By Chip Chandler — Digital Content Producer
The kickoff weekend to spring break brings several event and activity options. Check them out in our easy-to-read guide!
- Author and sheriff's department sergeant Trey Barker will discuss forensics in a presentation at Amarillo Public Library's downtown branch, 413 S.E. Fourth Ave. Call 806-378-3054.
- Song Collaborators Consortia Art Song Festival: Evening performances for this group's conference will conclude with a cabaret, An Evening of Questionable Music, at 8 p.m. Friday in the Fibonacci Space, 3306 S.W. Sixth Ave. Admission is free. Call 806-651-2831.
- Just Between Friends: Check out an assortment of consignment items at this expo, running 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday in the Amarillo Civic Center Complex South Exhibit Hall, 401 S. Buchanan St. Admission is $3. Call 806-674-7858.
- The Peddler Show: Shop at booths from a selection of designers, artisans, crafters and others at this annual expo. Hours are noon to 7 p.m. Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday in the Civic Center North Exhibit Hall. Admission is $10 for the sneak peek hour, or $7 for ages 13 and older for the weekend. Call 800-775-2774.
- Western Antiques & Collectibles Show: Browse through spurs, saddles, beadwork, gunleather and other Western items at what promoters bill the "longest-running Western show and auction in America." Hours are noon to 6 p.m. Friday, 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday in the Civic Center Heritage Ballroom. Admission is free. Call 517-568-4188.
- Amarillo Bulls: The hometown hockey team will face the Shreveport Mudbugs in games at 7:05 p.m Friday and Saturday in the Civic Center Coliseum. Tickets are $13 to $23, or $9 for children. Call 806-242-1122.
- Panhandle Cutting Horse Association: Top regional cowboys saddle up for action at 8 a.m. Saturday and Sunday in the Bill Cody Arena on the Amarillo Tri-State Fairgrounds, 3301 S.E. 10th Ave. Admission is free. Call 806-376-7767.
- Women in the Great War: Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum will host a discussion of women's roles during World War I at 10 a.m. Saturday at the museum, 2503 Fourth Ave. in Canyon. The roundtable discussion (see here for more details) is held in conjunction with the museum's ongoing focus on the Great War. Admission is free. Call 806-651-2244.
- Artist Steven Schroeder's Epiphany: What Light Does on Edge exhibition will wrap with a closing reception from 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday at Chalice Abbey Center for Spirituality and the Arts, 2717 Stanley St. Schroeder will be joined by Ken Hada, a poet and professor from Ada, Okla., and Aaron Rudokph, a poet from Las Vegas, N.M., as well as Amarillo musician Mike Fuller. Call 806-576-2480.
- Spring Break Spectacular: Kids still anxious to learn over spring break (or perhaps parents anxious for them to do something worthwhile) should check out this week full of activities at Don Harrington Discovery Center, 1200 Streit Drive. Admission is $11 for adults, $8 for children ages 2 to 12, students aged 13 to 20, seniors and military. Call 806-355-9547.
- Monday: Astronomy Day, featuring cloud-making activities and more celestial discoveries
- Tuesday: Pi Day, featuring activities based on the numbe pi (3.1415926), as well as a celebration of Albert Einstein's birthday
- Wednesday: Zoology Day, featuring animal-based activities with Wildcat Bluff Nature Center (noon to 4 p.m.) and Wild West Wildlife Rehabilition Center (10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.)
- March 16: Biology Day, featuring dissection of cow eyes and other body-related activities, including a blood drive with Coffee Memorial Blood Center
- March 17: Physics Day, featuring hoverboard activities and other demonstrations of physical laws
- Amarillo Public Library spring break offerings include:
- The Super, Not-So-Secret Spy Gathering from 3 to 4:30 p.m. at the Northwest Branch Library, 6100 W. Ninth Ave.
- Thank You Celebration for Mo Willems' Elephant and Piggie books at 3 p.m. at Southwest Branch Library, 6801 S.W. 45th Ave.
- Paper Crafting: Paper Lights and Lamps from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Monday at the East Branch Library, 2232 S.E. 27th Ave.
- Spy Training screening of Spy Kids at 1 p.m. Tuesday at the downtown branch
- Spy Training: Decoding Secret Messages from 1 to 3 p.m. March 16 at the downtown branch
- What Do You See? celebration of Bill Martin Jr. and Eric Carle's bear books at 3 p.m. March 16 at the southwest branch
- Over the Rainbow St. Patrick's Day celebration at 4 p.m. March 16 at North Branch Library, 1600 N.E. 24th Ave.
- Other ongoing exhibitions include Nacidos Charro: Born Charro at American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame & Museum, 2601 E. Interstate 40 (here's my preview); The Great War and the Panhandle-Plains Region and A Picture from Home: Snapshots of the Great War on the Plains at PPHM (here's my preview); and Little Builders, Brain Teasers 2 and Strange Matter at Don Harrington Discovery Center, 1200 Streit Drive (here's my preview).
Chip Chandler is a digital content producer for Panhandle PBS. He can be contacted at Chip.Chandler@actx.edu, at @chipchandler1 on Twitter and on Facebook.
