By Chip Chandler — Producer
Here's a quick take on your 10 best entertainment bets in the next 10 days.
1. July 4 activities
The whole region is exploding with Independence Day activities. Canyon's day-long Independence Day celebration will feature a parade, arts and crafts show, fireworks and more. Amarillo's Tascosa Drive-In will screen Spider-Man: Far from Home and Toy Story 4 before its annual fireworks show on July 4. Amarillo Adult Athletics and the Amarillo Parks and Recreation Department will host the Family Fun 4th from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. July 4 at John Stiff Park, featuring runs, ultimate frisbee, co-ed sand volleyball and more (pre-registration due July 1). Clarendon's 142nd annual Saint's Roost Celebration will run July 4 to 6. Canadian's 131st annual July 4th Celebrations and Rodeo will run July 4 to 6, as well. And look for more civic fun in Dalhart, Dumas, Wheeler and elsewhere.
2. Will Rogers Range Riders Rodeo
The annual Will Rogers Range Riders Rodeo is back in action July 4 to 6 at the Range Riders Arena, 313 W. Loop 335 South. Not enough rodeo action? Check out the annual Koben Puckett Invitational, a Professional Bull Riders-sanctioned competition on July 6 in the Amarillo National Center on the Tri-State Fairgrounds, 3301 S.E. 10th Ave. Funds raised help support the Press On Foundation, which has helped Puckett (who was paralyzed from the neck down in a 2008 bull-riding accident) and those like him afford rehab and therapy.
3. Amarillo Sod Poodles
The Soddies are back in action at home with games against the Frisco Roughriders from July 4 to 7 at Hodgetown, 701 S. Buchanan St.
4. Midsommar
Writer/director Ari Aster's Hereditary follow-up Midsommar, new in theaters this week, is getting scarily good reviews. Also new this week is Spider-Man: Far From Home. Heading to theaters for the July 12 weekend are gator thriller Crawl and action comedy Stuber. Special engagements include an encore screening of the Benedict Cumberbatch-starring Hamlet from the National Theatre on July 8. And for fans of the classics, Copper Fire Grill will screen the 1932 film A Farewell to Arms at 7 p.m. July 3; reservations are requested.
5. Song of the Eagle
The Kwahadi Dancers will give a special 75th anniversary performance at 7 p.m. July 6 at the Kwahadi Kiva Museum, 9151 E. Interstate 40, following a day full of celebratory activities. Also on stage: long-running outdoor musical Texas at 8:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays through Aug. 17 (with special extended fireworks finales from July 3 to 6), plus the Yellow City Musicals / Amarillo College Conservatory production of the musical Matilda from July 12 to 14 in Ordway Auditorium on the Amarillo College Washington Street campus.
6. Mind Plays
The Amarillo rock band is moving to Florida, but not before a couple of final Bomb City shows: 9 p.m. July 5 at Rounders Club, 2801 Virginia Circle; and 9 p.m. July 6 at Smokey Joe's, 2903 S.W. Sixth Ave. Other concerts of note: Lubbock duo Black Cat Bone at 8 p.m. July 6 at Metropolitan — A Speakeasy, 9181 Town Square Blvd., Suite 1201; Amarillo country act Jack Cryver Band at 9 p.m. July 6 at Western Horseman, 2501 E. Interstate 40; Amarillo rock band Loaded Six at 7 p.m. July 6 at The Handle Bar and Grill, 3514 S.W. Sixth Ave.; touring rock act The Kris Lager Band at 10 p.m. July 8 at Hoots Pub, 2424 Hobbs Road; classic country star John Conlee at 7 p.m. July 9 at Amarillo VFW Post 1475, 1401 S.W. Eighth Ave.; Austin folk-rock band The Tennessee Stiffs at 10 p.m. July 11 at Leftwoods, 2511 S.W. Sixth Ave.; 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 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 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; and Canyon country band The Ragtown Chiefs at 10 p.m. July 13 at Golden Light Cantina, 2908 S.W. Sixth Ave.
7. Sounds of Summer
The outdoor concert season continues following a July 4 break. The Amarillo College June Jazz season wraps up with Bowers City Jazz Band at 7:30 p.m. July 9 on the AC Washington Street campus. The Starlight Theatre series will continue at 7 p.m. July 9 with Amarillo party band The Tweeks 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 folk-rock band The DustJackets and a sack lunch from Chick-Fil-A at noon July 10 on the lawn of the Potter County Courthouse, 501 S. Fillmore St. Amarillo Botanical Gardens' annual Music in the Gardens series will continue at 8 p.m. July 11 with Amarillo rock band The Solano Project at the gardens, 1400 Streit Drive.
8. Revelry: A Night of Desire
Amarillo burlesque troupe Broken Belts Collective will combine aerial tricks, showgirls, drag queens and more in this 10 p.m. July 12 show at Off the Hook, 626 S. Polk St., Suite 200.
9. Amarillo Margarita Festival
Risk brain-freeze at this annual fest 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. Or check out the West Texas Burger Brawl, featuring a cooking competition, live music and vendors at 5 p.m. July 13 at Sam Houston Park, Line Avenue and Western Street, benefitting Amarillo Housing First.
10. Suds n Sounds
The annual party (and adjacent Nazareth German Festival) will feature a sausage dinner and music from Mike Ryan, The Cody Sparks Band, Next to Kin, Dan Patterson and Mitchell Ford & The Volunteers. The fun will run all day July 13 in Nazareth. Other regional festivals will include the Caprock Roundup and Old Settlers' Reunion from July 11 to 13 in Claude; and Chillin' on the Bricks, an ice cream festival at 5 p.m. July 12 in downtown Pampa.
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.
