By Chip Chandler — Producer
Here's a quick take on your 10 best entertainment bets in the next 10 days.
1. Halloween activities
The scares have arrived! Celebrate the season in a variety of ways:
- Haunted houses: Amarillo Scaregrounds, 2736 S.W. 10th Ave.; Butcher's Hollow, 2503 S.W. 45th Ave.; 6th Street Massacre, 3015 S.W. Sixth Ave.; and Van Buren Frightmare, 816 S. Van Buren St.
- Family fun: Maxwell's Pumpkin Farm, open weekends through Oct. 27; Monster Bash at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 25 and 26 at Don Harrington Discovery Center, 1200 Streit Drive; a Monster Mash-themed Final Friday Art Bazaar at 5:30 p.m. Nov. 1 at Gallery on 7th, 513 S.W. Seventh Ave. (rescheduled due to weather); a trunk-or-treat on 10th Avenue from 3 to 5 p.m. Oct. 26; a Fall Carnival from 3 to 6 p.m. Oct. 26 at Hooters, 8101 W. Interstate 40; the Demon Delight Night Halloween carnival at 5 p.m. Oct. 26 at Tascosa Drive-In, 1999 Dumas Drive; and Boo at the Zoo from 5:30 to 9 p.m. Oct. 26 at Amarillo Zoo, 700 Comanchero Trail.
- Adult fun: Zombiez Halloween Costume Contest at 8:30 p.m. Oct. 25 at Zombiez Bar & Grill, 711 S.W. 10th Ave.; Grilled Cheese & Costume Contest at 5 p.m. Oct. 26 at Long Wooden Spoon Brewing, 4098 Business Park Drive; Equality Texas Halloween Party at 8 p.m. Oct. 26 at Reed Beverage, 3701 S.E. 25th Ave.; the Rosas Halloween Party benefitting Amarillo Housing First at 8 p.m. Oct. 26 at American Legion Hanson Post 54, 617 S.W. Seventh Ave.; a Halloween party with rock bands A Special Case and Dedlocked at 9 p.m. Oct. 26 at Skooterz, 4100 Bushland Blvd.; and Freaks and Geeks Burlesk at 10 p.m. Oct. 26 at RR Bar, 701 S. Georgia St.
2. Sweeney Todd
The thrills are razor-sharp in Amarillo Little Theatre's revival of Stephen Sondheim's pitch-black musical about a murder-happy London barber. It'll be staged Oct. 24 to Nov. 3 on the ALT Mainstage, 2019 Civic Circle.
3. Dracula
Lone Star Ballet resuscitates brings the king of vampires in a new staging of its original ballet at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 25 and 26 in the Globe-News Center for the Performing Arts, 500 S. Buchanan St.
4. 6th Street Creepy Crawl
All of the above Halloween activites (see Item No. 1) are prelude to the actual holiday on Oct. 31, featuring this annual takeover of Historic Route 66 along Sixth Avenue. Check here for a full list of family and adult activities, all kicking off at 4 p.m.
5. Terminator: Dark Fate
He's back. More importantly, she's back. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Linda Hamilton return in this latest, history-rewriting installment of the sci-fi franchise, opening Nov. 1 (previewing Oct. 31). Opening the weekend of Oct. 25: cop drama Black and Blue, horror film Countdown, historical drama The Current War, action film The Great Alaskan Race, Bollywood comedy Housefull 4, Kanye West's Jesus Is King, an extended cut of Once Upon a Time in Hollywood and Bruce Springsteen's Western Stars. Also opening the weekend of Nov. 1: animated comedy Arctic Dogs, historical biopic Harriet and drama Motherless Brooklyn. Special engagements will include faith-based drama The Reliant on Oct. 24; anime film One Punch: Stampede from Oct. 24 to 31; a Met: Live in HD performances of Massenet's Manon on Oct. 26 and 30; the Studio Ghibli Fest screening of Spirited Away on Oct. 27, 28 and 30; concert film BTS World Tour: Love Yourself, Speak Yourself on Oct. 27; Catholic documentary Faustina: Love and Mercy on Oct. 28; Cirque du Soliel: Luzia on Oct. 29; and YouTube star DanDTM's The Contest on Nov. 2. Other movie events include West Texas A&M University Symphony's live accompaniment to Charlie Chaplin's City Lights at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 24 in Mary Moody Northen Recital Hall. (Canceled due to weather)
6. Christmas Roundup
As Halloween returns to the crypt for another year, start looking ahead to the Christmas holidays with this annual shopping expo from Nov. 1 to 3 in the Amarillo Civic Center Complex North and South Exhibit Halls, 401 S. Buchanan St. Proceeds benefit Amarillo Museum of Art's education programs. Other upcoming fundraisers include the Beans & Cornbread luncheon to benefit the homeless population at 11:30 a.m. Oct. 28 in the Amarillo Civic Center Complex Heritage Ballroom, 401 S. Buchanan St.; the Books to Broadway concert benefitting Amarillo Public Library at 6 p.m. Oct. 29 in the Civic Center Complex Heritage Ballroom; and a Murder Mystery Dinner at 7 p.m. Nov. 1 in the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum Derrick Room, 2503 Fourth Ave. in Canyon.
7. Day of the Dead
Enjoy music, art and food at this Dia de Los Muertos celebration at 6 p.m. Nov. 2 at Bar Z Winery, 19290 Farm-to-Market Road 1541.
8. Bandstand
Soldiers returning home from World War II find salvation in forming their own swing band in this energetic, touching musical that kicks off Broadway Spotlight Series' 2019-20 season. The musical will be staged at 7:30 Nov. 2 and 3 in the Amarillo Civic Center Complex Auditorium, 401 S. Buchanan St.
9. Chamber Music Amarillo
The West Texas A&M University Faculty Brass Quintet will be featured at CMA's latest, set for 7:30 p.m. Nov. 2 in the Fibonacci Space, 3306 S.W. Sixth Ave.
10. Reckless Kelly
The Americana favorites will perform at 10 p.m. Oct. 26 at Hoots Pub, 2424 Hobbs Road. Other concerts of note:
- folk-blues singer Ryan Paul Davis at 6 p.m. Oct. 25 at La Bella's on Olsen, 3801 Olsen Blvd. (rescheduled due to weather);
- Amarillo folk singer-songwriter Mike Fuller at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 24, Amarillo combo Polk Street Jazz at 10 p.m. Oct. 25, harpist Jenny Miller at 7 p.m. Oct. 26, house combo Esquire Jazz at 9 p.m. Oct. 26, jazz orchestra The Funky Knuckles at 9 p.m. Nov. 1 and singer Lorena Leigh at 9 p.m. Nov. 2 at Esquire Jazz Club, 626 S. Polk St.;
- Texas country singer Jon Wolfe at 10 p.m. Oct. 24 at Hoots Pub, 2424 Hobbs Road.
- DJs Rupert the Duke, Four Flush and more at 10 p.m. Oct. 25 and Canyon country band The Ragtown Chiefs at 10 p.m. Oct. 26 at Golden Light Cantina, 2908 S.W. Sixth Ave.;
- punk band Frank & Deans with Amarillo punk band The Bastard Sons of David Hasselhoff at 10 p.m. Oct. 25 and the Big Bad Halloween Bash featuring hip-hop, metal and rock bands Cidal, OddFellas, 806ick and more at 7 p.m. Oct. 26 at Leftwoods, 2511 S.W. Sixth Ave.;
- Amarillo rock band Broken Echo at 10 p.m. Oct. 25 at Whiskey River, 4001 S.W. 51st Ave.;
- Amarillo folk singer-songwriter Tennessee Tuckness at 7 p.m. Oct. 29 at Fire Slice Pizzeria, 7306 S.W. 34th Ave.;
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.
