Texarkana Entertainment Blog

I’ve seen four juried student art exhibits at the Regional Arts Center during my time as the Gazette’s arts and entertainment reporter, and this year’s exhibit is the best I’ve seen. The 19th Annual Juried Student Art Exhibit has roughly 130 works displayed through June 11, and I encourage local arts lovers to get down and see it.

Middle school to high school students from all over the area submitted their best efforts and show both great imagination and solid technique at work. Among the exhibit works you’ll find a human figure on a swing set, copper-colored assemblages and layers of dripping, colorful paint. There are some interesting experimental pieces and impressive representational works alike to be discovered on the three Arts Center floors housing the exhibit. Truly an eclectic mix.

Admission is free. See tomorrow’s Gazette for full coverage of the exhibit, including a winners list. Below are snapshots of three works I really enjoyed seeing.

- Aaron Brand

Popularity: 1% [?]

I’m catching up on a couple news and notes items that I’ve meant to jot down here on the blog.

Klipsch will continue its Klipsch Music Festival held in conjunction with its annual pilgrimage tour for Klipsch speaker fans. This year’s second annual music fest on Saturday, June 11, has five bands set to play, according to the festival Website, with an emphasis on country, rock and blues. Jason Helms Band, Liquid Kitty, Hazy Jayne, The Night Hawk Band and Black Water are tapped to perform. Helms and Hazy both played the festival last year. Free is the exact price of admission and the public is invited to come on out to Fair Park in Hope, Ark., to enjoy the festivities. Live music kicks off at 3 p.m. and the stage show runs until around midnight. It’s all ages. Bring a lawn chair or blanket for cozy seating.

The 19th Annual Juried Student Art Exhibit kicks off this Saturday at the Regional Arts Center with a noon reception. The exhibit runs through June 11 and shows off the many artistic talents and visions of young, local artists in the schools. I think year in and year out, to be honest, the kids give their elders a run for their money at this show (which is typically followed by the adult juried show exhibition). Sometimes kids have an imagination more unbridled than their adult counterparts, making for some interesting art. Check it out if you can.

- Aaron Brand

Popularity: 1% [?]

I caught the evening events at RailFest in downtown Texarkana this past Saturday night and enjoyed the festivities provided by Texarkana’s newest shindig. I hope it continues to grow.

Satisfaction, the Rolling Stones tribute band, staged an excellent show that felt both authentic and fun. I’m not a huge Stones fan, to be honest, but the crowd seemed to love the showmanship and musicianship on the big stage down at Front Street Festival Plaza. I think the headlining band was a good fit for this town, and landing Satisfaction was a nice coup for the organizers, who had to jockey to make some music lineup changes in the final week with a couple acts bowing out. Satisfaction has three members with a Texarkana connection—cool to see them come on back and support the hometown cause. I’m no expert at crowd estimates, but I think several hundred attendees were on hand to see the main act.

Chasing Rita played a nice set before Satisfaction took the stage; kudos to them for joining at the last minute, and kudos to all the volunteers who put in the sweat and time to make the festival run smoothly.

I spoke with one of the organizers who said the surprise hit of the day was the KidZone area of activities. And I talked with one of the folks involved with the one-day RailFest museum just a block away on Broad Street who said about 190 people came through to see the temporary museum. Super.

I do wish there had been a stronger presence of local vendors at the festival; having something to see and do (a diversity of things) is the way to keep people around and make it a real festival. According to our reporting, HandsOn Texarkana’s May Market drew about 30 vendors (on the same day), so it can be done. Hopefully this is an aspect of the festival that will grow in the future. Another thing that would be nice to see: more local music acts with a following.

Overall, I think the buzz I’ve heard and felt about RailFest was mostly positive. It sure was nice to see downtown streets busy. What did you think?

- Aaron Brand

Popularity: 4% [?]

The lineups for two of the big upcoming live music events are now out. Top acts for the 35th Annual Hope Watermelon Festival are country: headliner Chuck Wicks and the opening act for him, Little Texas. They’ll play on Saturday, Aug. 13. Wicks appeared on “Dancing with the Stars” and his song “Stealing Cinderella” went to number five on the country chart. Little Texas has been around since the late ’80s and their number one hit was “My Love.” Tickets go on sale June 3.

Over at Music City Texas Theater is the T-Bone Walker Blues Fest on June 17 and 18 with blues musicians across the generations on tap to perform. David “Honeyboy” Edwards is returning; this Delta blues guitarist is a living blues legend and shouldn’t be missed. Others in the lineup for the two-day festival are Buddy Flett, Omar Sharriff, Matt Schofield, Robin & the Bluebirds, Ezra Charles Band, Bobbie Oliver & Jam City Revue, DieDra & the Ruff Pro Band, The Peterson Brothers Band, The Alan Fox Band, Mathew Davidson Band, Bill Lynch and the MidWestern Icons, and the Pleasant Hill Quilting Group. Each year this festival is one of the best music events around the Texarkana area, rich in quality musicians and great personalities.

- Aaron Brand

Popularity: 2% [?]

On Saturday, I braved a three-mile, rainy drive down the highway to catch the Cossatot Arts and Craft Association’s 40th annual art show at the old schoolhouse in the community of King, which sits just a short jaunt off U.S. Highway 71 North as it heads to Mena north of De Queen. It’s a neat, old, two-story brick building where the adult photography and art were displayed (kids’ art was in a separate building). The historic structure was built back in 1916 when the King community enjoyed better days. Even with the gray weather, it’s a lovely setting for both a schoolhouse and an art show. One of the cool features this year was the inclusion of a special “historical” category for paintings. You could feel the connection between the show and the area in these pieces, as was the case with much of the art, in fact. Texarkana artists were well-represented at this show. If readers ever get a chance to drive on over to De Queen to see it, go for it.

- Aaron Brand

Popularity: 1% [?]

TRAHC’s reader’s theater event,”Voices of Freedom: Overcoming Barriers,” is coming up Thursday with a performance starting at 6 p.m. at the Regional Arts Center downtown. Six historically significant and fascinating Americans will be explored in dramatic monologue fashion. They are baseball player Jackie Robinson, singer Lena Horne, civil rights pioneer Rosa Parks, educator Mary McLeod Bethune, author James Weldon Johnson and sculptress Edmonia Lewis. What a collection of great people! I’ve been able to see two of the performances so far and TRAHC’s African American committee has impressed me each time. The crew of amateur actors and actresses puts their heart and soul into this more casual theatrical entertainment, and the focus is on the words, the storytelling and the power behind them. If you can catch it, go see it; I highly recommend it.

- Aaron Brand

Popularity: 1% [?]