By Chip Chandler — Producer
Here's a quick take on your 10 best entertainment bets in the next 10 days.
1. Sounds of Summer
Hot tunes continue to ring out as outdoor concert season continues. Amarillo Botanical Gardens' annual Music in the Gardens series will roll on at 8 p.m. July 11 with Amarillo rock band The Solano Project and Amarillo favorites Anderson, Flesher & Key on July 18 at the gardens, 1400 Streit Drive. The Starlight Theatre series will continue at 7 p.m. July 16 with Amarillo folk-rock band The DustJackets at Sam Houston Park, Line Avenue and Western Street. Center City of Amarillo's High Noon on the Square will continue its 25th anniversary with music from Amarillo singer-songwriter Andy Chase and sausage wraps from the American Quarter Horse cook team at noon July 17 on the lawn of the Potter County Courthouse, 501 S. Fillmore St.
2. Yellow City Comedy
Amarillo's top comics will give a free show at 10 p.m. July 11 at Mulligan's Sports Pub, 2511 Paramount, Unit B-1. Other upcoming comedy shows include a live recording of the comedy podcast Hot Pod Pie at 9 p.m. July 18 at Zombiez Bar & Grill, 711 S.W. 10th Ave.; and touring comic Ranney at 9 p.m. July 20 at Off the Hook, 626 S. Polk St., Suite 200.
3. Matilda
The Yellow City Musicals / Amarillo College Conservatory production of this musical adaptation of the Roald Dahl novel will be staged from July 12 to 14 in Ordway Auditorium on the Amarillo College Washington Street campus. Other upcoming theatrical productions include ongoing performances of long-running outdoor musical Texas at 8:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays through Aug. 17; Amarillo burlesque troupe Broken Belts Collective's Revelry at 10 p.m. July 12 at Off the Hook, 626 S. Polk St., Suite 200; Kwahadi Dancers' Song of the Eagle at 7 p.m. July 13 and 20 at the Kwahadi Kiva Museum, 9151 E. Interstate 40; Amarillo Little Theatre Academy's production of The Hunchback of Notre Dame from July 19 to 21; and spiritual drama Daddies' Home by Amarillo playwright Kissey Cummings on July 20 and 21 in Ordway Auditorium.
4. Amarillo Community Market
What's summer without some time in an outdoor market? The popular downtown market is open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays through Sept. 28. Need more shopping opportunities? Try these: the Amarillo Coin & Currency Show and The Peddler Show on July 12 to 14 in the Amarillo Civic Center Complex; the Canyon Farmers' Market from 8 a.m. to noon Saturdays through Sept. 28 on the downtown square in Canyon; a craft show and vendor fair from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. July 13 at Hugo's on the Square, 407 16th St. in Canyon; and the Fritch Farmers Market & Treasures from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. July 13 (continuing Sept. 14 and Oct. 12) at Lake Meredith Aquatic & Wildlife Museum, 104 N. Robey Ave. in Fritch.
5. West Texas Burger Brawl
Chow down on burgers and enjoy live music and vendors at this fundraiser for Amarillo Housing First at 5 p.m. July 13 at Sam Houston Park, Line Avenue and Western Street. Or let the tequila do the talking at the annual Amarillo Margarita Festival at 5 p.m. July 13 at Starlight Ranch Event Center, 1415 Sunset Drive, featuring the Lost Shaker of Salt Band and a Lucha Libre wrestling tournament, along with plenty of samples of margaritas. And save some room for the Texas vs. Kansas City Barbecue Showdown at 5 p.m. July 20 at Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum, 2503 Fourth Ave. Only 200 tickets are available.
6. Suds N Sounds
Texas country star Mike Ryan will headline this annual Nazareth party alongside The Cody Sparks Band, Next to Kin, Dan Patterson and Mitchell Ford & The Volunteers; the Nazareth German Festival earlier that day will feature a sausage dinner, crafts and more. Other regional festivals will include the Caprock Roundup and Old Settlers' Reunion from July 11 to 13 in Claude; Chillin' on the Bricks, an ice cream festival at 5 p.m. July 12 in downtown Pampa; the Swisher County Picnic Celebration from July 14 to 20 in Tulia; the D'Town BBQ Cook-Off on July 19 and 20 in Dumas; the Friona Cheesburger Festival on July 20; and the Tex Randall Birthday Bash on July 20 in Canyon, featuring Texas country star and regional native Randall King.
7. Clifford the Big Red Dog
The beloved pup will pounce into the area for several stops (hosted by Panhandle PBS, in full disclosure): at 3 p.m. July 14 at Wonderland Park, 2601 Dumas Drive; at 11 a.m. July 16 at Westgate Mall, 7701 W. Interstate 40; at 10:30 a.m. July 17 at the Dallam-Hartley County Library, 420 Denrock Ave. in Dalhart; and at Summer Splash at 2 p.m. July 18 at Memorial Park, 2501 S. Washington St. (near the splash pad on Jackson Street).
8. The Tejas Brothers
The always-energetic Tex-Mex fusion band will return for a 6 p.m. July 14 show at Golden Light Cantina, 2908 S.W. Sixth Ave. Other live music shows of note: Austin folk-rock band The Tennessee Stiffs at 10 p.m. July 11 and indie-blues band Creatio at 10 p.m. July 18 at Leftwoods, 2511 S.W. Sixth Ave.; The Cody Sparks Band at 10 p.m. July 12 and Canyon country band The Ragtown Chiefs at 10 p.m. July 13, both also at the Golden Light; indie conglomeration TheMattPatJoeTrio at 9:30 p.m. July 12 at The 806 Coffee + Lounge, 2812 S.W. Sixth Ave.; rock bands Silversyde, The Persuaded, Shattered Reality and Divided Me at 10 p.m. July 12 and Pampa rockers A Special Case and Amarillo blues-rock band Touching Voodoo at 10 p.m. July 20 at Skooterz, 4100 Bushland Blvd.; Amarillo rockers Boss 420 at 9 p.m. July 12 at Rounders Club; classic rock band The Geezers Gone Wild at 7 p.m. July 13 and Amarillo party band The Tweeks at 7 p.m. July 20 at Bar Z Winery, 19290 Farm-to-Market Road 1541; Amarillo country-rock band Strange Saints at 9 p.m. July 13 at Rounders Club, 2801 Virginia Circle; Amarillo rock band Mr. Scary at 10 p.m. July 13 at Whiskey River, 4001 S.W. 51st Ave.; metal bands Flaw, Sons of Texas and September Mourning at 8 p.m. July 18 and rockabilly band Johnny Chops & The Razors at 10 p.m. July 19 at Hoots Pub, 2424 Hobbs Road; rock bands Send Help, Lonestar Massacre, Occupied, Sevity and Visions Scarred at 8 p.m. July 19 at Zombiez Bar & Grill, 711 S.W. 10th Ave.; Texas singer-songwriter Drew Kennedy with Amarillo country star Matt Martindale at 6 p.m. July 20 at Hotel Turkey, 201 Third St. in Turkey; a Songwriters in the Round show featuring Amy Coffman, Danny Dobervich, John Dennis Garvey and Mike Fuller at 7 p.m. July 20 at Chalice Abbey, 2717 Stanley St.; and Journey tribute band Escape at 8 p.m. July 20 at Starlight Ranch Event Center, 1415 Sunset Drive.
9. San Diego Chicken
The plucktacular mascot will return to town for the first time in nearly 10 years during the July 17 Amarillo Sod Poodles game at Hodgetown, 715 S. Buchanan St. The Soddies also have games scheduled July 16 and 18 against the Springfield Cardinals and July 19 to 22 against the Northwest Arkansas Naturals. Sports fans should also check out the FC Amarillo Bombers' first playoff game against FC Lubbock at 6 p.m. July 20 in the Amarillo Civic Center Complex Coliseum, 401 S. Buchanan St.
10. The Lion King
The photo-realistic computer-animated reworking of the 1994 Disney classic finally arrives in theaters July 18 after waves upon waves of hype. Arriving the weekend of July 12 are gator thriller Crawl, action comedy Stuber and Bollywood biopic Super 80. Special engagements will include a 50th anniversary screening of Easy Rider on July 14 and 17. Plus, Copper Fire Grill will screen the camp Western classic The Outlaw at 7 p.m. July 17, and Canyon Main Street will screen The Incredibles 2 at 9 p.m. July 19 at Movie Night on the Square in downtown Canyon.
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.
