Little Rock, AR –  Park it at Wildwood Saturday, October 24 (10:00am - 6:00pm) and Sunday, October 25 (12:00pm – 6:00pm) and enjoy a bounty of activities for the entire family at the second annual HARVEST! Festival. Sponsored in part by Bank of the Ozarks, Wildwood Park brings home the sights, sounds, aromas and traditions of autumn in Arkansas through a diversity of arts, including the performing, horticultural, and culinary arts. Little Rock’s unique botanical garden is the site for hay rides to Pumpkin Hill, the Arkansas Root Culinary Competition, the Arkansas Pickin’ & Fiddlin’ Championship, and an array of children’s activities. “With so many October options I hope folks choose the beautiful woodland setting of Wildwood Park,” says director Cliff Fannin Baker. “It’s been filled with family activities, healthy delicious Arkansas foods and bluegrass music. Now for a family, it seems to me, that’s the stuff of memories. With cake walks and hayrides, scarecrows and fiddlin’, I suggest you bring a camera!” 

FAMILY ACTIVITIES

Children and children-at-heart will enjoy old-fashioned, tractor-drawn hay rides through the woods to Pumpkin Hill, where the young ones will receive a free pumpkin along with an opportunity to meet Larry the Mule and climb an all-new hay fort created by Amoz Eckerson of Jameson Architects, PA. In addition to creating crafts and checking out the musical instruments at Paul Morphis’s One Man Band Petting Zoo, youngsters will be entertained by Wolfe at the Door Puppets, extraordinary stories by Faye Hanson, and sing-alongs with folk and acoustic musician Mare Carmody, thanks to the Central Arkansas Library System. Throughout the Park, festival-goers will find seasonal demonstrations, including quilting and gardening, crafts sponsored by Home Depot, and a selection of vendors, including Wildwood’s Pumpkin Shop.  

ARKANSAS PICKIN’ & FIDDLIN’ CHAMPIONSHIP AND BLUEGRASS MUSIC

Truegrass (otherwise known as The Mickler Sisters - Sarah, Mary and Anna - plus one, Tiffany Turner) tunes up the fun Saturday morning in anticipation of the Arkansas Pickin’ and Fiddlin’ Championship, which begins at 1 p.m. Jonathan Trawick, competition coordinator, is recruiting competitors from the tri-state region. Competition divisions include Flatpick, Mandolin, Resophonic Guitar, Banjo and Band, with contest divisions from Pee Wee to Senior. More than $1000 will be awarded in cash prizes. Rules, a registration form and more information are available at www.wildwoodpark.org.   

Judges for the various divisions of The Arkansas Pickin’ and Fiddlin’ Championship include Junior Marriott, a six-time Missouri state fiddle champion, a two-time Grand Lakes National Fiddle Fest Champion and an Arkansas and Indiana state champion. Judge Bill Nesbitt, a multi-instrumentalist and instructor in Little Rock, AR, currently plays mandolin with the Josh Love Band; Boone Carlon, a founder of the Arkansas State Fiddler’s Association and host of the largest bluegrass festival in the state (Old Time Fiddle Show in Turkey Track), has graced stages with Porter Wagoner, The Browns, Sammy Barnhart, Mac Wisemen, The Country Gentlemen and others. Frank Ellis, an Arkansas State Fiddle Champion, has played with many groups and bands through the years.  Chuck Hughes, also a multi-instrumentalist, has placed in the top five at Winfield’s National Banjo Championship and currently plays with Arkansas based bluegrass band Posey Hill, which performs for HARVEST on Sunday. The emcee for the competition is Carl Cobb of The Cobb Brothers. He has performed with Chet Atkins and has been a singer/songwriter for Tree International's Meadowgreen Music. 

Round Mountain Sounds of Conway has donated an acoustic OSP ES-125 guitar to be raffled at HARVEST following the Championship. Raffle tickets are $1, with discounts for the purchase of larger blocks.  Raffle tickets may be purchased in advance at Round Mountain Sounds or via the store’s website at www.roundmountainsounds.com.     

Great bluegrass music continues on Sunday, October 25, with performances by The Hartley Family, Posey Hill, The Itinerant Locals and Downtown Divas.  Chip and Cindy Murphy are sponsors of the Championship and the bluegrass bands for the Festival. 

TASTY TREATS

When you’re not clapping along to the music, tap your toes and enjoy culinary delights available for purchase in the Park. Love fall food? Arrive hungry because there are plenty of treats available, including bratwursts, healthy dogs, sweet potatoes, and other delicious vegetables. Indulge your sweet tooth during the afternoon cake walks or at Wildwood’s Bake Shop, where the kids can decorate caramel apples and cupcakes provided by Blue Cake Company. Beverages include root beer, apple cider, mulled wine and beer. Diamond Bear is hosting a beer tasting each afternoon ($10). Juicy Juice will be giving away free juice samples on Sunday, October 25. 

Concessions range from $1 to $4 and are available for purchase with Wild Bucks, the Park’s Festival currency.  

ARKANSAS ROOT CULINARY COMPETITION

Love to cook autumnal eats?! Enter the Arkansas Root Culinary Competition to win cash prizes on Saturday, October 24.  Entries can be submitted into the following categories: Appetizers, Casserole/Main Dish and Miscellaneous.  So cook up your sweet potatoes, rutabagas, beets, garlic, carrots, onions (or any other combination among the many root vegetables) and enter to win! Winners of each category will win a $50 cash prize with an opportunity to win a $100 prize for the most memorable root recipe.  Judges include Mary Twedt of Arkansas Cooks; the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette’s Eric Harrison; and Wildwood Park’s director, Cliff Baker.  Contestants must have their culinary entry to Wildwood Park by 12:00pm, Saturday, October 24, for 1:00pm judging. Information and an entry form are available at www.wildwoodpark.org.   

SPONSORS

Wildwood extends special thanks to HARVEST! Chairs David and Vivian Norman. Sponsors for the Second Annual HARVEST! Festival include Bank of the Ozarks, Little Rock Family, Chip and Cindy Murphy, Thoma Thoma , Aristotle, Little Rock Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Arkansas Arts Council. Added thanks to Round Mountain Sounds, J.A. Riggs, Inc, Bylites, Diamond Bear Brewery, Amoz Eckerson of Jameson Architects, P.A. and  The Wild Men and Wild Women of Wildwood, a corps of 200+ volunteers that makes great things happen at Wildwood. 

DATES/TIME/PRICES

Wildwood’s HARVEST! Family Festival is Saturday, October 24th from 10 AM to 6 PM, and Sunday, October 25th, from Noon to 6 PM. Gate admissions are $10 for adults, $5 for kids 6-12 and free for kids age 5 and younger.  A hay ride wrist band is $2 ; concessions range from $1 to $4; and are available for purchase with Wild Bucks, the Park’s Festival currency. Visit www.wildwoodpark.org for a map and more information. Wildwood Park for the Arts, 20919 Denny Road in west Little Rock, is home to Little Rock’s unique botanical gardens.

Wildwood Park has expanded its focus to include the full range of performing, literary, culinary, visual and horticultural arts.  A 105-acre park, pavilions, gardens and 625-seat theatre complex make Wildwood one of our state’s most valuable natural and cultural resources. Wildwood Park for the Arts is a 501(c)3 charitable organization. 

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