Rabbi Ira Sanders and Clarence Darrow Debate Explored

Reenactment of 1930 Debate 

   On November 3, 1930, the nationally-known religious skeptic Clarence Darrow debated immortality with Rabbi Ira Sanders at Little Rock High School in an auditorium packed with more than 2,000 people. This event will be explored anew as the Central Arkansas Library System's 2015 Sanders Distinguished Lecture 6:30 p.m. December 3 at Ron Robinson Theater, 100 River Market Avenue. The event is free and open to the public, and will include a reception. The reenactment is in conjunction with Temple B'nai Israel's sesquicentennial anniversary.

    Jason Thompson (Rabbi Sanders) spent ten years acting, writing, and directing for Red Octopus and was in several  Arkansas Repertory Theatre  productions. Mark Johnson (Clarence Darrow) has appeared in many Rep plays and is an artist whose paintings are shown at Stephano's Gallery.

    The Sanders Distinguished Lecture was established in 2000 to commemorate Rabbi Sanders’ forty years of service on the Boards of Trustees of Little Rock Public Library and CALS. Reservations are requested, but not required. RSVP online via Eventjoy or call 918-3000.

 Diane's

 For more than 30 years, Diane's Gourmet Luxuries has been the place to shop for delicious food for the holidays, and this year you can also select lots of fun items to spruce up your table - and pick up some great gifts to boot. 

     Catering from Diane's 

 Owner Diane Knight has stocked a fun selection of gifts and table decor.  Check out the holiday napkins, placemats, cool trays and whimsical cups.

Entrees from Diane's 

  Diane's does the best baskets. They are carefully prepared and include hand-written messages, as well as delivery or mailing if you wish.

    

 Thanksgiving food must be ordered by November 20.  Diane's Gourmet Luxuries is in The Market Place shopping center, 11121 North Rodney Parham.  224-2639. 

Opera Star Kristin Lewis

Opera Star Kristin Lewis Will Perform 

November 22 at Wildwood Park 

  International opera star Kristin Lewis will perform 4 p.m. November 22 at Wildwood Park for the Arts to benefit her scholarship fund for emerging Arkansas vocalists.

    Ms. Lewis is a former resident of Little Rock and was graduated from the University of Central Arkansas. She has been much lauded for her interpretations of Verdi heroines. 

   Ms. Lewis was formerly a section leader in the choir at Second Presbyterian Church, and she began her vocal studies at the University of Central Arkansas under the guidance of Dr. Martha Antolik. After receiving her bachelor’s degree, she continued with her Master of Music studies at the University of Tennessee. She now resides in Vienna, Austria, where she regularly appears on some of the world’s greatest opera stages in performances of Aida, Il Trovatore, I due Foscari, Turandot, Don Giovanni, and more.

  At the November benefit concert, Ms. Lewis will perform arias from works by Verdi and Gounod, a suite from Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess, and the second act of Puccini’s La Boheme. Internationally renowned American bass-baritone Kevin Short will appear as a guest artist on the program. Korean collaborative pianist and University of Arkansas at Little Rock music professor Kyung-Eun Na will also perform. Bevan Keating, artistic director for the Little Rock performing arts organization Praeclara, will conduct.

   Tickets may be purchased online at wildwoodpark.org or by calling 821-7275. General admission is $50, and student tickets are $15. VIP seating and parking are available for $100 per ticket. A percentage of the proceeds from ticket sales will go to the Kristin Lewis Foundation Vocal Scholarship, which benefits singers between the ages of 18 and 23 who are pursuing a degree in vocal performance or music education or a bachelor’s degree with an emphasis in voice. The scholarship funds tuition expenses, master class participation, and opportunities for national or international exposure for singers studying both inside and outside the state of Arkansas. Applications for the 2016 awards will be due next spring. 

    Ms. Lewis wants to help music students pursue their dreams. “The purpose of my foundation is to encourage Arkansas music students at all levels to pursue their education and enable them to receive the inspiration and guidance they need to achieve their dreams,” she said.

  For more information, contact the Kristin Lewis Foundation at kristinlewisfoundation@gmail.com.

Events in Little Rock November 2015

Way of the Warrior 

     "Way of the Warrior" will be presented 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. November 18 at the MacArthur Museum of Arkansas Military History, 503 East Ninth St. 

     The documentary examines the visceral nature of war and the bravery of Native-American veterans who served in World War I, World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War–and came to grips with the difficult post-war personal and societal conditions.  It is free and open to the public. 

     The program honors the endurance and sacrifice of individuals such as Mitchell Red Cloud (Ho-Chunk), a Congressional Medal of Honor recipient and Ira Hayes (Pima), one of the flag raisers on Iwo Jima.  Their stories are examined through what it means to be “ogichidaa,” one who protects and follows the way of the warrior.  Popcorn and beverages will be provided. 

      For information, call Rachel Miller at 376-4602.

American Indians and Alaska Natives in America’s Wars

     The Sequoyah National Research Center and the Arkansas History Commission will be hosting a free symposium from 9 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. November 14 at Stabler Hall, Room 107, at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. 

     The symposium’s theme, American Indians and Alaska Natives in America’s Wars, will feature speakers Mary Jane Warde, Erin Fehr, Dr. Bob Sanderson, Dr. Daniel F. Littlefield, Jane Wilkerson, and Karen Russ. Topics include The Destroying Hand of War, Alaska Natives and Their World War II Service in the Alaska Territorial Guard, Vietnam Warriors, and Resources for Studying Native Americans in America’s Wars. The symposium is free and a light lunch will be provided. Teachers can earn up to four professional development hours through attendance. Registration is limited. The deadline for registration is November 9., 

      For more information about the symposium, please call Tatyana Oyinloye at 682-6900 or email history.commission@arkansas.gov. 

 Our America:  

The Latino Presence in American Art 

   Our America: The Latino Presence in American Art, an exhibition of modern and contemporary Latino art from the Smithsonian American Art Museum, will be on display through January 17 at the Arkansas Arts Center.

   The exhibition presents the rich and varied contributions of Latino artists in the United States since the mid-20th century, when the concept of a collective Latino identity began to emerge. The exhibition is drawn entirely from the Smithsonian American Art Museum’s pioneering collection of Latino art. 

    Our America presents works in all media by 72 leading modern and contemporary artists. The exhibition includes works by artists who participated in all the various artistic styles and movements, including abstract expressionism; activist, conceptual and performance art, as well as classic American genres such as landscape, portraiture and scenes of everyday life. 

    The civil rights movement of the 1960s and 1970s galvanized Latino artists across the United States. They created new images of their communities and examined bicultural experiences. Artists featured in the exhibition reflect the rich diversity of Latino communities in the United States. Our America showcases artists of Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban and Dominican descent, as well as other Latin American groups with deep roots in the United States. By presenting works by artists of different generations and regions, the exhibition reveals recurring themes among artists working across the country.  arkansasartscenter.org. 

Social Conscience Gathering 

    The Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site will host a three-day Social Conscience Gathering November 20 - 22 at Embassy Suites, 11301 Financial Centre Parkway. 

    In commemoration of the end of the American Civil War, the establishment of the National Park Service, the Civil and Voting Rights Acts, Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site calls for global citizens to explore the human realities of oppression and participate in conscience engagement to begin a journey from awareness to action. The Gathering will bring together academics, activists, artists, clergy and policy makers to discuss the far reaching impact of civil war to civil rights, as it relates to history of oppression at home and abroad, identify barriers to social change, cultivate empathy for other people and cultures, and forge new paths toward global equality. Topics of discussion will include the legacy of the American Civil War and Reconstruction, the impact of the civil rights movement, the history of structural oppression and inequality, the state of American and global historical education, community activism, American health policy, drug policy, gender inequality, principles of nonviolence and dialogue and reconciliation across religious divides.

   The cost is $100 for the full event and $50 per day.  For more information, cal 374-1957.

God’s Man in Texas

      God’s Man in Texas by David Rambo will be performed November 6, 7, 8, 13, 14, 15, 20, 21 and 22 at The Weekend Theater, 1001 West Seventh St.  

      In this story, faith and egos collide in the age of mass-market religion at Houston’s Rock Baptist Church. A search committee has been secretly formed to find a successor to Rock’s legendary pastor, and a young up-and-comer is asked to audition for the job. The biblical struggle climaxes during the church’s spectacular Christmas parade. The play will be directed by Allison Pace.

      The cost is $16 for adults, $12 for students and seniors. It will be shown 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 2:30 p.m. Sundays. The box office and the theater open one hour prior to curtain. For more information, call James Norris at 374-3761.

Nadeau - Furniture With a Soul

     Nadeau - Furniture with a Soul has opened a new store in Pleasant Ridge Town Center.  It will celebrate the opening 1 - 4 p.m. November 15. Enjoy refreshments and see its collection of quite reasonably priced hand-crafted furniture. For information, call Tresa Rabchuk at 904-2243.

Celtic Food & Whiskey

        Join Chef Suzanne Campbell 5:30 - 8:30 p.m. December 1 for an evening of the history of Celtic foods plus their pairing with whiskey, or if you prefer, whisky.  Ms. Campbell is the resident English chef at the Pulaski Tech Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management Institute, 13000 Interstate 30.  She will prepare Scottish and Irish Christmas dishes with a whisky tasting. 

       Pre-registration is required by November 27.  The cost of the class is $90. 

    For more information, call Emily Martin at 907-6670 or write  esmartin@pulaskitech.edu.

CARTI's 2015 Festival of Trees

     CARTI’s 2015 Festival of Trees will be held November 18 - 21 at the Statehouse Convention Center, 101 East Markham St.

     The Sugar Plum Ball will start off the event 6 - 8:30 p.m. November 18.  Tickets are $40, and sales are limited.  Festival After Dark will be held 7 p.m. November 18.  Tickets are $50.

The Festival of Fashion will be held 5 - 7:30 p.m. November 20.  Tickets are $50.  Stroll Through the Forest will be held 1:30 - 4 p.m. November 20.  

     Tux ‘n Trees, CARTI's signature black tie event, will be held starting at 6 p.m. November 21.  Tickets are $200.  For tickets, visit carti.com.

 The Cate Brothers Band

   The Cate Brothers Band will give a special performance 7 p.m. November 20 at the Ron Robinson Theater, 100 River Market Avenue.  The cost is $20.

   Music legends Earl and Ernie Cate, twin brothers from Fayetteville, have performed blue-eyed soul and rock music since the 1960s at clubs throughout the South. Both are singers, with Earl on guitar and Ernie on piano. At this show, they will perform their best songs, including the hit “Union Man."

Brooklyn Rider

  The string quartet Brooklyn Rider will perform chamber music 7:30 p.m. November 19 at Wildwood Park for the Arts. The group has drawn rave reviews from classical, world, and rock critics alike. The Los Angeles Times dubs it  "one of the wonders of contemporary music.” The Chamber Music  Society of Little Rock partnered with Wildwood to bring the quartet to Little Rock.   wildwoodpark.org.

Merry Pranks

  Merry Pranks by the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra will be presented 7 - 9 p.m. November 17 at the Clinton Presidential Library.       

  Tickets are $23 and $10 for students and active military. 

  For information, visit arkansassymphony.org.

arkansassymphony.org