With some much needed relief from all the recent fires, Memorial Day weekend will bring small gatherings, art exhibit openings and a big music festival to the Amarillo area, along with annual ceremonies to honor the fallen. High school graduations will be filling local venues for more commencement ceremonies through Friday, May 22, and things pause briefly before kicking into full gear in June.
The Amarillo Sod Poodles continue their home series vs. the Northwest Arkansas Naturals (Kansas City Royals), with special jerseys and fireworks for Toy Story Night at Hodgetown scheduled for Saturday, May 23.
Here’s some of what’s on tap for May 21-25.
Iconic, award-winning photos on display
Ongoing: “Main Street: The Lost Dream of Route 66” opens at AMoA — See a new exhibit at the Amarillo Museum of Art featuring work by Pulitzer-Prize winning photographer Edward Keating, accompanied by his critically acclaimed book (Damiani, 2018). Currently in its second printing (the first edition sold out in six weeks), the book is also personal mythology, constructed from the artist’s own recollections of America’s most mythic highway. The exhibit is the result of 11 years of his travels along the 2,400-mile stretch between Chicago and Santa Monica, documenting the lives of Americans along the way. Keating had served as a photojournalist for nearly 40 years for such publications as New York Times, Forbes and Business Week. Tragically, he died of brain cancer at age 65 in September 2021, believed to have been contracted as a result of his exposure to toxic materials at Ground Zero in the days after 9/11. A reception for the AMoA exhibit will be held mid-June. The museum is located at 2200 South Van Buren on the Amarillo College campus and is open 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 1-5 p.m. Sundays. For more, visit www.amoa.org, email amoa@actx.edu, or call (806) 371-5050 or (806) 371-5392 (weekends).
Discovery Center opens doors to community, new exhibit
Ongoing: “Dinosaurs Around the World: The Great Outdoors” at DHDC — In the wake of the wildfires, the center has been offering donation-based admission in place of regular ticket pricing, through Thursday, May 21, and they are collecting items requested by firefighters. The Don Harrington Discovery Center’s newest dino exhibit opened May 19 and is on view daily to the public from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. for a limited engagement through Sept. 7. With 10 animatronics, a multi-layered narrative, and cutting- edge research, audiences will go back in time with the Age of Reptiles brought back to life on the supercontinent of Pangea. Discover how plate tectonics, land bridges, and volcanic activity allowed dinosaurs to disperse to all corners of the globe during their 172 million year reign.
May 22: End of School Bash at DHDC — On Friday, the Discovery Center is offering $1 admission from noon to 4:30 p.m. to celebrate the start of summer, with activities and crafts provided by community partners, such as Every Drop Counts, Wonderland, Amarillo Competitive Fencing Association, Atmos Energy, Amarillo Quarter Horse Association, Kumon Academy, Randall County Sheriff’s Office, Girl Scouts, Xcel Energy and more.
Bad Magik for good vibes
May 23: Bad Magik Musik Fest 2026 at Sam Houston Park — Saturday from 2 to 9 p.m., crowds will gather at the park for annual festivities, with Musik by Terror Tower, Trenchrat, Psycke & Erratic Soul , Pancakes For Dinner, Twelve2Six, Plemons Bridge, Stealing Handshakes featuring performances by DJs Ashmead Stopher, & Petra400, a full market with more than 25 vendors, lots of food, and more. The fun continues with afterparties on Sixth Street. Event sponsors include the 806 Coffee + Lounge, R&R Bar, High Fidelity Records, GoldenLight Amarillo, The Atomic Yellow, Idol Art Studio, RGS Burlesque Productions, Tierra Alta Capital Company, Tarpley Music Company, Sunbelt, and The Great Armadillo. The event will also serve as a warm-up of live music for the park’s 70th Starlight Theater season, which starts June 2.
HPPR show in house, on air
May 24-25: Goldpine performances courtesy HPPR — High Plains Public Radio has been having a spree of folk acts coming through Amarillo each weekend, and they’re keeping the energy going with Nashville-based Goldpine. Their live performance at Chalice Abbey on Sunday is sold out, but you can see and hear them live on the air on High Plains Morning the day after their concert, as well as via video livestream on HPPR’s Facebook page. Winner of the 2022 Rocky Mountain Songwriter Contest, the husband-wife duo has been offering their own brand of bold harmony-driven Americana with their distinctive harmonies and compositions. A $15 donation admission to the concert will go to the band, with a stipend for the venue to help keep the lights on.
Memorial Day related events
Memorial Park Funeral Home & Cemetery will host a Memorial Day ceremony at 10 a.m. Saturday, May 23, with a Flag Ceremony conducted by Boy Scouts of America Troop 10; participation from the Patriot Guard Riders, The Volleys for Veterans, and Wreaths Across America; a moment of silence honoring the veterans who have passed since their last ceremony; and much more. Following the ceremony, the community is invited to help place nearly 4,000 flags throughout their grounds.
The Ruck Foundation will once again take on Palo Duro Canyon State Park for their Memorial Day Ruck at 6 a.m. Sunday, May 24, in “a chance to slow down, reflect, and truly remember what Memorial Day is all about: honoring the brave men and women who gave their lives in service to our nation.”
Over at Llano Cemetery, at 10 a.m. Monday, they will gather to honor the military veterans who made the ultimate sacrifice while serving in the United States Armed Forces. The tribute will be at Llano’s Poppy Field, right next to the Pantheon Mausoleum, at 2900 S. Hayes. The event will have an aircraft flyover, invocation by Chaplain Bill Keener, a memorial address by former Amarillo mayor Paul Harpole, presentation of the colors by Caprock High School JROTC and more.
The Texas Panhandle War Memorial Center will also be hosting a Memorial Day ceremony, starting at 11:30 a.m. Monday, May 25 at the War Memorial Veterans Park, 4111 S. Georgia. Ceremonies will include an invocation, posting of the colors, pledge of allegiance, the national anthem, aircraft fly-over, a flower presentation to our Gold Star Families, the dedication of the Gold Star-White Star family Memorial Garden and remarks by Senior Chief Petty officer Sherry Sanders.
Other events on the calendar:
For more events, go to visitamarillo.com .
This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: Things to do in Amarillo this Memorial Day weekend
Reporting by Kristina Wood, Amarillo Globe-News / Amarillo Globe-News
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