InArkansas.com

Listen to jazz 5:30 - 7:30 p.m. every Wednesday night throughout June and July during Jazz in the Park.

Get ready for a little jazz this summer.

The Little Rock Convention and Visitors Bureau and the River Market are bringing the public a new series called Jazz in the Park that will be a weekly event held downtown all summer.

The event is free to attend.

Listen to jazz 5:30 - 7:30 p.m. every Wednesday night throughout June and July. Here is the full schedule:

• June 5 – Opening night: Rodney Block & The Real Music Lovers
• June 12 – TwiceSax
• June 19 – Adams Collins Group
• June 26 – Bob Boyd Sounds
• July 3 – The Johnny Burnette Group
• July 10 – UA Monticello Jazz Combo
• July 17 – Walter Henderson & Chris Parker
• July 24 – Happy Tymes Jazz Band
• July 31 – Closing Night: Dizzy7

Check it out in the History Pavilion in Riverfront Park, just west of the First Security Amphitheater. The closest entry point is on Ottenheimer Drive off of President Clinton Avenue.

The event is completely free, but no coolers are allowed. Beer and wine will be available for sale, with a portion of the proceeds going to benefit Sculpture at the River Market. Lawn chairs and blankets are welcome, and there is some seating in the natural stone amphitheater at the History Pavilion.

Get more information about this new musical event here.

Image by Brent Bennett

In case you haven't heard, this weekend is Memorial Day Weekend and many will be taking to swimming pools and lakes to soak up the sun and enjoy the first weekend of the swimming season.

To stay safe in and around the water, here are a few tips from the American Red Cross in Arkansas:

• Swim in designated areas supervised by lifeguards.
• Always swim with a buddy; do not allow anyone to swim alone, even at a public pool or a lifeguarded beach, use the buddy system.
• Ensure that everyone in the family learns to swim well. Enroll in age-appropriate Red Cross water orientation and Learn-to-Swim courses.
• Never leave a young child unattended near water and do not trust a child’s life to another child; teach children to always ask permission to go near water.
• Have young children or inexperienced swimmers wear U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jackets around water, but do not rely on life jackets alone.
• Establish rules for your family and enforce them without fail. For example, set limits based on each person’s ability, do not let anyone play around drains and suction fittings, and do not allow swimmers to hyperventilate before swimming under water or have breath-holding contests.
• Even if you do not plan on swimming, be cautious around natural bodies of water including ocean shoreline, rivers and lakes. Cold temperatures, currents and underwater hazards can make a fall into these bodies of water dangerous.
• If you go boating, wear a life jacket! Most boating fatalities occur from drowning.
• Avoid alcohol use. Alcohol impairs judgment, balance and coordination; affects swimming and diving skills; and reduces the body’s ability to stay warm.

For more safety tips and information, click here.

Find Hot Dog Mike at 402 Third St., Little Rock near Riverfest and get one of his famous hot dogs for lunch (or dinner). Money from this weekend's sales will help with funding a storefront in downtown Little Rock.

Help everybody's favorite hot dog cart, Hot Dog Mike, open his very own storefront in the heart of River Market during this weekend's "down-to-the-wire fundraising blitz," happening today (May 24) through Sunday (May 26).

Find Hot Dog Mike at 402 Third St., Little Rock near Riverfest and get one of his famous hot dogs for lunch (or dinner). Money from this weekend's sales will help with funding a storefront in downtown Little Rock.

He will be open from 10:30 a.m. until dark (or until he sells out) -- whichever comes first.

Get more information here, 'Like' him on Facebook or follow him on Twitter for updates.

Have you ever felt like having a child sucks away some of your brain cells? Maybe it is sleep deprivation, or just the fact that you are constantly thinking of someone besides yourself. Whatever it is, there has been a lot of evidence in our household lately that makes us wonder — are we losing our minds?

1. As I was drying my hair one morning I realized it still looked very greasy. Yes, I forgot to shampoo my hair while I was in the shower. And no, I did not have time to re-wash it.

2. My husband was running water and vinegar through the coffee maker to clean it out. I walked in to a strong vinegar smell and water everywhere — he had forgotten to put the coffee pot under the maker.

3. Last week, I accidentally wore my leggings backwards all day at work.

4. My husband has not once, but twice, written a check to our daycare and failed to hand it over. He only realized his mistake when he opened his checkbook at night.

5. Weird things have ended up being washed in the laundry — the TV remote and our cell phone charger (that still works!) — just to name a couple. And no, my son is not old enough to be the one who put them in the washing machine.

6. I drove halfway to work when I realized I never dropped my child off at his daycare … which is right by our house.

7. We went away for the weekend, and when I opened the makeup bag, I saw I had packed three different kinds of blushes. And that was it. No mascara, no eye shadow, nothing but three different kinds of blushes.

Thankfully, these rookie parents have not driven off with the diaper bag on top of the car, or worse, left our child somewhere. But we have quickly learned that priorities change when a child is brought into the mix. Our experiences have shown us that the minor, thoughtless habits and details we used to take for granted are now the hardest things in life to remember. But, we wouldn’t change the deterioration of our brain cells for anything, because we love your little boy so much and would give up anything for him — even our sanity!

Little Rock-native Bethany Johnson is the Marketing Coordinator for Arkansas Business Publishing Group. The former city girl now lives in Scott with her husband, one-year-old son and 93-pound bulldog.

Love running?

There will be another place to get your gear -- legendary Arkansas runner Bill Torrey will open Rock City Running Saturday (May 25).

The store is located in The Colony West Shopping Plaza at 10300 N. Rodney Parham, Little Rock, just three doors down from Chainwheel Bicycle Shop.

Featuring all major brands of running and walking gear like Brooks, ASICS, Mizuno, Newton, Salomon and Moving Comfort, Rock City Running will also offer central Arkansans new and exciting products like Oiselle, Inknburn, Altra, Karhu, Inov8, The North Face, Darn Tough, and Drymax.

The Rock City Running Grand Opening Celebration will feature visits from main-line vendors like Brooks, Salomon, Suunto. In addition, a few specialty vendors from Altra, Hoka and One One will be on-site as well.

Bill has run more than 40 marathons with a PR of 2:43 in the marathon and 34:45 in the 10K, and still continues to compete today. Bill has directed more than 100 races in Arkansas, including most all the larger races like The Little Rock Marathon, Firecracker Fast 5K, Race for the Cure and The Capital City Classic 10K.

Currently, Bill is a Board Member of Little Rock Roadrunners Club, where he also serves as a past-President. He has also served as the Arkansas State Representative for the RRCA (Road Runners Clubs of America).

For more information, click here.

Riverfest, the state’s largest festival, is happening this weekend (May 24-26) along the Arkansas River in downtown Little Rock and North Little Rock. 

Music

The 36th annual event will feature musical acts Daughtry, Sugar Ray, Blackstone Cherry, Bush, Cody Belew, Florida Georgia Line, Dierks Bentley, Lupe Fiasco, Darius Rucker, Peter Frampton and more.

The full lineup can be found here.

The Stickyz Music Stage will house local and regional musical acts in a clublike setting. Other music will include classic rock, rap, country, modern rock, soul, and reggae. A complete lineup of musical acts (including times and locations) is available by clicking here.

Attractions

New this year is the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette FamilyZone area with free entertainment on the grounds of the Clinton Presidential Center and Heifer International. Activities and entertainment include the Yarnell’s Family Stage, Super Retriever Crown Championship Series, Weenie Dog Derby, the K-9 Friz-B-Crew, Ruff on the River Pooch Parade, Rock ‘N Stroll Fun Run 5K (dress up as your favorite rock 'n roll star or cartoon character!), Arkansas Renewable Energy, International Village activities, a Baggo Tournament and much more. The Family Zone will be open from 11 a.m. – 7 p.m. Saturday and 1 to 7 p.m. on Sunday.

The Riverfest Fireworks display in memory of Jennings Osborne will be held at 9 p.m. Sunday (May 26) prior to headline acts. Music will be simulcast throughout Riverfront Park and broadcast on The Point 94.1.

In addition to awesome music and attractions, you'll stay full with all of the great food and drink options. See what you can expect here.

Other Riverfest attractions:

• The Arkansas Arts Center Artmobile will feature the exhibition "Weird and Wonderful," a selection of unique works of original art from the Arkansas Arts Center Collection that includes drawings, paintings, prints and craft.
• The Rock-N-Ride Poker Run, which will benefit the Wounded Warriors Organization
• Ruff on the River Pooch Parade for costumed canines at 10:30 a.m. Sunday (May 26) at the corner of River Market Avenue and President Clinton Avenue. Register your pooch at www.ruffontheriver.com.
• The Yarnell's KidZone Stage will boast a variety of family-friendly acts, including The Kazoobie Kazoo Show with Rick Hubbard, Radio Disney LIVE!, ventriloquist Wayne Francis, REALentertaining, Jamiah on Fire & the Red Machine, and Tommy Terrific's Wacky Magic. Arkansas favorite Trout Fishing in America will take the stage at 8 p.m. Sunday (May 26).

Tickets

Quantities are limited for advance tickets, so the public is encouraged to act fast. Click here for a list of Walgreens store locations selling this year's tickets. Tickets are also on sale online here for $30. Three-day passes will be available at the gate for $35.

A $3 round-trip shuttle ride ($2 if you bring a non-perishable food item for Arkansas Foodbank) will take festivalgoers to Riverfest from the east side of War Memorial Stadium at Markham and Van Buren streets and the north parking lot of North Little Rock High’s West Campus at 22nd and Main streets.

Hours of Operation

• Friday: 6 p.m. – 11 p.m.
• Saturday: 11 a.m. – 11 p.m.
• Sunday: 1 p.m. – 11 p.m.

Parking

Check out a full map of where you can and where you can't here.

For more information on the festival click here. To view a map of Riverfest, click here. 

Loud music. Hot sun. Thousands of people all over downtown Little Rock. This weekend at Riverfest will be super fun.

Here are a few things to get you through it:

1. LOFT Braided Lurex Two-Tone Beach Hat, $25

Woven with shimmery lurex, we love this style’s fun zig zag pattern - finished with a striped ribbon for polish. This will definitely keep you cool (and cute!) during the three-day festival.

Find at LOFT at Promenade at Chenal, 17711 Chenal Pkwy

2. Banana Boat Sport Performance Coolzone Continuous Spray Sunscreen, $10.49

The aloe-enriched formula leaves you feeling cool and refreshed, while the broad spectrum UVA/UVB formula provides water resistant protection for the festival. Just spray and go!

Find at Walgreens, Find Nearest Location Here

3. Summer Tote Bag, $20 - 40

This cute solid color and patterned tote (which comes in chevron, polka dot and other patterns) is a fantastic bag to hold all of your necessities during those hot days outside this weekend. Get a free tote (navy and cream-colored) with a purchase of $75 or more.

Find at Charming Charlies, Promenade at Chenal, 17711 Chenal Pkwy.

4. Tory Burch Tortoise Butterfly Sunglasses, $158

Block the rays in an effortlessly chic way with the Butterfly Sunglasses. The simple, angular frame flatters nearly all face shape and colors go with just about every outfit.

Find at Barbara/Jean, 7811 Cantrell Rd., Ste. 1

5. Nativ Cotton Tank Top, $30

This locally designed and printed tank top is made with some of the softest fabric and comes in a variety of fun hues for festival-goers.

Find at Green Corner Store, 1423 Main St., Ste. D

6. Jane Iredale PureGloss Lip Gloss Soft Peach, $24

Keep your lips nourished and protected while outside with this super gloss. It comes in a variety of cute shades.

Find at Advanced Aesthetics of Arkansas, 9500 Kanis Rd., Ste. 503

It looks like west Little Rock's Promenade at Chenal, 17711 Chenal Pkwy., will be adding yet another tenant to its long list of stores and restaurants.

The Promenade at Chenal announced Thursday (May 23) that Café Brunelle is set to open early this fall. The store is locally owned and promises a vast menu of deli-style sandwiches, pastries, specialty coffees and drinks.

Café Brunelle, a 1,395 square-foot store, is a new locally owned coffee shop that will partner with local artisans and growers to cater to busy shoppers and coffee connoisseurs in the outdoor shopping center. Combining a modern American aesthetic with a touch of European charm, the café aims to establish itself as a vibrant communal hub, a sanctuary for the caffeine-deprived and a meeting place for all.

For more information, click here.