Scene by Carson: Colors and other October joys

Editor’s note: Amanda Carson recently graduated from Ole Miss where she wore a cocktail dress and high heels to football games at which tailgating was conducted in a tent adorned with a chandelier. Prior to this she attended a private school in Memphis at which Southern manners and etiquette were stressed — which does not explain her football game decisions. Anyway, Amanda will attempt to infuse her Southern experiences, exposure and education into the arts and entertainment scene in the Fort Smith/Van Buren region.

Fall is officially in the air, the weather is delightful and you should go out and enjoy all the fall festivals around us. Stock up on homemade canned preserves, whittled wooden figurines or granny’s quality quilts.

In all seriousness, it is a great way to spend time with family and do some early Christmas shopping. Don’t worry, if crafts aren’t your thing because there is a sprinkling of events you will surely enjoy. And a quick note to the retail stores out there: it is too early for Christmas decorations to be out! At least let us get through Halloween first; orange and green kind of clash.

Oct. 2
Kick of Fall with some culture as the Fort Smith Symphony kicks off their 2010-2011 Season. Opening concert, Enter the Titans, features the Grieg Piano Concerto with spectacular solo pianist Jade Simmons. The Symphony will also perform Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 1, known as “Titan.” The concert is held at the Arkansas Best Corporation Performing Arts Center. Tickets start at $30 for adults and $15 for students.  To find out more, call 452-7575 or visit the symphony website.

Oct. 7-9
Rock lovers rejoice; it’s the 22nd Annual World Championship Crystal Dig in Mount Ida. People from all over the world of all experience levels come to participate in the dig. The dig will include a gem and mineral show and a kids dig at 2 p.m. on Saturday.  Tickets are $85 per person for three days, but it’s worth it if you find a 3-carat diamond — you never know. For more details visit the Mt. Ida Chamber website, or call (870) 867-2723.

Oct. 8
8 p.m. and 10 p.m.
The Tierney Sutton Band will perform in the Starr Theater at Walton Arts Center. The band is a three-time Grammy Nominee for “Best Jazz Vocal Album.” They have also headlined at Carnegie Hall, The Hollywood Bowl and Jazz at Lincoln Center, so you know they got to be good. Visit the Walton Arts Center website for details.

Oct. 8-10
Nothing says crafts fair quite like the crisp air of autumn, and what better way to enjoy the nice weather than on the historic Main Street of Van Buren for their Fall Festival Arts and Crafts Fair. There will be more than 200 exhibitors displaying fine (and probably some not-so-fine) artwork, handcrafted items, antiques, collectibles and a bunch of other stuff you probably don’t need but gotta have it anyway. Visit the Van Buren Convention & Visitors Bureau website for more info.

Oct. 9
If you like to hit up craft fairs like some hit up garage sales, you are in luck. Booneville’s October Daze takes place in downtown Booneville. Enjoy great food, music, pageants, scarecrow contest and of course arts and crafts. See the Booneville website for more details.

Oct. 9, 16, 23
Did you know Fort Smith has ghost hunters and that they are holding the 4th Annual Ghost Hunt on Haunted Hill? That’s right; it’s a no gimmick, no cheap costumes, real life ghost hunt presented by the River Valley Paranormal Research and Investigations at possibly the most haunted location in Arkansas, a hospital in Booneville. Tours happen at different times throughout the night. Tickets are $25 per person. Must be 13 years or older and accompanied by an adult if younger than 18 years old. Money raised from this event will be donated to help special needs adults. It’s a hair raising experience, not for the easily spooked. Visit the paranormal research website for more details.

Oct. 15-24
The Historic Malco Theatre in Hot Springs hosts the 19th Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival, where more than 100 documentary films will be screened. The festival is the oldest documentary film festival in the U.S. and the Malco Theatre, built in 1935, is on the National Register of Historic Places. Plus Hot Springs has fabulous shopping and cool ghost hunts, so be sure to check that out while you are there. For more details call (501) 321-4747, or visit the group’s website.

Oct. 30
To top the month off right for you festival fanatics, Russellville is holding its Downtown Fall Festival & Chili Cook-off. Bet those other festivals don’t have a chili cook-off, bike ride or 5K, but it’s also got the usual: arts, crafts, music and other great food. Visit the Main Street Russellville website for more info.

Oct. 30
And so you yard sale fanatics don’t feel left out, Booneville hosts the event, Sell It Again on Highway 10. It is 79 miles of yard sales along Arkansas 10 from Greenwood to Danville. Again – that’s 79 miles! A big ole yard sale is pretty straight forward, but if you need more info visit the Booneville website.

Oct. 21-31
Fort Smith may not be known for the typical run-of-the-mill tourist attractions, like Graceland or the largest ball of yarn, but we are known for our outlaws, promiscuous women and the people who brought them down. What better time of year to celebrate such ominous deeds than Halloween and with the Murder and Mayhem Trolley Tour. Learn of legends and myths of the darker side of Fort Smith. Due to the content of some stories, young, impressionable and innocent minds under the age of 13 are not allowed on board. The trolley runs from the Fort Smith Museum of History on Thursday, Friday and Saturday of the two weekends in October leading up to Halloween. For a schedule, visit the museum’s website.

You might think you have to go Vermont or somewhere up north for a great foliage tour, but you would be wrong. We have a boat foliage tour right here close to home. The Fall Splendor Boat Tour will take you along the Frog Bayou and let you marvel at the colorful Ozark Mountains. The tours occur Oct. 2, 3, 9, 10, 16, 17, 23, 24, 30 and 31 at Lake Fort Smith State Park in Mountainburg, and Oct. 23rd is a Full Moon Cruise, perfect for Halloween. Warm clothing is suggested. Admission for either cruise is $8.50 for adults, and $4.50 for children ages 6-12. Reservations are suggested and can be made by calling the marina at (479) 369-1018.

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Even though she graduated from Ole Miss, Amanda is comfortable using e-mail. You can reach her at [email protected]