May 2021: Northwest Arkansas Calendar of Events
Spotlight event: As you know, ALL of the content on nwaMotherlode.com is free and has been for nearly 13 years now. Sponsorship and advertising from local sponsors makes it possible for us to provide all the content for free to local moms and their families. This month’s calendar is sponsored by YumYo’s Frozen Treats, which will be offering a “Thirsty Thursday” deal every Thursday during May, when you can get any frozen drink for $5. To check out the whole Yum Yo’s menu, click here.
Other events happening in May:
Still on the Hill: Words on Birds
Still on the Hill helps us celebrate and appreciate our feathered friends with a sneak preview of their latest offering, Words on Birds. Originally planned to be unveiled just as the pandemic hit, the show has been shelved for a year and the artists are excited to bring it out into the light. This brand-new show is a collection of Still on the Hill’s original songs about birds and features a host of unusual instruments, and a series of large hand-made, collaged images.
Time: 7 p.m.
Date: May 1
Location: Walker Atrium at Walton Arts Center 495 W Dickson St, Fayetteville
Click here for more info about this event.
BikeNWA Challenge
BikeNWA is inviting everyone to get out and ride to celebrate May is National Bike Month. This challenge is for all ages, abilities, and styles of riding- families and folks age 13 and up.
Enjoy weekly and overall challenges. Weekly Challenges are: Week 1: Ride 5 miles this week. Week 2: Ride 5 times this week. Week 3: Ride every day this week. Week 4: Carbon Offset Ride. BONUS: Weekly New Rider drawing.
Overall Challenges include Top Family and Top Youth (13-14 and 15-18) among many others. Join in for some friendly competition, a chance to win cool prizes, and rank leaderboards. Register at lovetoride.net/nw-arkansas.
Time: 9 a.m.
Date: begins Saturday May 1
Location: online
Click here for more info about this event.
Hudson Strong Day
This day of family outdoor activities is a community fundraiser for Hudson, who was recently diagnosed with an aggressive form of brain cancer. The goal is to raise enough money to support his family over the next few months so they can focus on the important things like getting Hudson the treatment he needs.
Pay a $5 entry fee, and then enjoy door prizes, food trucks, jump houses, silent auctions and more. Bring a blanket or lawn chairs to sit on for a picnic-style event.
T-shirts and bracelets will be available for purchase. Organizers would like to have a sea of blue for Hudson, so wear blue if you have it. If you plan on attending please RSVP.
Time: 11 a.m.-5 p.m.
Date: May 1
Location: Ward Nail Park 801 McClure Ave. Lowell
Click here for more info about this event.
Shaw Family Park Grand Opening
The grand opening of Shaw Family Park will take place Saturday May 1 at 9:30 a.m. The ribbon cutting ceremony will also take place for Fire Station 9. Everyone is welcome to attend and celebrate. Food truck and shaved ice available from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Time: 9:30 a.m.-1 p.m.
Date: May 1
Location: Shaw Family Park, corner of Ball Rd. and Downum Rd. Springdale
Click here for more info about this event.
Discover the Grounds: Native Grasses and Prairie Restoration
This conversation about local efforts to preserve our environment through prairie restoration will be led by Joe Woolbright, director of Ozark Ecological Restoration Inc. It will explore the many native species adapted to the prairies and the importance of this habitat and food for native insects, including pollinators, and wildlife. Free, register online or with Guest Services at 479.657.2335.
Time: 10:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m.
Date: May 1
Location: Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art 600 Museum Way Bentonville
Click here for more info about this event.
Rogers Farmers Market
The Downtown Rogers Farmers Market is reopening Saturday, May 1 after a long hiatus.
Time: 7 a.m.-1 p.m.
Date: May 1
Location: 100 N. Dixieland Rd. Rogers
Click here for more info about this event.
Opening Day of 2021 Springdale Market
Come see what’s new for 2021 at the Springdale Farmers Market at the Jones Center for Families.
Time: 7 a.m.-1 p.m.
Date: May 1
Location: The Jones Center 922 E. Emma Springdale
Click here for more info about this event.
Mercy Golf Classic
Swing into golf season with Mercy Golf Classic on Monday, May 3, at Pinnacle Country Club in Rogers. Sign up by emailing nwa_mercy_foundation@mercy.net or call (479) 338-2990.
Time: two flights: 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. or voucher option to play prior to April 30, 2022
Date: May 3
Location: Pinnacle Country Club 3 S Clubhouse Dr, Rogers
Click here for more info about this event.
Thirsty Thursday at Yum Yo’s
Get any frozen drink for $5.
Date: May 6 (all day)
Locations: Northwest Arkansas Mall in Fayetteville; Pinnacle Promenade Mall in Rogers
Mother’s Day Shopping Extravaganza 2021
If you’re looking for a locally-made or homemade Mother’s Day Gift, check out this event coming to NWA Mall in Fayetteville from May 6 to 9. Find gifts from pop-up shops and more. Vendor Info: Facebook @gtnpromo, or call (479)774-8159.
Time: 11 a.m. May 6 to 6 p.m. May 9
Date: May 6-9
Location: Northwest Arkansas Mall Fayetteville
Click here for more info about this event.
Bentonville Mayor’s Prayer Breakfast
Join this annual event online, held in conjunction with the National Day of Prayer on May 6 at 7 a.m. Come together and pray for our community, state, and country from our neighbors’ next door to our neighbors across the country.
Emma Mae Jenkins and her father, Jason Jenkins, are this year’s featured speakers. If you would like to host a watch party at your home, church, or business, you can join via Facebook live or register for a zoom link at https://us02web.zoom.us/…/reg…/WN_2szPq10oQO-9rEtgLCWbWQ.
A community prayer walk will also take place on May 6 from 4-6 p.m. Eight prayer points have been selected throughout Downtown Bentonville. Those interested in participating should gather at Lawrence Plaza, 214 NE A St., Bentonville, at 4 p.m. for prayer and worship.
Time: 7-8 a.m.
Date: May 6
Location: Lawrence Plaza and online
Click here for more info about this event.
Mother’s Day Market
Join Bentonville Brewing Co for an inaugural Mother’s Day Market, featuring Sips and Sweets NWA, Darling Blooms NWA and Common Dwellings. These will feature some special gifts for moms, such as beer, flowers, desserts, home goods and more.
Time: 3-7:30 p.m. Friday (or until sold out); 10:30 a.m.-3 p.m. (or until sold out)
Date: May 7 and 8
Location: Bentonville Brewing Co. 901 SW 14th St. Bentonville
Click here for more info about this event.
First Friday Bentonville
First Friday returns to Downtown Bentonville on May 7 from 3-9 p.m. with a scaled-down footprint. Join in for live music from Route 358, delicious food from local vendors, family-friendly activities and more.
Time: 3-9 p.m.
Date: May 7
Location: Downtown Bentonville
Click here for more info about this event.
The Little Craft Show
Join crafters in Downtown Springdale on May 8 for an outdoor celebration filled with local and regional makers, live music, food, drinks, and art plus:
* Site-specific installation by Cory Pery
*Music from Kalyn Fay and Mariachi Joya Azteca
*Mocktail bar from Pink House Alchemy
*Gift boxes for the first 50 people to spend $150 or more
We will be following CDC guidelines for outdoor events. Masks will be required for all vendors and shoppers. Hand sanitizer stations will be available throughout the venue. Capacity will be monitored at each entrance and social distancing will be enforced by our team of volunteers.
Time: 10 a.m.-6 p.m.
Date: May 8
Location: Shiloh Square 106 W. Emma Springdale
Click here for more info about this event.
Trail of Tears Mural Unveiling
Artist Johnnie Diacon has been working on a three-panel mural installation for the Museum of Native American History that depicts the Trail of Tears. The mural will create a new stop on the National Trail of Tears Association map of destinations at the Museum of Native American Heritage (MONAH) in Bentonville. The work will be installed on the south exterior wall of the museum at 3 p.m. on May 8. Follow the unveiling via livestream on Facebook.
Time: 3 p.m.
Date: May 8
Location: Facebook live
Click here for more info about this event.
Family Workshop: Fantastic Ferns
Go for a walk around our grounds with a nature expert and explore the ferns. Get inspired by their stunning shapes to make sun prints and gelli prints with your family. Spaces are limited. Cost is $10 per family ($8 for members). Register online or with Guest Services at 479.657.2335. One ticket per family, children must be with an adult caregiver. Best suited for ages 5-12.
Time: 10:30 a.m.-Noon
Date: May 8
Location: Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art 600 Museum Way Bentonville
Click here for more info about this event.
Little Tinkers
Little Tinkers family workshops in the 3M Tinkering Hub invite adults and children to be innovative thinkers and problem-solvers as they work together creating, building, and trying new things. Creativity flows as you and your early learner explore tools and tinker with materials. A new theme is explored on the second Saturday each month.
Family workshop for children 3-6 years old and one adult caregiver. We recommend no more than 3 children per adult. Adults, age 18 or older, must accompany their child during the workshop.
Pre-registration and payment are required. Amazeum members: $5 per child, $5 per adult caregiver. Non-members: $7 per child, $7 per adult caregiver.
Time: 9-10:30 a.m.
Date: May 8
Location: Scott Family Amazeum
Click here for more info about this event.
Naturals Opening Night
The 2021 home campaign begins at Arvest Ballpark on Tuesday, May 11 with Opening Night presented by Arkansas Children’s Hospital featuring Johnsonville Buck-A-Brats as the Naturals take on the Tulsa Drillers (Double-A Dodgers) at 7:05 p.m. Reserve tickets to Opening Night or any game this summer via the link below.
Time: 7:05 p.m.
Date: May 11
Location: Arvest Ballpark 3000 Gene George Blvd, Springdale
Click here for more info about this event.
Thirsty Thursday at Yum Yo’s
Get any frozen drink for $5.
Date: May 13 (all day)
Locations: Northwest Arkansas Mall in Fayetteville; Pinnacle Promenade Mall in Rogers
Junior League Touch a Truck
This year’s Touch-a-Truck will feature crowd favorites– dozens of vehicles that kids and kids-at-heart can explore. You can expect to see construction equipment, safety and transportation vehicles, motorcycles, tractors and much more. Special appearances and activities include mascots, costumed characters, fingernail painters, face painters and building projects, just to name a few.
The hour of 9-10 a.m. will be a quiet hour for children with sensory needs. Following that, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. will be general admission.
Tickets are just $5 each or $20 per family (max 5 guests per family ticket). Children under 2 are free. Guests may purchase their tickets on the JLNWA website, or at the event gate, which accepts cash or card.
Time: 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
Date: May 15
Location: Pinnacle Hills Promenade 2203 Promenade Blvd. Rogers
Click here for more info about this event.
Lewis and Clark Adventure Dash
This is a trail run and fun run with a twist on the Lake Fayetteville soft-surface trail. Gift coupons and prizes will be hidden in and around the Lake Fayetteville trail and park system. You don’t have to be fast to win lots of great prizes or gift coupons from Lewis & Clark Outfitters and their merchandise suppliers. This event will have something for everyone, including two distances: a 7 mile loop mostly on the soft-surface trail of Lake Fayetteville and a 2 mile fun run on the north shore.
Time: Registration will open soon with more details
Date: May 15
Location: 4915 S Thompson Springdale
Click here for more info about this event.
FernGully: The Last Rainforest
This showing is a part of the Artosphere film series and will take place in Baum Walker Hall. Tickets are free with registration.
About the movie: Set in an Australian rainforest, FernGully tells the story of Crysta, a fairy who has never seen a human before. In fact, she is told they are extinct. That is, until a logging company comes near the rainforest. When she accidentally shrinks a young logger named Zak to the size of a fairy, Zak sees the true consequences of human destruction. Together they rally the fairies and animals of the forest to protect their home from not only the loggers, but also an evil entity named Hexxus who has been freed from captivity.
Time: 2 p.m.
Date: May 15
Location: Baum Walker Hall at Walton Arts Center
Click here for more info about this event.
The Boy and the World
This showing is a part of the Artosphere film series and will take place in Baum Walker Hall. Tickets are free with registration.
About the film: Brazilian artist Alê Abreu’s Academy Award-nominated nonverbal masterpiece is a riotous explosion of music and color, a breathtakingly original and vibrant cinematic experience that depicts the wonders and struggles of the modern world as seen through the eyes of a young boy. The story depicts a clash between village and city, hand crafted and mechanized, rich and poor – and throughout the tumult, the heart and soul of the people beats on as a song. The Boy and the World spreads a heartfelt warning about the impenetrable march of globalization, its impact on rural communities and cultural traditions, and the need to protect an endangered way of life.
Time: 7 p.m.
Date: May 15
Location: Baum Walker Hall at Walton Arts Center
Click here for more info about this event.
Fairy Tales in the Forest
Looking for something to do this summer? Bring the whole family to Crystal Bridges for a free day full of fun for all ages. Join us in the North Forest to see stories come to life, meet magical characters, and make fairy homes. Free, no registration required.
For the health and safety of our staff and guests, masks are required for all ages and social distancing will be observed during this event along with other safety measures.
Time: 1-3 p.m.
Date: May 16
Location: Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art 600 Museum Way Bentonville
Click here for more info about this event.
Mia and the Migoo
This showing is a part of the Artosphere film series and will take place in Baum Walker Hall. Tickets are free with registration.
About the film: Created from an astounding 500,000 hand-painted frames by renowned French animator Jacques-Rémy Girerd, Mia and the Migoo is a work of art, breathtaking to behold, with backgrounds that invoke Van Gogh, Monet and Cezanne. The film is a fable-like journey of a young girl who must overcome her fears on a quest to find her father, who has been trapped in a landslide at a construction site on a remote tropical lake. In the middle of the lake stands the ancient Tree of Life, watched over by innocent, bumbling forest spirits called the Migoo. The Migoo have been disrupting the construction to protect this sacred site – and now, together with Mia, they join in a fight to find Mia’s father and save the Tree, with the future of life on Earth hanging in the balance.
Time: 2 p.m.
Date: May 16
Location: Baum Walker Hall at Walton Arts Center
Click here for more info about this event.
Welcome to the Space Show
This showing is a part of the Artosphere film series and will take place in Baum Walker Hall. Tickets are free with registration.
Koji Masunari’s colorfully explosive film sets a new bar for visual spectacle and inventive character design, with some of cinema’s most gleefully surreal depictions of alien life. It seems like another lazy summer is in store for Amane and her cousin Natsuki, until one day they stumble across an injured dog. They soon discover that Pochi is no dog at all: he’s an alien botanist sent to Earth to track down a rare and powerful plant. Before long, Pochi whisks the kids to a space colony on the dark side of the moon, and from there the plot twists come as fast and furious as the film’s glorious barrage of color, resulting in a movie that is infinitely rewatchable.
Time: 7 p.m.
Date: May 16
Location: Baum Walker Hall at Walton Arts Center
Click here for more info about this event.
Fireworks Fridays
The first Fireworks Friday, which is presented by Farm Rich, highlights the first homestand of the year. The Naturals will host seven Fireworks nights and they are on: Friday, May 16; Sunday, May 30; Friday, June 4; Friday, July 16; Friday, August 13; Sunday, September 5; and Friday, September 17.
Time:
Date: May 16 and 30
Location: Arvest Ballpark 3000 Gene George Blvd, Springdale
Click here for more info about this event.
The Benefits of Girl Power
New research shows that women in particular benefit from collaboration and having a network of well-connected peers in the workplace. This session will focus on women empowering other women to grow, develop and advance their careers.
Learn tools to overcome negative stereotypes and unconscious bias of women not supporting each other; how to build networks of supportive women and personally build and improve your professional relationships. Lunch is provided at the event. Tickets are $25. Refunds are not accepted within 48 hours of the event.
Time: 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m.
Date: May 20
Location: Northgate Events Center 5111 W. J.B. Hunt Drive Rogers
Click here for more info about this event.
Thirsty Thursday at Yum Yo’s
Get any frozen drink for $5.
Date: May 20 (all day)
Locations: Northwest Arkansas Mall in Fayetteville; Pinnacle Promenade Mall in Rogers
NWA Home Show
The Original NWA Home Show provides an opportunity to shop, compare and get expert advice on hundreds of quality products and services for your new home, home remodeling and redecorating projects. Purchase tickets online now for contactless entry, $5 for a one day pass.
Time: 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Friday; 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday
Date: May 21-23
Location: 1420 S 48th St. Springdale
Click here for more info about this event.
Emerging Leaders After Hours
Join Emerging Leaders at Bentonville Brewing to have a craft beer in their taproom. Drinks will be on the Northwest Arkansas Emerging Leaders while supplies last. Come alone or come with friends to meet like-minded yopros. Register for your free ticket, show up, and make friends.
Northwest Arkansas Emerging Leaders connects and engages Northwest Arkansas young professionals through personal and professional development experiences.
Time: 5:30-6:30 p.m.
Date: May 25
Location: Bentonville Brewing 901 SW 14th St. Bentonville
Click here for more info about this event.
Thirsty Thursday at Yum Yo’s
Get any frozen drink for $5.
Date: May 27 (all day)
Locations: Northwest Arkansas Mall in Fayetteville; Pinnacle Promenade Mall in Rogers
Assembly (from the producers of NWA Fashion Week)
Join INTERFORM for the EMERGE Designer Runway Show, a kick off to the month-long multi-media experience collectively titled ASSEMBLY. Bringing back the first runway event since 2019, the Emerge Designer Runway show will feature 12 designers from the inaugural season of the Emerge Designer Residency Program. These designers worked with mentors from across the country to hone their skills and develop the collections on display.
INTERFORM is shutting down Emma Street for a day of activations culminating in the runway event, starting at 6pm. Select COVID-19 adjusted seating options will be available for VIP customers to purchase in advance. The rest of the event will be absolutely free and open to the public.
Early in the day NWA Girl Gang will host a Maker Market in Shiloh Square from 11am – 4pm. There will be activations and events throughout the afternoon. More details to come.
Time: 11 a.m.-4 p.m.
Date: May 29
Location: 117 W. Emma Ave. Springdale
Click here for more info about this event.
Fayetteville Public Library Events
The Fayetteville Public Library continues to offer story times, workshops and discussions for a variety of ages almost daily. All activities are currently held online. Click here to see the Fayetteville library’s calendar of events.
Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art Events
The museum offers a variety of workshops, gallery tours, sketchbook clubs and outdoor events throughout the month. Click here to see the museum’s calendar of events for April 2021.
Springdale Public Library Storytimes
Toddler Time at the Springdale Public Library takes place at 11 a.m. on the first and third Wednesdays of the month; Preschool Storytime are at 11 a.m. on the second and fourth Tuesdays; Bilingual Spanish/English Storytime are first and third Thursdays at 4 p.m. These storytimes are accessed through the Springdale Public Library Facebook page.
Library programs are free, and all are virtual. The Library is open to the public by appointment and also offers curbside pickup and printing during operating hours. New operating hours are Monday – Saturday 9 am to 6 pm. For more information, click here to see the Springdale library’s calendar of events.
