Northwest Arkansas Calendar of Events for October 2019
Happy October 2019, mamas! So much to do in Northwest Arkansas this month! We ♥ it.
You’ll find lots of ideas below for things to do and you can also click here to visit our Halloween events guide for Northwest Arkansas families. Or click here to see our Fall Fun Guide for NWA.
Creative Visions: Stop Animation
Join the Museum of Native American History for the next installment of Creative Visions: Stop-Motion Animation with Steven Paul Judd. Kiowa and Choctaw artist Steven Paul Judd has been in the creative field for many years working to provide a unique perspective on and from within Native American culture today. During this drop-in event, learn about stop-motion animation and have the chance to make your own stop-motion animation video! This event will take place during the Native American Cultural Celebration 2019: Tradition through Pop Culture. Free but registration requested at https://www.monah.us/nacc-2019/stop-motion-animation
Time: 11 a.m.- 2 p.m.
Date: October 4
Location: 202 SW O St Bentonville
Join World Champion hoop dancer and traditional healer Jones Benally (Navajo/Diné) at the Native American Cultural Celebration. Benally will explore traditional Navajo health, his work as a traditional healer, and Hozho, the Navajo way of beauty and balance. This event is free but registration is required. https://www.monah.us/nacc-2019/natures-medicine
Time: 2:30 p.m.
Date: October 4
Location: In the Great Room of the Museum of Native American History 202 SW O St Bentonville
Felicia Ruiz will be having an Indigenous Medicine Cabinet at the Native American Cultural Celebration; Tradition through Pop Culture. Natural, homemade salves are a wonderful way to use the healing properties of indigenous herbs for addressing minor first aid situations such as burns, cuts, and scrapes. Learn how traditional medicines have been used for generations and how they can be a great addition to any natural medicine cabinet. Participants will create and take home one Indigenous First Aid Salve. Friday, October 4th | 3:45 PM Museum Location: Main Tent Free; registration is required. https://www.monah.us/nacc-2019/indigenous-medicine-cabinet
Time: 3:45 p.m.
Date: October 4
Location: Museum of Native American History 202 SW O St Bentonville
Meet the Artist J. NiCole Hatfield
In July of this year, MONAH was honored to have three new murals painted on the north wall of the Museum. Now is your chance to meet the artist. J. NiCole Hatfield (Commanche/Kiowa) will be at MONAH to officially dedicate the new installations, speak on her work, and chat about the subjects of her murals, Maria Tallchief, Chief Joseph, and Indigenous Goddess #9. This event will take place during the Native American Cultural Celebration 2019: Tradition through Pop Culture. Free; registration is required: https://www.monah.us/nacc-2019/meet-the-artist-j-nicole-hatfield
Time: 5 p.m.
Date: October 4
Location: Museum of Native American History 202 SW O St Bentonville
The Opening Ceremony begins the third annual Native American Cultural Celebration: Tradition through Pop Culture. The evening will feature the presentation of presenters of the celebration, live music, food, traditional dancing from the Jones Benally Family, Navajo Punk Band Sihasin, and will have representatives from the Native people of Arkansas: the Caddo, Osage, and Quapaw. Museum Location: Main Tent. The event is free but registration is requested. https://www.monah.us/nacc-2019/opening-ceremony
Time: 6 p.m.
Date: October 4
Location: Museum of Native American History 202 SW O St Bentonville
Flex your maker muscles. Tinkerfest is the Amazeum’s one-day celebration of creativity, curiosity and hands-on learning. It brings makers, tinkerers, artists and creatives from diverse disciplines together for a day of family fun and discovery. Tinkerfest features science, technology, engineering, art and math (STEAM) activities created by the local maker community, partner museums from across the country, and the Amazeum team. Admission to Tinkerfest is included in paid daily admission and membership.
Time: 10 a.m.-4 p.m. (open to Amazeum members at 9 a.m.)
Date: October 5
Location: Scott Family Amazeum 1009 Museum Way Bentonville
Come dance, sing and have a fun Saturday morning with Mr. Schremmer, a Fayetteville favorite.
Time: 10:30 a.m.
Date: October 5
Location: Walker Community Room at Fayetteville Public Library
Don’t be late for a very important date. Bring out your silly side while celebrating National Mad Hatter Day. We encourage participants to wear black, red and white or dress in their maddest costume. Decorate your own hat, play games and nibble on some goodies.
Time: 2 p.m.
Date: October 5
Location: Children’s Auditorium and Craft Area, Springdale Public Library
Gardens on Tap at Compton Gardens joins two of Bentonville’s favorite things, biking and brews. Cyclists of all levels (ages 21 and up) as well as community members, can participate in a celebrity-led bike ride throughout downtown Bentonville ending at Compton Gardens. The end of the bike ride officially kicks off the start to Gardens on Tap featuring your favorite brews and bites at this local garden.
Time: City bike ride 3-4 p.m., Gardens on Tap 4-7 p.m.
Date: October 5
Location: Compton Gardens 315 N. Main St. Bentonville
Felicia Ruiz will be teaching a medicine-making workshop at the Native American Cultural Celebration. In this medicine-making workshop designed for young adults (13 – 17), participants will learn how to incorporate aromatic remedies into their daily lives for the relief of anxiety and stress. Teens will have the opportunity to learn how sacred aromatics are a great way to take their health and happiness into their own hands. Participants will create and take home one Warrior Bliss Blend. Saturday, October 5th | 11:00 AM Museum Location: Main Tent Free; Registration requested https://www.monah.us/nacc-2019/aromatic-warriors
Time: 11 a.m.
Date: October 5
Location: 202 SW O Street Bentonville
Earth Guardians Think Tank: Youth Inspiring Solutionaries is an incredible opportunity for aspiring and experienced earth protectors from Northwest Arkansas! You are invited to learn from an experienced panel of Indigenous Youth from all around the country who represent a diverse range of experiences, lifestyles, and viewpoints. Solutionarians, like yourself, will gather together to identify environmental problems in the area and the steps it will take to fix them as a community. This event will take place during the Native American Cultural Celebration 2019: Tradition through Pop Culture! Free but registration is requested at https://www.monah.us/nacc-2019/earth-guardians-think-tank-youth-inspiring-solutionaries
Time: 3-5 p.m.
Date: October 5
Location: 202 SW O Street Bentonville
The Northwest Arkansas Hispanic Heritage Festival
Each year Hispanic Heritage Month is celebrated September 15 – October 15. This free family fun event will feature music, dance, art, children’s activities, a health fair and vendors. Celebrate the culture of the Hispanic/Latino communities and the contributions they make to our area.
Time: 1-5 p.m.
Date: October 6
Location: Downtown Fayetteville Square 21 W. Mountain St. Fayetteville
Creative Visions for Kids: Flat Style Indian Painting
The Museum of Native American History is proud to present Mvskoke Creek (Muscogee Creek) artist, Johnnie Diacon, in a special Creative Visions for kids. This workshop will delve into a traditional Native painting style that is known to the Five Civilized Tribes: Creek, Cherokee, Choctaw, Chickasaw, and Seminole. Participants will have a chance in this hands-on workshop to learn about the style of painting and create their very own Flat-Style piece of art. This workshop is geared to kids aged six to fifteen. This event will take place during the Native American Cultural Celebration 2019: Tradition through Pop Culture! Free; registration is required at https://www.monah.us/nacc-2019/bwwsfoxv4499fxqr8fb6s2yl2xawug
Time: 1:45 p.m.
Date: October 6
Location: 202 SW O Street Bentonville
Explore history through a hands-on art experience led by Betty Gaedtke. Gaedtke will lead participants through the construction of their own pottery vessel, while speaking on the methodology, shapes and designs traditional to Quapaw pottery and its history within the Quapaw tribe. This event will take place during the Native American Cultural Celebration 2019: Tradition through Pop Culture! Free; registration is required at https://www.monah.us/nacc-2019/traditional-quapaw-pottery-with-betty-gaedtke
Time: 3-5 p.m.
Date: October 6
Location: 202 SW O Street Bentonville
The Harvest Moon Music Festival will take place October 10 – 13 at “The Farm” located in the beautiful Ozark Mountains of Eureka Springs and will feature music Thursday through Sunday. The venue boasts beautiful 360-degree panoramic views on 160 acres and backs up to Mark Twain national forest. Beaver Lake, Table Rock Lake, and the White River are all within 5 miles of the venue.
Time: Varies
Date: October 10-13
Location: 1 Blue Heron Lane Eureka Springs
Break out your chokers, your butterfly clips, your Doc Martins because it’s 90’s night at Black Apple. Think high school dance with less angst. Bring your besties and come dance the night away to your favorite 90’s tune while sipping on a special throwback cider.
Time: 8-11 p.m.
Date: October 11
Location: Black Apple Crossing 321 E. Emma Springdale
NWA’s original miniature golf tournament returns to Fayetteville on Saturday, October 12th to benefit the Single Parent Scholarship Fund of Northwest Arkansas. Golftoberfest is a great way to encourage your family, friends, and co-workers to get out and play for a good cause. This family-friendly event brings more than 300 community members, scholarship recipients, alumni and corporate teams take part in a friendly competition to benefit single parent families working to improve their quality of life through higher education. This unique event features a shotgun start, hole-in-one contest with prizes, lunch and participant goody bags and event t-shirts. Golftoberfest registration will open on September 3rd, so start gathering your teams and practicing today!
Time: tee times at 10 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. with awards after each flight
Date: October 12
Location: Gator Golf, Fayetteville
Super Saturday: Puppets and music
Books come to life through puppets and music with Lela Bloom, a Fayetteville library favorite.
Time: 10:30 a.m.
Date: October 12
Location: Fayetteville Public Library 401 W Mountain St, Fayetteville
Come Hang Out: Community Spotlight
Flutter into the world of bats during our Community Spotlight with War Eagle Caverns. Find out where bats live, how bats locate prey, and get to know the small creatures that inhabit Arkansas through interactive activities. We can’t wait to “hang” out with you!
Time: 12-2pm.
Date: October 12
Location: Scott Family Amazeum
This year’s event aims to raise funds to provide training for local churches who want to help find healing homes for hurting children. This event will be benefiting Backyard Orphans. They train church leaders to develop a foster care, adoption, and support ministry. These ministries will partner with local and state child welfare organizations to build a pipeline of volunteers, foster parents and families ready to adopt.
Time: 7-10 a.m.
Date: October 12
Location: Village on the Creeks 5309 W Village Parkway Suite 2 Rogers
This is a chance to express your creativity. Bring the family and make crafts to take home.
Time: Drop-in from 10 -11 a.m.
Date: October 12
Location: Children’s Craft Area of the Springdale Public Library 405 S Pleasant St, Springdale
Bring your lawn chair and your dancing feet and help the Rogers Historical Museum kickoff their latest exhibit. This is a free concert with The Swade Diablos featuring Mark Shields, music teacher at the Arkansas Arts Academy. Hot dogs, chips and drinks will also be available.
Time: 1-4 p.m.
Date: October 12
Location: Rogers Historical Museum 322 S 2nd St, Rogers
This is an invitation to all families who have suffered pregnancy or infant loss to join Circle of Life Hospice for a candlelight service and refreshments following. Join others around the world observing National Pregnancy & Infant Loss Awareness Day by lighting a candle in remembrance of babies gone too soon.
Time: Arrival 6:30 p.m., Candles lit at 7 p.m.
Date: October 15
Location: Orchards Park Pavilion 1100 NE John DeShields Blvd. Bentonville
Fossil Fun: Community Spotlight
The University of Arkansas Museum is coming to us. They’ll bring fossils (some touchable and some just to observe), handouts, dino footprints, and a couple of special fossil themed activities for our guests. Think as “paleontologists” to find the fossil, and very carefully uncover it and learn how Lidar Technology is used to find fossils. Bring the whole family during Priceless Night to have fun with fossils.
Time: 5-7 pm
Date: October 16
Location: Scott Family Amazeum 1009 Museum Way, Bentonville
Community-wide bonfire with live music, food and free activities for the whole family, including free s’mores and free pumpkin decorating. This event is part of the annual Ozarktober festival, celebrating the fall and the beautiful Ozark region we call home. Ozarktober 2019 is presented by Runway Group.
Time: 6-9 p.m.
Date: October 18
Location: Rodeo of the Ozarks 1423 E. Emma Ave. Springdale
Shiloh Saturday Family Program
Kids of all ages are invited to make an old-fashioned corn husk doll at the Shiloh Museum of Ozark History. The program is part of the museum’s Shiloh Saturday series for families. For more information, call 750-8165 or visit shilohmuseum.org.
Time: 10 a.m.
Date: October 19
Location: Shiloh Museum 118 W. Johnson Avenue Springdale
Come join the Eureka Springs Rotary Club at the annual Oktoberfest. Sample the finest local microbrews, craft and seasonal beers in this quaint little European-like village nestled in the Ozark Mountains. The party will be right in the middle of downtown on Center St. between DeVito’s of Eureka Springs and Grotto Wood-Fired Grill and Wine Cave. Cost is $20 includes tasting mug and armband for unlimited tasting. $5 for non-beer drinkers.
Date: October 19
Location: Center Street Eureka Springs
Expecting? Already a mom? Every fourth Tuesday of the month Markham and Fitz Chocolate will be hosting moms and moms-to-be for an evening of community building. Come share knowledge, hopes, fears, and dreams and meet other local moms. They’ll be offering a special non-alcoholic happy hour from 6-8 p.m. featuring our cacao fruit soda and new cocoa tea mocktails. Moms can share and learn in a casual setting over a cup of drinking chocolate or a cookie.
Time: 6-8 p.m.
Date: October 22
Location: Markham and Fitz Chocolate 801 SE 8th St. Suite 45 Bentonville
Creepy Critters with Animal Tales
Experience the excitement of live animals that you may have never seen before. Come in costume. Snacks and small prizes will be available afterward.
Time: 2 p.m.
Date: October 26
Location: Children’s Auditorium and Craft Area of the Springdale Public Library
Lewis and Clark Urban Adventure Ride
Pick one of three ride destinations: the Kids Fun Ride and Scavenger Routes include stops along the way to explore businesses and attractions along the trail or to look for clues/games along the way. The longest route will allow you to enjoy the trail system and all the unique views along the way. After the ride enjoy a pancake breakfast and everyone is entered into a drawing for great prizes.
Time: 8 a.m.
Date: October 26
Location: 4915 S. Thompson Springdale
Tea Kettle and Reynolds Falls Hike
Join a team of teacher naturalists on an easy hike to discover the wonders of two of our hidden treasures at Ozark Natural Science Center. Tea Kettle Falls is a glorious 46 foot falls that spills out of the top of the bluff line after it twists and turns its way through solid rock. This unique waterfall shows best after heavy rains but even when it is gently flowing, the setting surrounding it makes up for lighter flow. But there is more to come as we walk upstream along Warm Fork Creek to a lovely grotto and Reynolds Falls. This is a well-kept secret around these parts which will not disappoint. Linger and enjoy a falls that offers otherworldly enchantment as you enjoy the wildflowers, ferns and beauty of cascading water and the lovely pool at its center. Bring your own sack lunch or snacks. No refunds or transfers to other programs after October 12.
Time: 9 a.m.- 2 p.m.
Date: October 26
Location: 1905 Madison 1305 Huntsville
Join Mother Nature as she introduces her many woodland friends at Hobbs State Park Conservation Area’s “Living Forest.” Listen to each animal’s story. They have a lot to tell us. These educational messages will be easy for young children to understand. Teenagers and adults will learn too. Who are these critters who will be delivering the informative messages? They include a barred owl, deer, spider, bat, blue jays, skunk, raccoon, eagle, squirrel, and more. Costumed Northwest Arkansas Master Naturalists will be delivering the meaningful messages. Join in this fun, 40-minute fall treat for the whole family. Strollers and wagons are welcome as you meander along a wide, paved, barrier-free path. If you want to be like Mother Nature’s animal friends, come in costume. Crafts and s’mores will also be available. For more information, contact the park at (479) 789-5000.
Time: 1-5 p.m.
Date: October 26
Location: Hobbs State Park 20201 East Hwy 12 Rogers
Follow comic duo Lenny and Mabel down the yellow brick road to the Land of Oz and meet all your favorite characters along the way. Gain courage with the Cowardly Lion, take heart with the Tin Man, and find your wits with the Scarecrow in this fun interactive retelling of the L. Frank Baum classic. Presented by the Bright Star Touring Theatre. Visit www.truelitfest.com for a complete list of festival events and details.
Time: 10:30 a.m.
Date: October 26
Location: Fayetteville Public Library 401 W Mountain St, Fayetteville
Join expert instructors to learn foundational quilting skills. Learners will complete one quilt block, this time a pinwheel block. If you’d like to work toward a completed quilt, please purchase your own fabric. Otherwise the Library will provide supplies for each class, but cannot guarantee the availability of patterns or colors. Registration is required as class size is limited and opens two weeks before each session. Register at springdalelibrary.org/sew to reserve your spot.
Time: 10 a.m.
Date: October 26
Location: Springdale Public Library 405 S Pleasant St, Springdale
