THURSDAY 10/16
At noon, former Arkansas State basketball player Arthur Agee and producer Gordon Quinn discuss “Hoop Dreams” at the Clinton School’s Sturgis Hall. The Arkansas Arts Center hosts the Contemporaries Fountain Fest, with BBQ from Whole Hog Cafe and music by DJ Mike Poe, at 5:30 p.m., $25 adv., $30 day of. The Arkansas Festival Ballet performs “Danse Melange” at the Albert Pike Memorial Temple, 7:30 p.m., $20 (also Friday Oct. 17). Comedy troupe Red Octopus Theater presents a new sketch production, “The Ghoul-sual Suspects,” at The Public Theater, 8 p.m., $10 (through Saturday, Oct. 18). St. Louis alt-rock band The Bottle Rockets are at Stickyz with locals Swampbird, 8 p.m., $10. Blues rock singer-songwriter Patrick Sweany, who’s worked with The Black Keys and Jimbo Mathus, returns to White Water Tavern with Joe Fletcher at 10 p.m., $10.
FRIDAY 10/17
Chris Robinson Brotherhood, a side project from the front man of The Black Crowes, comes to Revolution, 9:30 p.m., $20 (the band plays George’s Majestic in Fayetteville on Thursday at 9 p.m., $18.) Rob Engstrom, SVP and national political director at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, hosts a 2014 Election Preview at the Clinton School’s Sturgis Hall at noon. Vegas metal group Five Finger Death Punch plays at Verizon Arena with Volbeat, 6:10 p.m., $51.50. Comedian Bill Engvall comes to the Walton Arts Center in Fayetteville, performing shows at 7 and 9:30 p.m., $37-$67. Country duo The Easy Leaves plays a free show at South on Main, 7:30 p.m. Frontier Circus and Mulehead are at The Afterthought, 9 p.m., $7. Velvet Kente hosts a Reggae Dance Party at White Water Tavern, 10 p.m.
SATURDAY 10/18
The Good Earth Garden Center hosts the 4th Annual Pooches and Pumpkins event beginning at 11 a.m. Wildwood Park for the Performing Arts presents “Hay Days,” with hay rides, storytelling and more, noon, $5. Local rapper Kari Faux (whose local hit “No Small Talk” was recently remixed by Childish Gambino) performs at The Fold at 10:30 p.m. UALR presents a screening of “Slavery By Another Name,” followed by a discussion, at the Stella Boyle Smith Concert Hall, 1 p.m., free. Catamaran plays at Vino’s with Duckstronaut, 9 p.m., $5. The Big Dam Horns perform at the Afterthought, and Fayetteville jam band Goose comes to Juanita’s, 9 p.m., $8. Local favorite Bonnie Montgomery performs at White Water Tavern, 10 p.m.