Where does a pot made on a Wednesday afternoon in October end up? On the ASU-Beebe campus this year, it goes on a sale table in The Grove on December 1, at an event that raises money for students facing unexpected financial hardships.
That connection is easy to miss when you read the season one event at a time. Taken in order, the October-to-December calendar at ASU-Beebe works as a single loop that Beebe residents can join at the start and see through to the finish. Most of the free parts happen during weekday business hours. The evening shows cost between $5 and $15.
It Starts at a Wheel in the England Center
ASU-Beebe's Makers Days run on Wednesday, October 14, and Monday, October 19, from 2 to 4 p.m. in the England Center Pottery Studio. The college lists the hands-on pottery sessions as free and open to the whole community. The listing also says what happens to the work. Everything made in those sessions will be sold at the 2026 Community Tree Lighting in December.
The college says all of its community events help raise money for the Student Emergency Hope Fund, which assists students facing unexpected financial hardships. That makes an afternoon at the wheel in October the first step toward a holiday-sale item at an event that raises money for that fund.
The Makers Days listing doesn't mention a sign-up step, and it doesn't say there isn't one. Before you show up, call the England Center Art Gallery reception office at (501) 882-4495 or the main campus line at (501) 882-3600.
The Gallery Next Door Changes Every Month
If you're coming for pottery, the England Center Art Gallery at 201 North Orange Street is in the same building. In October it's showing paintings by Dolores Justus Reuther, a Hot Springs painter, art director and designer whose landscapes study patterns of light, form and optics. The public reception is tomorrow, Monday, October 5, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Admission is free, and the gallery is open 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, all month.
Her résumé reaches well beyond Beebe. The college's release lists collections that include the Arkansas Museum of Fine Art in Little Rock, the Historic Arkansas Museum and Arkansas Children's Hospital, and it notes that her work appeared on HBO's True Detective in 2019. She explained her approach in the release:
"I've always had a strong identification with nature and am continually in awe of the depth of inspiration that it offers."
In November the walls go to the ASU-Beebe Fall Student Showcase, with work from this semester's art classes and a reception on November 18 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. If you made something at Makers Days, that show is a good way to see what students produced in the same building over the same weeks.
Who's Actually Performing
The October 15 Music Showcase makes more sense once you know who's on stage. ASU-Beebe says it's the only two-year college in central Arkansas that offers an Associate of Fine Arts degree, with emphases in vocal music, instrumental music, theater, graphic design and creative arts enterprise. Night One of Music Showcase is Thursday, October 15, at 7 p.m. in the Owen Center Theater. It features singers and chamber ensembles, the Symphonic Band, improv and black box theater groups, and student soloists.
Many of those same student groups come back in December. The Symphonic Band and Chamber Singers are billed for the tree lighting, which means the October showcase works as an early look at the December program.
The Free Week Runs on Weekday Mornings
At the end of October, Abington Library on campus hosts "Fireside Folklore, Tales After Dark," a week of ghost stories, legends, superstitions and Southern storytelling. Presenters include folklorist Dr. Gregory Hansen, Dr. Amber Bramlett and several regional authors. Sessions and activities are free and open to the public.
Despite the "After Dark" in the name, the published schedule mostly runs in the morning.
- Monday, October 26. "The Stories We Tell" at 10 a.m., then junk-journaling drop-in from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
- Tuesday, October 27. A presentation on Belle Gunness at 9 a.m., then urban-legend postcards from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
- Wednesday, October 28. A folklore presentation at 10 a.m., then cryptid design from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
- Thursday, October 29. Dover tales at 10 a.m., then a "Thriller" dance drop-in from 1 to 2:30 p.m.
- Friday, October 30. Costumes & Coffee from 9 to 9:50 a.m., with costume judging starting at 9, then the Phantom Hitchhiker at 10 a.m.
Presentations are in the Abington Library Main Room. The week is advertised as October 26 through 31, but the program guide gives no schedule for Saturday the 31st. Anyone hoping for a weekend session should check the Fireside Folklore page closer to the date.
Because of the timing, the folklore week fits retirees, people working from home and anyone who can take a long lunch better than it fits a weekday commuter. The same goes for the gallery, which closes at 4:30 p.m. and stays closed on weekends.
The Evening Shows Cost Very Little
Apart from the free tree lighting, the evening events on campus are ticketed. ASU-Beebe's posted series prices are $15 general admission and $10 for educators, military, K-12 students and anyone 60 or older, with ID. Theater shows are $5, and ASU-Beebe students, employees and emeritus members get in free with ID. Parking on campus is free.
The fall theater production is The Battle of Boat, an original musical about a group of children in 1916 who try to help the war effort when they can't join the soldiers. It plays the Owen Center Theater Thursday, November 5, and Friday, November 6, at 7 p.m., with Saturday and Sunday matinees on November 7 and 8 at 2 p.m. The college hasn't published a director or cast yet. The weekend matinees are the easiest showings for families to fit in.
Here's how the rest of the season lines up through December.
| Event | Date | Time | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Makers Days pottery, England Center | Oct. 14 and 19 | 2–4 p.m. | Free |
| Music Showcase Night One, Owen Center | Oct. 15 | 7 p.m. | Series pricing |
| Fireside Folklore, Abington Library | Oct. 26–30 | Mornings and midday | Free |
| The Battle of Boat, Owen Center | Nov. 5–8 | 7 p.m. Thu–Fri, 2 p.m. Sat–Sun | $5 |
| Student Showcase reception, England Center | Nov. 18 | 11:30 a.m.–1:30 p.m. | Free |
| Community Tree Lighting, The Grove | Dec. 1 | Pottery sale 3 p.m., entertainment 5 p.m. | Free |
| Music Showcase Night Two | Dec. 2 | 6:30 p.m. | Series pricing |
| Improv Night, Owen Center | Dec. 2 | 7 p.m. | Series pricing |
| Tomáseen Foley's A Celtic Christmas | Dec. 9 | 7 p.m. | $15, or $10 with qualifying ID |
A Celtic Christmas, now in its 28th season, recreates a 1940s Christmas gathering in rural western Ireland with fiddles, pipes, traditional dancing and storytelling. Tickets for the season are sold through the college's ticket page.
Where the Loop Closes
The October pottery shows up again on Tuesday, December 1, in The Grove. The pottery sale opens at 3 p.m., and entertainment starts at 5 p.m. The free community-wide evening includes the ASU-Beebe Symphonic Band and Chamber Singers, Studio 360 dancers, hayrides, hot cocoa, cookies and a visit from Santa, and it ends with the lighting of the campus Christmas tree.
If you threw a pot on October 14 or 19, the 3 p.m. sale is when it goes on sale, two hours before the entertainment starts, at an event the college says helps raise money for the Student Emergency Hope Fund.
October has one more date that isn't on campus. The Beebe Chamber of Commerce's Fallin' Blackbird Festival fills downtown on Saturday, October 17, with a 5K at 7 a.m. and festival hours from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., plus a car show, live music, vendors and food. It falls between the two Makers Days. For the story behind the name, our piece on Beebe's Main Street covers it.
If you'd like to know what your Beebe home might bring before the holiday season, the local team at Howell Realty Pros can give you a free home valuation. You can also browse our Beebe neighborhood page or talk to a local expert.
