By Chip Chandler — Producer
Here's a quick take on your 10 best entertainment bets in the next 10 days.
1. Haunted houses
Get your scares on with Amarillo Scaregrounds, 2736 S.W. 10th Ave.; the new Butcher's Hollow, 2503 S.W. 45th Ave.; Sixth Street Massacre, 3015 S.W. Sixth Ave.; and Van Buren Frightmare, 816 S. Van Buren St. Other autumn-time family fun includes Maxwell's Pumpkin Farm, open weekends through Oct. 27. For adults, check out The Witches' Ball 2019: Summoning of the Spirits at 7:45 p.m. Oct. 12 at the Khiva Shrine, 305 S.E. Fifth Ave.
2. Canyon Chamber Chow-Down
Sample barbecue from some of the region's best cook teams and listen to music from bluesman Cody Jasper at this Canyon Chamber of Commerce party at 5 p.m. Oct. 4 at the First United Bank Center, part of the ongoing West Texas A&M University homecoming festivities. Other foodie parties will include the Amarillo Hispanic Chamber of Commerce's Flavors of Amarillo Mariachi Festival at 5 p.m. Oct. 10 in the Amarillo Civic Center Complex South Exhibit Hall, 401 S. Buchanan St., and Amarillo's Craft Beer and Bacon Fest at 4 p.m. Oct. 12 at Amarillo Netplex, 3723 S.W. 58th Ave.
3. Judy
Renée Zellweger is getting raves and major Oscar buzz for her performance as the iconic Judy Garland in this biopic opening Oct. 4 (previewing Oct. 3). The Hindi action film War will open Oct. 2, and the heavily buzzed-about Joker will open Oct. 4 (also previewing Oct. 3). Scheduled to open the weekend of Oct. 11: animated feature The Addams Family, sci-fi action film Gemini Man and tech-gone-wrong comedy Jexi. Special engagements will include a 25th anniversary celebration of Friends on Oct. 3, 35th-anniversary screenings of the original Ghostbusters on Oct. 6 and 10, and The Met: Live in HD performance of Turandot on Oct. 12 and 16.
4. Die Fledermaus
Amarillo Opera will open its season with this operetta starring Amarillo performer Eric Barry, alongside Weston Hurt, Angela Turner Wilson (pictured) and more. It'll be staged at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 5 in the Globe-News Center for the Performing Arts, 500 S. Buchanan St.
5. Casting Crowns
The hit contemporary Christian band at 7 p.m. Oct. 5 in the Amarillo Civic Center Complex Coliseum, 401 S. Buchanan St. Other concerts of note: Amarillo blues greats Cody Jasper and Johnny Reverb Horton in a Yellow City Sounds Live concert at 7 p.m. Oct. 3 in the Panhandle PBS studios, 2408 S. Jackson St.; rock band Vandoliers with Dallas Owens at 10 p.m. Oct. 3, rockers Amarionette with Theleo at 10 p.m. Oct. 4, Lubbock country band Ox Martin at 10 p.m. Oct. 5, and indie bands Bear Call, Tendersilk and Lake Dads at 10 p.m. Oct. 12 at Golden Light Cantina, 2908 S.W. Sixth Ave.; Amarillo combo Polk Street Jazz at 9 p.m. Oct. 4, Johnny Reverb's Bomb City Blues at 9 p.m. Oct. 5, the Esquire Jazz Huge Band at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 10, Michael Geib & Friends at 9 p.m. Oct. 11 and the Esquire Jazz Band at 9 p.m. Oct. 12 at Esquire Jazz Club, 626 S. Polk St.; Texas country act The Drew Fish Band at 10 p.m. Oct. 4, rock band Giovannie & The Hired Guns at 10 p.m. Oct. 5 and country singer Jason James at 10 p.m. Oct. 12 at Hoots Pub, 2424 Hobbs Road; Pampa rock band OddFellas at 10 p.m. Oct. 4 and Judas Priest tribute band Judas Rising at 10 p.m. Oct. 5 at Skooterz, 4100 Bushland Blvd.; Amarillo rock band Loaded Six at 10 p.m. Oct. 4, Amarillo country band Lee Scheetz & Borderline at 10 p.m. Oct. 5, Amarillo punk band The Bastard Sons of David Hasselhoff at 10 p.m. Oct. 11 and outlaw country band Ryan Chrys & The Rough Cuts at 10 p.m. Oct. 12 at Whiskey River, 4001 S.W. 51st Ave.; Amarillo combo Esquire Jazz for Jazztober at 6 p.m. Oct. 8 at the Amarillo Chamber of Commerce, 1000 S. Polk St. (or Esquire Jazz Club if it rains); Amarillo favorites Yvonne Perea and Insufficient Funds at the Prairie Dog Town Fork of the Red River Festival from 2 to 10 p.m. Oct. 12 at Bar Z Winery, 19290 Farm-to-Market Road 1541; hip-hop acts Mr. P Chill, Cleen and Oscar Goldman at 10 p.m. Oct. 11 and rock band Farewell Winters at 10 p.m. Oct. 12 at Leftwoods, 2511 S.W. Sixth Ave.; and metal bands Alterbeast, Cognitive, Micawber, Warforged, Enfuraeon and Horrid Demise at 8 p.m. Oct. 12 at Zombiez Bar & Grill, 711 S.W. 10th Ave.
6. Daniel Franzese
The Mean Girls actor brings his stand-up act to town for a 7 p.m. Oct. 7 show in Ordway Auditorium on Washington Street campus of Amarillo College.
7. Biennial 600: Textile + Fiber
Amarillo Museum of Art's eighth juried exhibition will focus on artwork crafted from, you guessed it, textiles and fiber, including large-scale installations, works utilizing quilting and embroidery techniques, and more. It'll be celebrated in a 6:30 p.m. Oct. 11 opening reception, and the work will be on view through Dec. 22. Before that, the museum, 2200 S. Van Buren St. will host its popular 12 x 12 art show and fundraiser at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 3.
8. Dino Days
Come meet Buddy the Dinosaur, star of PBS Kids' Dinosaur Train, at this annual family day from 1 to 4 p.m. Oct. 12 at Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum, 2503 Fourth Ave. in Canyon. Kids also can excavate a dig site on the east lawn, make fossils and meet live animals. Museum admission is discounted to $5 for the full day, as well. Buddy also will visit Westgate Mall on Oct. 14, Amarillo Public Library North Branch on Oct. 17, and McDonald's, 400 E. Amarillo Blvd., also on Oct. 17.
9. Dial M for Murder
This classic whodunit will kick off TheatreAC's 2019-20 season with performances from Oct. 10 to 13 in the Amarillo College Experimental Theatre on the Washington Street campus. Plus, WTAMU Theater continues its season with the iconic family drama Our Town, on stage through Oct. 13 in the Branding Iron Theatre.
10. Chamber Music Amarillo
CMA will collaborate with Friends of Aeolian-Skinner, Opus 1024 and Harrington String Quartet for this concert featuring composer Harlan Hodges' newly commissioned work Toward the South Plains, which explores the wide open spaces of the Texas Panhandle through song. The concert is set for 7:30 p.m. Oct. 12 at St. Andrew's Episcopal Church, 1601 S. Georgia St.
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.
