Weekend: Nov 20, 21, 22

Every year in Fayetteville, folks get together with their friends and/or family on the third Thursday in November for a turkey party.

Often times, we’ll take off work that day and just gorge ourselves on savory foods and desserts, and vegetables.

It’s a Fayettteville thing. It’s what we do.

That special Fayetteville Thursday is coming up next week, and for whatever reason, we’ve decided to cram a whole bunch of stuff into this weekend so that we can eat our turkey in peace next week without a lot of distraction.

In other words, this weekend is going to rule. There are about 1,000 things going on.

There’s a huge show at George’s this weekend. Steve Kimock Crazy Engine will play on Friday and Saturday night. Melvin Seals of the Jerry Garcia Band will be tickling the organ keys. It’s a big deal.

At Smoke and Barrel, two great local bands, Hosta and Ctrl+Alt+Del will be playing their instruments. Sexily.

Singer, songwriter, and poet Geoff Oelsner will release a CD at the Botanical Gardens of the Ozarks, and there’s another Friday night dinner show at Greenhouse Grille with Ren Lovely.

In non-music related action, you could catch dinner and a movie at the UARK Bowl tonight with the Godfather and some Italian food. More info is here.

Or you could head to Teatro Scarpino, where Theatre Squared will be hosting a Gala for Education beginning at 7:00 pm.

The Razorback basketball team will have seven scholarship players tonight (instead of 6) when they take on Appalachian State at Bud Walton Arena. That’s good, right?

Tomorrow is also going to rule.

In the morning, we’ll say goodbye to another season of the Farmers’ Market on the Fayetteville Square. It is a special holiday edition.

There’s a documentary film festival at the University of Arkansas. The Pare Lorentz Film Festival will feature eight recent documentary films beginning at 10:00 am in the Union Theatre.

The Razorback football team will take on Mississippi State at 11:21 am at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock. It will be televised by the SEC network. We’re gonna win.

Peter and the Wolf will be playing at the Walton Arts Center at 3:00 pm.

Tomorrow night is the annual lighting of the square with the Lighting of the Ozarks parade and ceremony beginning at 6 pm. There will be 450,000 Christmas lights, a puppet parade, horse drawn carriage rides, and an appearance by someone dressed in a Santa costume.

Tunes-wise, there’s a punk rock show at ROTC tomorrow night with Genome Chomsky, Deadeye Jack, and The Pullout Method.

There’s a sweet-sounding house show at the Sang House with Honky Horn & Bad Mouth , High Magic, and Taifas.

If you like hip-hop, you should definitely head out to Rogue on Dickson for Epiphany & Gina Gee, SeanFresh and DJ Bizar.

Sunday in Fayetteville always provides a wealth of brunch tunes, with DJ Soulfree at Common Grounds and Jesse Collet and Er-Gene Kahng at the Greenhouse Grille.

Sunday night, Scott Leeper from the Ben Miller Band will be at George’s for Monster Mug Night, and Smoke and Barrel has a sweet folky-americana-y show with My Dear Alan Andrews from Illinois.

That’s about half of it. There’s a ton more going on below. What are you doing this weekend?

Friday, November 20
Botanical Garden of the Ozarks: Geoff Oelsner CD release 7:30 pm
Arsaga’s on Crossover: Basement Brew 
Mellow Mushroom Pizza: Tiffany Christopher 
Speakeasy: DJ Greg 
Bordino’s: Eight Foot Jump 
Ultra Studios: Rouse Jewelry Trunk Show 6 pm (more info)
Drifters: Straightline Stitch, Ekotren, The Destro 
Rogue: Ransom 
Jose’s: John D. Levan 
Mt. Sequoyah: Mount Sequoyah Gift Center Open House 9 am – 5 pm
JJ’s Grill n Chill: Derek Townzen 
George’s: Steve Kimock, Melvin Seals, 
GoodFolk: Jack Williams & Ronny Cox 8 pm
Greenhouse Grille: Ren Lovely 
Smoke & Barrel Tavern: Hosta, Ctrl+Alt+Del 
Stella Boyle Smith Concert Hall: “An Evening of Operatic Gems” 8 pm
Teatro Scarpino: Gala Benefit for Theatre Squared 
UARK Bowl & Ballroom: Dinner and a Movie-The Godfather 
Drifters: Straightline Stitch, Ekotren, The Destro 
Saturday, November 21
Arsaga’s on Crossover: Dustin Jones 
Bordino’s: Jones & Leah 
ROTC: Genome Chomsky, Deadeye Jack, The Pullout Method 
Speakeasy: DJ Greg 
UA Student Union: Pare Lorentz Film Festival 10 am – 7:30 pm (more info)
Fayetteville Square: Lights of the Ozarks parade and ceremony 6 pm
Qdoba Mexican Grill: (Slightly Less) Skinny Jazz Quartet 
Sang House: Honky Horn & Bad Mouth, High Magic, Taifas 
Cheers: Quinntalkin 
Fayetteville Square: Fayetteville Farmers’ Market Holiday Market 7 am – 2pm
Smoke & Barrel Tavern: The Crumbs 
George’s: Steve Kimock, Melvin Seals, 
Nightbird Books: Caleb Smith, The Prison and the American Imagination 6 pm
Stella Boyle Smith Concert Hall: “An Evening of Operatic Gems” 8 pm
Soul: The Walter Savage Trio 8 pm
Walton Arts Center: Peter and the Wolf 3 pm
UA Student Union: UA Jazz Ensemble 7:30 pm
Rogue: Epiphany & Gina Gee, SeanFresh, DJ Bizar 
Razor’s Reef Grill & Cantina: The People In The Paper, Asinine Public 
Sunday, November 22
Common Grounds: DJ Soulfree 
George’s: Scott Leeper from Ben Miller Band 
Greenhouse Grille: Jesse Collet and Er-Gene Kahng 
Nightbird Books: Don House, Not a Good Sign 2:30 pm
Smoke & Barrel Tavern: My Dear Alan Andrews 
Stella Boyle Smith Concert Hall: Jayme Spicer Saxophone Recital 1:30 pm