By Chip Chandler — Producer
Here's a quick take on your 10 best entertainment bets in the next 10 days.
1. Legally Blonde: The Musical
Amarillo Little Theatre wraps its successful run of this peppy musical adaptation of the Reese Witherspoon comedy with shows Sept. 26 to 29 on the Mainstage, 2019 Civic Circle.
2. Haunted houses
Get your scares on with opening-night fun at the new Butcher's Hollow, 2503 S.W. 45th Ave., on Sept. 27; Sixth Street Massacre, 3015 S.W. Sixth Ave., on Sept. 28; Amarillo Scaregrounds, 2736 S.W. 10th Ave., on Sept. 28; and Van Buren Frightmare, 816 S. Van Buren St., on Oct. 4.
3. Amarillo Bulls
The hockey team kicks off its 10th season with games against Shreveport Mudbugs at 7:05 p.m. Sept. 27 and 28 in the Amarillo Civic Center Complex Coliseum, 401 S. Buchanan St.
4. Amarillo Community Market
The outdoor market wraps up its fourth season in downtown Amarillo with live music, tons of shopping and more from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sept. 28 around the Amarillo Chamber of Commerce building, 1000 S. Polk St around the Santa Fe Depot, 401 S. Grant St.
5. Wing Wars
Amarillo Montessori Academy's annual fundraiser — to be held at 5 p.m. Sept. 28 at Town Square Village, 9181 Town Square Blvd., — will feature live dueling pianos, the wing cooking competition, beer, a children's area and more. Other upcoming fundraisers will include the LIPS lip-synch competition for Opportunity School on Sept. 26; Una Gran Cena fiesta dinner for Amarillo Wesley Community Center on Sept. 26; the Great Epilepsy Steakout for Epilepsy Foundation Texas on Sept. 28; the 11th annual Calf Fry & BBQ Cook-Off Beach Party on Sept. 28 at the Canadian River Beach Club, 1101 N. Sixth St. in Canadian; and the Hispanic Heritage Luncheon at 11:30 a.m. Oct. 2 at Wesley Community Center, 1615 S. Roberts St.
6. Joker
Raves and some revulsion have met this anticipated look at the vile Batman villain's (Joaquin Phoenix) origin story, set to open Oct. 4 (with previews Oct. 3). Opening the weekend of Sept. 27 are twisty family drama After the Wedding and animated family film Abominable. Special engagements will include a 25th anniversary celebration of Friends on Sept. 23 and 28 and Oct. 3, and a Studio Ghibli Fest 2019 screening of The Secret World of Arrietty on Sept. 29 and 30.
7. 12 x 12
Art — all 12 inches by 12 inches (by 12 inches, if three-dimensional) — will be sold via silent auction on Oct. 3 at this popular art show and fundraiser for Amarillo Museum of Art, 2200 S. Van Buren St. Other art shows of note: the September Final Friday Art Bazaar at 5:30 p.m. Sept. 27 at Gallery on 7th, 513 S.W. Seventh Ave.; and First Thursday Art + Music at 8 p.m. Oct. 3 at The 806 Coffee + Lounge, 2812 S.W. Sixth Ave.
8. Yellow City Sounds Live
Amarillo blues greats Cody Jasper and Johnny Reverb Horton will share the stage for this intimate concert at 7 p.m. Oct. 3 in the Panhandle PBS studios, 2408 S. Jackson St. Other concerts to keep your eye on: a Sunset & Songwriters concert featuring The DustJackets, Danny Freeze & The Earthlings and Mike Fuller at 6 p.m. Sept. 26 at Wildcat Bluff Nature Center, 2301 N. Soncy Road; the Amarillo College Piano Series featuring David Jacob Korevaar at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 26 in the AC Concert Hall; blues rocker Johnny Reverb Holston at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 26 and jazz/swing trio Snaps for Sinners at 9 p.m. Sept. 27 at Esquire Jazz Club, 626 S. Polk St.; Amarillo singer Stephanie Brackett at 7 p.m. Sept. 27 at Bar Z Winery, 19290 Farm-to-Market Road 1541; Americana singer-songwriter John Baumann at 7 p.m. Sept. 27 at Hotel Turkey, 201 Third St. in Turkey; Pampa rock band A Special Case with Amarillo rockers Black & Denton at 10 p.m. Sept. 27, Amarillo rock band Moon Dog at 10 p.m. Sept. 28, 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 party band Go on Fiv5 at 10 p.m. Sept. 27, Nashville singer Ashley Wineland at 9 p.m. Oct. 2 and Amarillo rock band Loaded Six at 10 p.m. Oct. 4 at Whiskey River, 4001 S.W. 51st Ave.; the ninth-annual BisonFest, at 4:30 p.m. Sept. 28 in Quitaque, benefiting Caprock Canyons State Park and featuring headliner Kevin Fowler with Mark Powell, Cooder Graw, The Hamiltons and Ed Montana; a CD release party for Americana singer-songwriter Yvonne Perea at 6:30 p.m. Sept. 28 at Fibonacci Space, 3306 S.W. Sixth Ave.; metal bands HallowPoint, GnarWolf, Trench Rat and Nothing in Vain at 7 p.m. Sept. 28 at Zombiez Bar & Grill, 711 S.W. 10th Ave.; Amarillo rock band Like Red Giants at 10 p.m. Sept. 28, rock band Vandoliers with Dallas Owens at 10 p.m. Oct. 3 and rockers Amarionette with Theleo at 10 p.m. Oct. 4 at Golden Light Cantina, 2908 S.W. Sixth Ave.; Micky & The Motorcars with country-rock band Copper Chief at 10 p.m. Sept. 28 and rock band Giovannie & The Hired Guns at 10 p.m. Oct. 5 at Hoots Pub, 2424 Hobbs Road; and hit contemporary Christian band Casting Crowns at 7 p.m. Oct. 5 in the Amarillo Civic Center Complex Coliseum, 401 S. Buchanan St.
9. Our Town
WTAMU Theater continues its season with this iconic family drama, starring Stephen Crandall as the stage manager. Performances are set for 7:30 p.m. Oct. 3, 4, 10, 11 and 12 and 2:30 p.m. Oct. 6 and 13.
10. Die Fledermaus
Amarillo Opera will open its season with this operetta about Batman. Kidding, it's about a rich man who dressed up as a bat — for a costume ball, not to fight crime. It'll be staged at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 5 in the Globe-News Center for the Performing Arts, 500 S. Buchanan 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.
