODLAND

• Small Pets Welcome • Indoor Heated Pool & Whirlpool • Emergency Pull-Cords • Billiards & Game Room • Beauty Salon & Barber Shop • Fitness Room, Exercise Classes & Activities/Fitness Director • Close To Three Of Arkansas’Best Medical Facilities

8700 Riley Drive

|

Little Rock, AR

H E IG H TS

Call to schedule your tour today!

501.224.4242

B

reathtaking views of the surrounding hills, deluxe modern amenities and more – the

luxurious high-rise residences of Woodland Heights take retirement living to a whole new level. Tucked away in the serenity of nature yet only minutes from the bustle of the city, you’ll love life from our point of view.

|

woodlandheightsllc.com