April 2021

T E X A R K A N A M A G A Z I N E

GOOD EVENING TXK

COLUMN BY BAI LEY GRAVITT

photo by Maddy Green

FIVE THINGS TO DO DURING APRIL!

snowpocalypse of 2021 (as most in Texarkana are calling it). It was another full business week of iced-over roads and more than enough snow to keep me apart for far too long from my one true love-Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers. (Move over Honey-Butter Chicken Biscuit) Back then I was convinced that pressure cooker bunny prison was the worst thing in the world, but since then there has been no shortage of dramatic events in our world to give us perspective. We definitely take our everyday pleasures for granted far too often. After only a week of not seeing my friends during the snowstorm, I was dying to re-enter the world in my best outfit and live my best life again. I know you probably felt the same way, too, but thankfully, it was not the end of the world! COVID restrictions are beginning to ease, and the snow is all melted, so throw that best outfit on, grab your friends, find a patio and go do what we were born to do at the fun Texarkana events happening in April!

It’s hard to believe that only five years ago this month I was sitting in Central Mall, on a purple Easter egg shaped throne, with a giant yellow duck towering over me, holding crying, screaming, adorably dressed babies in my lap. I was slowly, but surely, losing every ounce of hydration in my body because of my overactive sweat glands, mixed with an Easter bunny suit that reached temperatures of at least 100 degrees. Fifteen minutes in that suit would beat an hour of yoga any day. Good times! This is how I will forever remember the month of April. But a lot has changed in five years! I have had plenty of time to ponder why I ever said yes to being a mall Easter bunny during the now infamous quarantine of 2020. She was a gem! I was blessed with even more time at home to examine my life during the gorgeous, but ever so annoying,

76th Annual Four States Fair & Rodeo at Four States Fairgrounds—April 2-11 There is absolutely no better way to start April than with the 76th Annual Four States Fair & Rodeo, back for the first time in two years! I cannot believe it has been two years since I have ridden the Avalanche-my favorite fair ride! The fair was a staple of my childhood and I know the same goes for so many other Texarkanians! The rides may bring me there, but the funnel cakes KEEP me there! If you are looking for fun for the entire family, the annual fair starts on April 2, and will be in town until April 11 at the Four States Fairgrounds, located at 3700 East 50th Street, Texarkana, Arkansas.

AMMP Motorsports Monster Mash & Demolition Derby Two-Night Event at Four States Fairgrounds—April 2-3 I still remember my miniature light blue wax covered ear plugs from these two events many years ago when I was just a wee child. My uncle was in the demolition derby, so my entire family went to support him. Listen, I’m not trying to hate on a bunch of monster trucks running over smaller objects or loud cars crashing into each other, all in the name of fun. If you love that kind of thing, then great! This event is for you. It has never been my cup of tea, but I have no doubt it will be a blast for many. That is what makes Texarkana so great… it has something for every taste.

If you are interested, the Monster Mash doors will open at 5 pm on the Four States Fair’s opening night Friday, April 2, with the actual show starting at 7 pm. The 30th Annual Demolition Derby doors will open at 6 pm and starts at 7:30 pm on Saturday, April 3! Texarkana Symphony Orchestra presents Andrew Von Oeyen playing piano for one night only!—April 17 Maybe I could have been the next piano prodigy when I was a kid, if I would have actually stuck with it the three different opportunities I had to take lessons. But, alas, I quit every time. Laziness got the best of me. Now I am relegated to dreaming of what

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