By Chip Chandler — Producer
Here's a quick take on your 10 best entertainment bets in the next 10 days.
1. Bob Wills Day
Celebrate the King of Western Swing with this three-day festival, running April 25 to 27 in Turkey. Highlights include dances with the Bob Wills Texas Playboys, under the direction of Jason Roberts, and Jody Nix & The Texas Cowboys; and, on April 27, an arts & crafts show and parade; the Old Fiddlers Contest; barbecue cook-off at noon; and more.
2. Amarillo Bulls
The Amarillo hockey team continues its playoff run with a bid to topple the Shreveport Mudbugs for the South Division Championship with home games at 7:05 p.m. April 25 and 26 in the Amarillo Civic Center Complex Coliseum. Other sports events will include Amarillo Venom's bout against the Duke City Gladiators on April 27; FC Amarillo Bombers' season-opening games against FC Wichita Falls on April 28 and FC West Texas on May 4; and the Amarillo Sod Poodles' four-game stand against Springfield Cardinals from May 1 to 4.
3. Avengers: Endgame
Surely, you already have your tickets, right? It's your only new movie option this weekend, but looking ahead, action-adventure film El Chicano, romantic comedy Long Shot, thriller The Intruder and animated comedy UglyDolls will open May 3. Special engagements include faith-based documentary Kingdom Men Rising: No More Excuses on April 29 and 30; a live filming of the musical 42nd Street on May 1; and a revival screening of the 1989 Batman on May 4, part of a series of encore screenings in honor of the character's 80th anniversary.
4. All Things Artful
Watch art demos or make your own art at this annual festival for Amarillo Art Institute. The party — which runs from 5 to 8 p.m. April 26 at the institute, adjacent to Arts in the Sunset, 3701 Plains Blvd. — also will feature Velvet Funk, vendors, food and drinks, and homemade ice cream in a handmade ceramic bowl. (Plus, don't forget the monthly First Friday Art Walk on May 3 at Arts in the Sunset.)
5. Amarillo Symphony
The orchestra will conclude its 94th season at 7:30 p.m. April 26 and 27 with Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 and Johannes Brahms' Tragische Ouvertüre. Guests include soprano Suzanne Ramo, alto Amanda Crider, tenor Dominic Armstrong, bass Jonathan Beyer, the Amarillo Master Chorale and the First Baptist Church Sanctuary Choir. Also for the classically minded: The third annual Russian Music Festival at 7:30 p.m. April 28 will feature dancers Arkadiy, Katya and Alexei Orohovsky with the West Texas A&M University Symphony Orchestra.
6. Heathers: The Musical
Rock me gently with a chainsaw! TheatreAC will stage this musical, based on the cult classic movie, from April 26 to 27 and May 3 to 5 in the Amarillo College Experimental Theatre. (Tickets are going fast for the opening weekend performances!) Other theatrical offerings: WTAMU Opera's production of Stephen Sondheim's A Little Night Music at 7:30 p.m. April 26 and Amarillo Little Theatre's Mamma Mia!, opening May 2 for a three-weekend run. (Tickets are also flying for this one!)
7. Portraits of Dance
West Texas A&M University's dance students will give a spring concert at 7:30 p.m. April 26 and 27 and 2:30 p.m. April 28 in the Branding Iron Theatre featuring a jazz work choreographed by Broadway dancer Bob Boross and Russian folk dances choreographed by Arkaday Orohovsky.
8. Earth Day and FogelEarth Festival
Celebrate Earth Day all day with a new festival at Wildcat Bluff Nature Center from noon to 8 p.m. April 27. Enjoy activities, hikes, food trucks and Friends of Fogelberg-style music from Danny Freeze & The Earthlings, Jason Hodges, The DustJackets, Johnny Reverb Holston, Young Country and more.
9. Cinco de Mayo Fajita Festival
Sample some sizzling Mexican food and enjoy music from DJ Kane, Ram Herrera and Savannah V. at this annual Amarillo Hispanic Chamber of Commerce party at 5 p.m. May 3 at Starlight Ranch.
10. May the Fourth Be With You
Star Wars fans can enjoy a day-long celebration of all things Jedi at this new Don Harrington Discovery Center event, running from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. May 4.
Chip Chandler is a producer for Panhandle PBS and a member of GALECA. He can be contacted at Chip.Chandler@actx.edu, at @chipchandler1 on Twitter and on Facebook.
