by Chip Chandler — Digital Content Producer
April kicks off with a slew of activities – the reopening of Amarillo’s own amusement park, the monthly Sunset Center art walk, Amarillo Opera’s staging of a beloved classic and much more.
Here’s a look at some highlights:
Wonderland Park. 2401 Dumas Drive, opens for its 65th season this weekend with rides running from 1 to 8 p.m. Saturday and 1 to 6 p.m. Sunday. The season runs through Labor Day weekend (Sept. 3 to 5), and hours vary. The park opened in 1951 as Kiddie Land, expanding over the years until its name change in 1969. According to the park website, Wonderland attracts more than 200,000 visitors a year. Spring prices are $16.95 Tuesdays through Fridays, $24.95 Saturdays and $19.95 Sundays for the basic WOW Pass. Prices are $31.95 Tuesdays through Fridays, $39.95 Saturdays and $34.95 Sundays for a WOW Pass that includes access to the popular Drop of Fear, Texas Tornado and Fantastic Journey rides, as well as miniature golf. For information, call 806-383-3344 or visit www.wonderlandpark.com.
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Student artists and their mentors from Amarillo College and West Texas A&M University will display their work beginning Friday at Amarillo Museum of Art’s annual AC/WT Student/Faculty Exhibition. “It’s always a blast to get to see how our work goes along with WT’s,” said Victoria Taylor-Gore, dean of AC’s school of creative arts. “I will say that we hold our own pretty well, which has always been the exciting part about the show.” The exhibition will open with a 6:30 p.m. Friday reception, featuring gallery talks at 6:45 and 7 p.m. It will hang through April 17 at the museum, 2200 S. Van Buren St. Museum hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays and 1 to 5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. For information, call 806-371-5050 or visit www.amarilloart.org.
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As I mentioned in a Monday preview of Amarillo Opera’s “The Pirates of Penzance,” the production will star a couple of faces familiar to Amarillo audiences – local native Sarah Beckham-Turner as Mabel and Robert Hansen as Major-General Stanley. “Pirates” marks Beckham-Turner’s first return to Amarillo Opera since performing in “The Italian Straw Hat” in 2011. “She’s grown up a lot since thin. Her voice has settled in and she’s doing a great job,” said David O’Dell, the Opera’s general director. “Hopefully, she’ll be here a lot more in the future.” Beckham-Turner has “done all the hard work herself,” said her father, James, who’ll play percussion in the “Pirates” orchestra. “We provided the foundation, and she took it and ran with it.” Performances are set for 7:30 p.m. Saturday and 2:30 p.m. Sunday in the Globe-News Center for the Performing Arts, 500 S. Buchanan St. Tickets are $20 to $95, plus fees. For information, call 806-372-7464, 806-378-3096 or visit www.panhandletickets.com.
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Photographer Jim Livingston will open his show “Images of Spring” with a 6 p.m. Thursday reception at ArtGecko Gallery inside The Galleries at Sunset Center, 3701 Plains Blvd. He’ll also shoot more images for his ongoing “I Am…” series, in which subjects sit for a portrait and answer three questions: “I am…,” “I regret…” and “Before I die….” He’ll also shoot during First Friday Art Walk, the Center’s monthly celebration of its in-house galleries. The walk runs from 5 to 9 p.m. Friday and is free.
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Fans of our online series “Texas Wild” won’t want to miss a special presentation by its hosts and creators Ray Matlack and Jessie Story at 10 a.m. Saturday at Wildcat Bluff Nature Center, 2301 N. Soncy Road. Admission is free for center members, or $3 for adults and $2 for children and seniors. For information, visit www.wildcatbluff.org.
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Amarillo Activity Youth Center will hold its third-annual Child Abuse Prevention Rally and Walk from 2 to 5 p.m. Saturday in the AAYC gym, 816 S. Van Buren St. Guest speakers, live musicians, a DJ and more will entertain and enlighten the crowd, and informational booths will provide material about how to spot the signs of child abuse. The walk will begin at 4:30 p.m. and stretch through downtown Amarillo. For information, call 806-373-2292.
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Beyond the Weekend: West Texas A&M University will screen the documentary “It Happened Here,” an examination of pervasive sexual assault on college campuses, at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday in Legacy Hall in the Jack B. Kelley Student Cetner. The screening is free. For information, call 806-651-2301. … The Amarillo Convention and Visitor Council Arts Committee will honor Amarillo arts supporters at the 34th annual Golden Nail Awards at 6:30 p.m. Thursday; we’ll announce the winners next week. … Amarillo Little Theatre will open “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” at 8 p.m. April 7; you’ll get an inside look at the production next week.
