January 2020 Northwest Arkansas Calendar of Events
Can you believe it’s already January 2020? We’re in a bit of New Year’s shock. The good news is there’s plenty of cool stuff going on this month, including puppets at the Crystal Bridges museum, ukelele lessons at the Fayetteville Library and fort-building at the Jones Center. Mark your calendars, mamas!
Winter Break Wonders
Make memories at the museum over your school break as you create with artists, make buttons in the gallery, and listen to fun music together as a family. Join us for special activities each afternoon, including artmaking, creative play, puppets, dance, and more. Free, no registration required.
Time: 1-4 p.m.
Date: January 1-3
Location: Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art 600 Museum Way, Bentonville
Click here for more info about Winter Break Wonders.
Mountainburg First Day Hike activities
Join the park interpreters as we host First Day Hike activities. You’ll be joining thousands of people nation wide as we kick off the new year with any of several guided hikes throughout the day.
Start the year right by joining a park interpreter for a moderate 1.25 mile trek on the Ozark Highlands Trail to see our seasonal waterfall. Bring water and a snack, dress in layers, and wear sturdy shoes.
Or bring the first day of the new year to an end with a First Night Hike. Hike through the wilderness as the light begins to fade into the first night of 2020. This moderately easy hike covers 1.25 miles. Be sure to dress warmly, bring a flashlight, and drinking water.
Time: waterfall hike at 10 a.m.; night hike at 5 p.m.
Date: January 1
Location: Lake Fort Smith State Park 15458 Shepard Springs Road, Mountainburg
West Fork First Day Hike
Join park volunteers and interpreters as they guide you to learn the history and geology of Devils Den park, conduct nature hunts and stretch your legs.
Date: January 1
Time: 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. for history/geology hike; Noon for the dog-friendly lake trail hike; 2 p.m. for the Back to the Future CCC hike
Location: Devils Den 11333 West Arkansas Hwy. 74, West Fork
Prairie Grove First Day Hike
Begin 2020 right by traveling back in time along the Battlefield Trail. Join a park interpreter for this guided hike along the 1-mile paved trail.
Date: January 1
Location: Prairie Grove Battlefield State Park 506 East Douglas Street, Prairie Grove
Click here for info on the Prairie Grove First Day Hike.
Rogers First Day Hike
Hobbs State Park offers a variety of first day hikes, including a half mile along the Sinking Stream Trail; a half mile stroll through the Historic Van Winkle Hollow while learning about the Van Winkle Mill; and a 1.5-mile moderately difficult loop through the hills of Shaddox Hollow. Wear sturdy shoes and bring water.
Time: 10:30 a.m. for Sinking Stream hike, 11:30 a.m. for Van Winkle Trail hike; 2 p.m. for Shaddox Hollow Trail hike
Date: January 1
Location: Hobbs State Park Conservation Area 20201 East Hwy. 12, Rogers
Mini Camps: Under the Sea
One fish, two fish, red fish…glow fish? During this camp, we’ll explore bioluminescence or glowing in the ocean. Using circuits and LEDs, we’ll design and create a glowing ecosystem that shines as bright as our imaginations. Pre-registration and payment are required. Ages: 6-8. Cost is $60 for Amazeum members and $70 for non members.
Ages: 6 to 8
Time: 9 a.m.-3 p.m.
Date: January 6
Location: University of Arkansas, Center for Mathematics and Science Education Suite 202, West Avenue Annex, 346 N West Ave, Fayetteville
Registration and payment required.
Click here for more info on the Under the Sea camp.
Glow FISH camp
Design and create your own glowing animal from the deep below. Learn hand-sewing techniques, digital embroidery, and circuit design to create a light-up LED creature, fit for the deep, deep blue. Pre-registration and payment are required. For ages 9-11. Cost is $60 for Amazeum members and $70 for non members.
Ages: 9 to 11
Time: 9 a.m.-3 p.m.
Date: January 6
Location: University of Arkansas, Center for Mathematics and Science Education Suite 202, West Avenue Annex, 346 N West Ave, Fayetteville
Click here for more info on the Glow Fish mini-camps.
Art on the Bricks Art Walk
Downtown Rogers Art on the Bricks Art Walk is designed to showcase the art of regional artists while enhancing artistic and cultural opportunities.
Time: 4:30 – 7:30 p.m.
Date: January 9, 2020
Location: downtown Rogers
Click here for more info on the Art on the Bricks Walk.
Super Saturday: Chinese New Year
Help the Fayetteville Public Library celebrate the year of the rat. We will be celebrating the lunar new year with lion dancers, Chinese dances performed by CANWA, crafts, snacks, and more.
This event is free and geared towards families.
Time: 10:30 a.m.
Date: January 11
Location: Fayetteville Public Library 401 W Mountain St, Fayetteville
Click here for info on Super Saturday’s Chinese New Year.
Reptile Rap
Join Park Interpreter Chris for this fun and lively program, perfect for families with young children, as we learn about the reptiles of Hobbs State Park. Be ready for an up-close encounter with a live turtle, lizard and a snake, and we’ll wrap up with the reptile rap.
Time: 3 p.m.
Date: January 11
Location: Hobbs State Park Conservation Area 20201 East Hwy 12 Rogers
Click here for info on Reptile Rap.
Piff the Magic Dragon
Piff is joined by his trusty sidekick Mr. Piffles, The World’s Only Magic Performing Chihuahua™. The dynamic duo performs nightly to sold out rooms the world-famous Flamingo Casino in Las Vegas in the newly renamed Piff the Magic Dragon Theatre. Tickets are $35.
Time: 7 p.m.
Date: January 12
Location: Walton Arts Center 495 W Dickson St, Fayetteville
Click here for info on Piff the Magic Dragon.
What Does the Fox Say?
Did you know that the red fox can make a variety of different sounds? Join Park Interpreter Kiara for a sweet story and an opportunity to learn more fascinating facts on the foxes that call our park home. Children of all ages are welcome, but the story is best suited for children 5 years and older.
Time: 3:30 p.m.
Date: January 18
Location: Hobbs State Park Conservation Area 20201 East Hwy. 12 Rogers
Click here for info on “What Does the Fox Say?”
Super Saturday: Readings With the Walton Arts Center
Join the Walton Arts Center as they read stories from Frog and Toad and Daniel Tiger in conjunction with performances they will have in January and February of 2020.
Time: 10:30 a.m.
Date: January 18
Location: Fayetteville Public Library
Click here for info on the readings from Frog and Toad ad Daniel Tiger.
Parent and Child Ukelele
Join us for an introduction to the ukulele for a child and their parent or caregiver. This introductory class will give kids and parents the confidence to learn this fun and accessible instrument.
Attendees to this 4-week class will be able to check out a library ukulele for use in the class and to practice at home. Attendees must be able to attend all 4 weeks and children must be accompanied by a parent or caregiver. Students should be first grade or up. Class dates are the following Sundays at 3 pm: January 19, January 26, February 2, and February 9.
Registration is required and will open December 29, 2019.
Time: 3 p.m.
Date: January 19
Location: Fayetteville Public Library
Click here for info on the introduction to the ukelele.
The Lorax
Listen in as Park Interpreter Steve reads the tale of The Lorax. Do you know what the Lorax was? He wasn’t just that “orange-colored dude.” Do you know who the most important character in the story was? It’s not the Lorax.
Time: 1 p.m.
Date: January 19
Location: Hobbs State Park Conservation Area
Fort-ress of Amaze-itude
Fort like never before. In addition to the tricks up our sleeves, we’ll use engineering, real tools, and a bit of imagination to take fort building to the next level. Ages: 6-8. Pre-registration and payment are required. Cost is $60 Amazeum members or $70 non members.
Time: 9 a.m.-3 p.m.
Date: January 20
Location: Jones Center, 922 E Emma Ave, Springdale
Click here for info on the Fort-ress of Amaze-itude.
Chopped: Fort Edition
Blanket forts are great, but what if there are no blankets? This camp puts your creativity and inventiveness to the test. Just like a chopped challenge, not only will you have unconventional materials to work with, you also have to overcome twists and turns we throw at you along the way. Can you overcome all the obstacles to create an amazing fort? Ages: 9-11. Pre-registration and payment are required. Cost is $60 Amazeum members or $70 non members.
Time: 9 a.m.-3 p.m.
Date: January 20
Location: Jones Center, 922 E Emma Ave, Springdale
Click here for info on Chopped: Fort Edition.
Paint the Town Red
Join the American Heart Association and come dressed from your favorite decade of music for this Party with a Purpose to raise money and awareness for heart disease and stroke. Paint the Town Red promises to be an evening of fun and passion, bringing the Northwest Arkansas community together to be a relentless force for a world of longer, healthier lives. The 2020 event, tagged Music Through the Decades, includes a silent auction, entertainment by DJ Derrick, custom cocktails from eight sponsored lounges and samplings from more than a dozen area restaurants.
Time: 7 p.m.
Date: January 24
Location: Fayetteville Town Center 15 W. Mountain St. Fayetteville
Click here for ticket info on Paint the Town Red.
Trike Theatre’s A Year with Frog and Toad
Arnold Lobel’s treasured characters hop from page to stage in this special production which follows two great friends – the cheerful, popular Frog and the rather grumpy Toad – and many of their colorful companions through four fun-filled seasons. Tickets are $14.
*The show on Jan. 25 at 2pm is a relaxed performance. Select performances in our season have been adapted to incorporate special modifications to serve adults and children with sensory-input disorders, autism or other developmental or cognitive disability, as well as anyone who might feel uncomfortable attending a typical live theater performance.
Time: 2 and 4 p.m.
Date: January 25
Location: Studio Theatre at Nadine Baum
Click here for ticket info for “A Year with Frog and Toad.”
Super Saturday: Teddy Bear Story Time
Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear, please join us – for stories and songs about everyone’s favorite stuffed friend. Be sure to bring your own Teddy Bear!
Date: January 25
Time: 10:30 a.m.
Location: Fayetteville Public Library
Click here for info on Super Saturday: Teddy Bear Story Time
Parent and Child Yoga
Pre-school and homeschool kids (ages 4-8) are invited to try yoga with a parent or caregiver. Yoga mats will be provided or you’re invited to bring your own. Local yoga teacher Alexzandrea Hollinshed-Clemons will introduce yoga in a fun format for young learners. Both parent and child should dress ready for movement and stretching. Registration is required and opens January 10.
Time: 9:30 a.m.
Date: January 31
Location: Fayetteville Public Library
