What's Up - Your guide to what's happening in Fayetteville, AR this week!
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FEBRUARY 6-12, 2022 WHAT'S UP! 7 FYI Silver Dollar City 2022 Season March 16 — Spring Ride Days begin. April 14-May 1 — Street Fest: Likened to a street carni- val, performers showcase acrobatics, juggling, comedy skills and knife-throwing trickery. Music adds to the festive atmosphere with steel drums, percussion acts and live bands. The new Living Garden's aerialists, statue illusionists and giant moving topiaries all come to life. May 4-30 — Bluegrass & BBQ Festival. June 11-July 24 — National Kids Fest: Including summer concerts by legendary names like The Ozark Mountain Daredevils and Newsboys. July 23-Aug. 7 — Moonlight Madness: A roller coaster enthusiast's playground while for the not-so-daring riders, there's a nightly dance party. Aug. 25-Sept. 5 — Southern Gospel Picnic: The Ozark hills fill with joyful harmonies from the nation's most nota- ble Southern Gospel groups throughout the day, plus nightly performances in Echo Hollow Amphitheater. Sept. 8-11 & 15-18 — Country Music Days: Watch silver- dollarcity.com for upcoming announcements. Sept. 21-Oct. 29 — Harvest Festival: With a major expan- sion scheduled for 2022, "Pumpkins in The City" is a highlight inside The Harvest Festival. At sunset, tens of thousands of pumpkins — carved, sculpted, life-size and themed — illuminate the night sky, accentuated with a lively, blacklight dance party every night in Pumpkin Plaza. A daytime dimension includes hundreds of demon- strating crafters, plus cowboy lore and music throughout the streets and stages. Nov. 5-Dec. 30 — An Old Time Christmas: A dazzling wonderland with 6.5 million lights, A Holly Jolly Light Parade, an eight-story animated Christmas tree, Christmas in Midtown spec- tacular, Joy on Town Square light show, Broadway-style shows, roller coasters at night and gourmet holiday foods. INFO — silverdollarcity.com Sleeping Giant Silver Dollar City awakens March 16 BECCA MARTIN-BROWN NWA Democrat-Gazette I t's like trying to sample all the food at Silver Dollar City — it just can't be done in one big bite. That's how the Branson theme park is approaching its plans for 2022. "We have a year packed with fun, including through our festivals and events," says Brad Thomas, president, Silver Dollar City Attractions. "We will continue to make announcements through the course of the year — but we open March 16, just in time for family spring breaks." Thomas is touting the season as Silver Dollar City's "biggest entertainment year ever," with "10 world-class festivals and events and an entertainment playbill of hundreds of shows and performers. Additionally, there are 40 rides and attractions, demonstrating artisans, the great Marvel Cave and [that] much heralded, creative home-style cooking." The season begins with Spring Ride Days, starting March 16, followed by Street Fest, Bluegrass & BBQ , the return of the popular National Kids Fest, Moonlight Madness, Southern Gospel Picnic, Country Music Days and Harvest Festival, winding up with An Old Time Christmas in November and December. "Street Fest [will see] cirque-style acts performing through the streets of the City," says Thomas. "Our Bluegrass & BBQ lineup is strong with some of the top names in bluegrass like Rhonda Vincent and Dailey & Vincent. After several years of absence, our Kids Fest returns in the summer. Southern Gospel Picnic ends the summer with renowned Southern gospel groups like Triumphant Quartet, the Hoppers, Dennis Swanberg, The Kingsmen and our longtime friends from the great state of Arkansas, The Martins! And year No. 4 of our Pumpkins in the City event will see yet another expansion." It's tough, Thomas says, to single out one particular performer or event as the most anticipated. "First off, our early summer concert series features a bit of 'time travel.' Ozark Mountain Daredevils hit the national pop charts in the 1970s. Their music is still played on nostalgic pop stations including those stations that feature 'Yacht Rock' — light rock from the late '70s to early '80s. They will make one of their rare performances on Saturday, June 4, right here at Silver Dollar City. "Members Only performs all over America's heartland, rocking to top music of the 1980s. They perform a lot in Southern Missouri and Northwest Arkansas. I can't wait to see them return with their fans on Friday, June 3. "Dancing Dream is an ABBA tribute that will return on Saturday, June 11. They have quickly become a Silver Dollar City fan favorite as they sing top ABBA songs, and the entire audience sings along! "Then for summer, I'm super excited about the new … well … I can't talk about that one yet." Thomas does say that Silver Dollar City had a great 2021, in spite of covid challenges, receiving "numerous accolades." "Among the top, according to Amusement Today's 'Golden Ticket' voters, Mystic River Falls soared to the No. 2 ranked water ride in global theme parks and No. 1 in the USA. With only 2 years of operation, that's a major accomplishment. And USA Today's 10Best voters placed Silver Dollar City's Old Time Christmas as the No. 1 Christmas event for the fifth consecutive time!" Disa Stilts, a stilt walker, performs during Silver Dollar City's Street Fest. (Courtesy Photos/SDC) BRANSON