AMUSING
Newly formed local Diamond State Cat Fanciers holds its first edition Diamond State Cat Show9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at the Maumelle Community Center, 1100 Edgewood Drive, Maumelle.
The show will feature eight judging rings for purebred cats representing more than 40 breeds as well as pets, judged on health and appearance by Cat Fanciers’ Association all-breed judges from across the United States and in Europe.
Purebred cats compete in four different divisions, including Championship (breeding cats); Premiership (for spayed and neutered purebred cats); Kittens (purebred cats aged 4 to 8 months); and pets (mixed breeds and pet cats).
Local vendors and artisans will sell items of all types for cats and their humans. The show will also include a feline agility competition and a cat costume contest, and the Maumelle Animal Shelter and Community Cats of Central Arkansas will have cats available for adoption.
Admission is $12, $10 for seniors aged 65 and over and children aged 5 to 12, $40 for a “Family Pack of 4” including a minimum of 2 children. Visit tinyurl.com/DiamondCatTix or facebook.com/events/1815483849283301.
MUSIC
Youth ensembles
The members of the Arkansas Symphony Youth Ensembles — Prelude Orchestra, Academy Orchestra and Youth Orchestra — will perform Sunday at 6 p.m. at Mills University Studies High School, 708 E. Dixon Road, Little Rock.
The Prelude Orchestra, composed of student string players in grades 4-8, under the direction of Andrew Irvin and Kiril Laskarov, will perform Elliot Del Borgo’s “The Little Dancer” and a Richard Meyer arrangement of the finale of Symphony No. 5 by Ludwig van Beethoven. .
Tom McDonald will lead the Academy Orchestra, aimed at middle school students in grades 7-12, in his arrangement of Bedrich Smetana’s “Die Moldau” and the first movement, “Allegro con Brio,” from Symphony No. 25 in G minor. by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
And Geoffrey Robson, musical director of ASO will conduct advanced Youth Orchestra students with members of the Arkansas Symphony “side by side” in the Prelude to “Die Meistersinger” by Richard Wagner, “Night on Bald Mountain” by Modest Mussorgsky and “Nimrod” by the Enigma Variations” by Edward Elgar.
The sponsor is the Rebsamen Fund. Tickets are $10, free for students in grades K-12 with the purchase of an adult ticket through Entergy Kids Ticket. Call (501) 666-1761, ext. 1, or visit ArkansasSymphony.org.
Rackensack concert
The Rackensack Folklore Society Pulaski County is hosting a concert with an appearance by Arkansas Country Dance Society, based in North Little Rock2:15 p.m. Saturday at the Ron Robinson Theater, 100 River Market Ave., Little Rock. The program will feature old-time acoustic and folk music on banjo, guitar, mandolin, harmonica, fiddle, mountain dulcimer, hammered dulcimer, bass fiddle, autoharp and the Appalachian Dancing Doll, as well as dance, storytelling and comedy. Tickets are $10, free for children 12 and under accompanied by an adult.
Doors will open at 1 p.m. Beer, wine and concessions will be available; Validation for free parking is available for tickets in the library parking lot (across from the main library on Rock Street) or in the parking lot next to the library on Rock Street. Visit simpletix.com/e/rackensack-folklore-society-concert-tickets-197878.
THEATER
Show postponed
Citing last weekend’s wintry weather, the Weekend Theater. 1001 W. Seventh St. at Chester Street, Little Rock, has postponed the opening of “How Black Mothers Say I Love You” by Trey Anthony until January 24. The show will now run at 7:30 p.m. on January 24, 25 and February 31. 1 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. on January 26 and February 2. Tickets are $20, $18 for students, seniors and military. Visit centralarkansastickets.com/organizations/the-weekend-theater.
Comedian Heather Land performs Saturday at the University of Central Arkansas in Conway. (Special to the Democrat-Gazette)
COMEDY
For the love of the earth
Comedian Heather Land performs at 7 p.m. Saturday at the University of Central Arkansas’ Reynolds Performance Hall, 201 Donaghey Ave., Conway, as part of the university’s public appearance series. Tickets cost $30-$50, $10 for children and students. Call (501) 450-3265 or (866) 810-0012 or visit uca.edu/public Appearances.
Sculptures by Andy Huss will be on display Friday at the Argenta Library in North Little Rock. (Special to the Democrat-Gazette)
ART
Sculpture exhibition
“Lighter than my childhood home”, objects by a German artist Iris Eichenberg which “explore identity, memory and personal stories through 2D and 3D sculptures and works in metal, fiber and wood,” according to a press release, will be on display Thursday at Brad Cushman Gallery in New York. Windgate Center for Art and Design at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, 2801 S. University Ave., Little Rock. The exhibition remains on view until March 9. Gallery opening hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Friday and 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday. Entrance is free. Eichenberg will give a talk titled “When Side Road Turns Into Main Roads” on February 6 at 6 p.m. in Room 101 of the Windgate Center. A reception will follow. Call (501) 916-5117 or email byoung2@ualr.edu.
Sculpture at the library
“3D”, works of the sculptor Andy Hussat Hendrix College Art School in Conway, is on display with a reception from 5 to 8 p.m. as part of the Argenta Third Friday Art Walk, Friday at Argenta Library420 Main Street, North Little Rock. The exhibition will be on view until February 7, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday to Friday. Entrance is free. Call (501) 687-1061 or visit NLRlibrary.org.
ETC.
Wedding show
More than 80 exhibitors, including florists, entertainment companies, photographers and fashion vendors, will be on hand to help couples plan their wedding from start to finish. Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Wedding Showfrom 12:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday at the Statehouse Convention Center, Markham and Main Streets, Little Rock.
The show, now in its 30th year, offers education, planning and a chance to discover local talent, according to a press release. There will be fashion shows throughout the day, a photography expert session and a Q&A session for couples on the latest trends in wedding production.
Attendees will receive a 2025 Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Wedding Planner, featuring photographs, stories, checklists for couples and a list of area wedding industry businesses, plus a copy of the 2024 magazine Real Weddings. Prizes will be awarded throughout the show; one couple will win the Ultimate Giveaway, worth more than $10,000.
Sponsors include Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort, Central Arkansas Entertainment and Dillard’s. Tickets are $10, $50 for limited VIP (very important person) which include early entry to the show, a t-shirt, a tote bag filled with gifts from sponsors, reserved seating for the fashion shows and Access to prices reserved for VIPs. Call (501) 378-3807 or visit arkansasbridalcommunity.com.