POWER HOSTESS: Kim Coles.

PowerPlay showcase
Actress/comedienne Kim Coles will be the host of the second annual PowerPlay Awards on Saturday, July 23, at Robinson Center Music Hall, a show that will also feature top R&B and hip-hop entertainment.
R&B singer Keith Washington is scheduled to perform along with up-and-coming Memphis solo artist Temmora and the Hip-Hop Project. Local performers include Genine Perez, Bethany Devine, new gospel artist Broderick Daniels and poet Marcus Montgomery.
The show 7 p.m. show will feature awards in several categories, including PowerPlayer of the Year, honoring the individual or business/organization displaying the highest character, integrity and commitment; the Power Surge Award, honoring the individual or business/organization making an extraordinary career move that stands to make a significant impact on a community or industry; the Well Rounded Awards for the best in the entertainment, medical, religion and public service fields, and the Pause Awards for the individual and organization or event making an extraordinary community impact.
Tickets at $45 each are available through Ticketmaster (975-7575, www.ticketmaster.com). For more information, call PowerPlay Magazine at-247-9701 or visit www.powerplaymag.com.
Penguin time at Nu
Nu Cuisine Lounge at 225 E. Markham St. is helping the Little Rock Zoo get its African Penguin project and fund-raising underway with a “Black and White” party in the restaurant’s lounge on Friday, July 22. Casual black and white attire will get you into the 8 p.m. party, along with a $5 cover charge which will go directly to the Penguin Project. Donors will receive a commemorative Penguin Power bracelet and can enjoy $4 Penguin Power drink specials created by Nu’s lounge staff all night long. The zoo will be bringing an African penguin named Jackie to the party as well from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. Call 378-7500 for more information. The Arkansas Times is a co-sponsor of the event.
Odds good for partying
The Odds, a Fayetteville-based pop-rock and jam band that won the 2005 Arkansas Times Musicians Showcase, will perform at the Peabody Hotel’s RiverTop Party on Friday, July 22.
The show is part of the group’s prize package for winning the event. Since the Showcase, though, the Odds have picked up several other honors, including being named Band of the Year and winning Album of the Year in the 2005 Northwest Arkansas Music Awards.
The party runs from 7 p.m. to midnight, and admission for ages 21 and up is $5 after 8 p.m. For more information, call 399-8059.
Hot show at MOD
Mik Jacobs will bring his “Blazing Science” show about the fun side of fire and energy to the Museum of Discovery Thursday through Saturday, July 21-23. “Blazing Science” offers the facts on fireworks and tells how fire stunts work in the movies. Jacobs’ show is entertaining and educational and is coordinated by the Arkansas Children’s Discovery Center Network, which includes six museums around the state. Jacobs is an award-winning theatrical director, writer and entertainer and has performed his science programs around the world for more than a decade.
Showtimes are 10 a.m., noon and 2 p.m. Thursday and Friday, and 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. Saturday. Admission is $6.35 for adults, $5.85 for children ages 3-12, and $5.35 for seniors 65 and older.
Call 396-7050 for more information.
Get skating
Get a look at the skating craze when the Skatewave Modular Skate Park Demo Tour comes to the River Market pavilions on Friday, July 22. The tour gives cities the chance to see what an established skatepark could mean to its list of offerings. Skatewave sets up rideable skatepark elements, and the company’s staff of riders will skate and answer questions. Local riders will be able to participate and get tips from Skatewave’s experts.
The demo tour will be held from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. Bring a board, a helmet and, if local riders are under 18, a parent or guardian to sign a safety waiver. The event is free. Call 479-443-0066 or visit www.skatewavedemotour.com for more information.
Tastes of Wildwood
The Wildwood Wine and Food Festival is back at Wildwood Park and set for Friday, July 22, at the Lucy Lockett Cabe Festival Theatre, with more than 300 world-class wines for tasting.
The event, which began in 1996, will feature wines from around the world via Glazer’s Distributors of Arkansas. Wine-friendly foods will be presented by some of Little Rock’s top restaurants and prepared by the city’s top chefs. Music will be provided in each of the event’s tasting “regions.”
Tickets are $50 for general admission and $100 for the reserve room, and all proceeds benefit Wildwood’s Summer Opera Camp for Kids and educational programs. Call 821-7275 or visit www.wildwoodpark.org.
Golf in the River Market
Putt around like you never have before, going from hole to hole in the River Market district and helping kids in the process at the River Market Rounds Mini-Golf Tournament on Saturday, July 23. The contest will run from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. and costs $25 per person.
KIDSource Kids is the beneficiary of the event. Participants will receive free beer passes, T-shirts and more prizes.
KIDSource KIDS is a non-profit outgrowth of KIDSource Inc., which provides speech, occupational, physical, and developmental therapy for children in Central Arkansas. Call 315-4414 for more information.

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