By Chip Chandler — Producer
Here's a quick take on your 10 best entertainment bets in the next 10 days.
1. Dial M for Murder
This classic whodunit will kick off TheatreAC's 2019-20 season with performances from Oct. 10 to 13 in the Amarillo College Experimental Theatre on the Washington Street campus.
2. Our Town
WTAMU Theater continues its season with the iconic family drama Our Town, on stage through Oct. 13 in the Branding Iron Theatre.
3. Fall fun
Get your scares on with Amarillo Scaregrounds, 2736 S.W. 10th Ave.; the new Butcher's Hollow, 2503 S.W. 45th Ave.; Sixth Street Massacre, 3015 S.W. Sixth Ave.; and Van Buren Frightmare, 816 S. Van Buren St. Other autumn-time family fun includes Maxwell's Pumpkin Farm, open weekends through Oct. 27; Family Support Services' October FeSSt family fun day from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Oct. 12 at Starlight Ranch Event Center, 1415 Sunrise Drive; the Fall Foliage Festival on Oct. 19 and 20 in Canadian; Pumpkinfest from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Oct. 19 at Amarillo Botanical Gardens, 1400 Streit Drive, and the Llano Cemetery Historic Tour from 3 to 7 p.m. Oct. 19 at the cemetery, 2900 Hayes Drive. For adults, check out The Witches' Ball 2019: Summoning of the Spirits at 7:45 p.m. Oct. 12 at the Khiva Shrine, 305 S.E. Fifth Ave., the Halloween Masquerade Ball and bike/car run at noon Oct. 19 at Tripp's Harley Davidson, 6040 W. Interstate 40, and the Handle Bar & Grill's second-annual Halloween Bash at 6 p.m Oct. 19 at the bar, 3514 S.W. Sixth Ave.
4. Amarillo Bulls
The hockey team continues its 10th season with games against the Lone Star Brahmas at 7:05 p.m. Oct. 11 and 12 in the Amarillo Civic Center Complex Coliseum, 401 S. Buchanan St.
5. Buddy the Dinosaur
The adorable star of PBS Kids' Dinosaur Train will be on hand at Dino Day from 1 to 4 p.m. Oct. 12 at Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum, 2503 Fourth Ave. in Canyon. Kids also can excavate a dig site on the east lawn, make fossils and meet live animals. Museum admission is discounted to $5 for the full day, as well. Buddy also will visit Westgate Mall on Oct. 14, Amarillo Public Library North Branch on Oct. 17, and McDonald's, 400 E. Amarillo Blvd., also on Oct. 17.
6. Amarillo's Craft Beer and Bacon Fest
What's not to love about beer and bacon? Get your fill at this annual party at 4 p.m. Oct. 12 at Amarillo Netplex, 3723 S.W. 58th Ave. Before that, chow down at Amarillo Hispanic Chamber of Commerce's Flavors of Amarillo Mariachi Festival at 5 p.m. Oct. 10 in the Amarillo Civic Center Complex South Exhibit Hall, 401 S. Buchanan St. Other parties on tap include Don Harrington Discovery Center's The Big Deal at 7 p.m. Oct. 19 at the center, 1200 Streit Drive; and Panhandle Breast Health's Bright Lights of BraWay at 7 p.m. Oct. 19 in the Amarillo Civic Center Complex Heritage Ballroom.
7. Chamber Music Amarillo
CMA will collaborate with Friends of Aeolian-Skinner, Opus 1024 and Harrington String Quartet for this concert featuring composer Harlan Hodges' newly commissioned work Toward the South Plains, which explores the wide open spaces of the Texas Panhandle through song. The concert is set for 7:30 p.m. Oct. 12 at St. Andrew's Episcopal Church, 1601 S. Georgia St. Classical lovers should also note Amarillo Symphony's October concerts, featuring pianist Jeremy Denk on Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 19, set for 7:30 p.m. Oct. 19 and 20 in the Globe-News Center for the Performing Arts, 500 S. Buchanan St.
8. Beatles vs. Stones
Tribute bands Abbey Road and Satisfaction will face off in a night of '60s rock, beginning at 7 p.m. Oct. 13 in the Globe-News Center for the Performing Arts, 500 S. Buchanan St. Also performing on several Beatles' hits is a string quartet comprised of Caprock High School students Raul Zuniga, Casey Casias, Thipphavanh Keophimphone and Jada Wooten. Other concerts of note: the Esquire Jazz Huge Band at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 10, Michael Geib & Friends at 9 p.m. Oct. 11, the Esquire Jazz Band at 9 p.m. Oct. 12, Jillian Rae at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 17 and Amarillo band Young Country at 9 p.m. Oct. 18 at Esquire Jazz Club, 626 S. Polk St.; hip-hop acts Mr. P Chill, Cleen and Oscar Goldman at 10 p.m. Oct. 11, rock band Farewell Winters at 10 p.m. Oct. 12, bluegrass band Amarugia Ridge Runners at 10 p.m. Oct. 16 and country band The Barlow at 10 p.m. Oct. 17 at Leftwoods, 2511 S.W. Sixth Ave.; Amarillo punk band The Bastard Sons of David Hasselhoff at 10 p.m. Oct. 11, outlaw country band Ryan Chrys & The Rough Cuts at 10 p.m. Oct. 12 and Amarillo metal cover band Dedlocked at 10 p.m. Oct. 19 at Whiskey River, 4001 S.W. 51st Ave.; Amarillo favorites Yvonne Perea and Insufficient Funds at the Prairie Dog Town Fork of the Red River Festival from 2 to 10 p.m. Oct. 12 at Bar Z Winery, 19290 Farm-to-Market Road 1541; indie bands Bear Call, Tendersilk and Lake Dads at 10 p.m. Oct. 12 and country singer Julia Hatfield at 10 p.m. Oct. 17 at Golden Light Cantina, 2908 S.W. Sixth Ave.; country singer Jason James at 10 p.m. Oct. 12 at Hoots Pub, 2424 Hobbs Road; metal bands Alterbeast, Cognitive, Micawber, Warforged, Enfuraeon and Horrid Demise at 8 p.m. Oct. 12 and metal bands No Home, Fairwell, Neon Graves and Austin Weathersbee at 8 p.m. Oct. 13 at Zombiez Bar & Grill, 711 S.W. 10th Ave.; folk duo The Brother Brothers in a Living Room Concert for High Plains Public Radio at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 13 in the Fibonacci Space, 3306 S.W. Sixth Ave.; rock band Don Babylon at 8 p.m. Oct. 13 and one-man-band The March Divide at 9 p.m. Oct. 15 at The 806 Coffee + Lounge, 2812 S.W. Sixth Ave.; Amarillo combo The Jim Laughlin Quartet for Jazztober at 6 p.m. Oct. 15 at the Amarillo Chamber of Commerce, 1000 S. Polk St. (or Esquire Jazz Club if it rains); the Amarillo College Concert Choir at 6 p.m. Oct. 15 in the AC Concert Hall Theatre on the Washington Street campus; a Songwriters in the Round concert featuring Gary Guinn, Tammy Stamps, Joel White and Mike Fuller at 7 p.m. Oct. 19 at Chalice Abbey, 2717 Stanley St.
9. WWE Live
Smackdown and Raw stars hit the ring in Amarillo, including (subject to change) Seth Rollins vs. “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt; Roman Reigns vs. Erick Rowan with Luke Harper; the Raw Women’s Championship Match with Becky Lynch vs. Sasha Banks; New Day’s Kofi Kingston, Bayley, AJ Styles, Baron Corbin, Charlotte Flair and more. The bout is set for 7 p.m. Oct. 13 in the Amarillo Civic Center Complex Coliseum, 401 S. Buchanan St.
10. Zombieland: Double Tap
Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Abigail Breslin and Emma Stone reunite in the sequel to the 2009 zom-com, opening Oct. 18 (previewing Oct. 17). Also opening that weekend: Disney sequel Maleficent: Mistress of Evil. Opening the weekend of Oct. 11 are animated feature The Addams Family, sci-fi action film Gemini Man, tech-gone-wrong comedy Jexi and music documentary Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice. Special engagements will include 35th-anniversary screenings of the original Ghostbusters on Oct. 10; The Met: Live in HD performance of Turandot on Oct. 12 and 16; 40th-anniversary screenings of Alien for TCM Big Screen Classics on Oct. 13, 15 and 16; Rob Zombie horror flick 3 From Hell on Oct. 14; inspirational documentary Skid Row Marathon on Oct. 14; and Kevin Smith comedy Jay & Silent Bob Reboot on Oct. 15 and (in a double feature with Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back) on Oct. 17.
Chip Chandler is a producer for Panhandle PBS and a member of GALECA. He can be contacted at Chip.Chandler@actx.edu, at @chipchandler1 on Twitter and on Facebook.
