With exactly three months remaining before the April 8 total solar eclipse, Hot Springs is adding a free public concert by blues artist Nikki Hill to kick off the weekend leading up to the phenomenon.
“Since Hot Springs is one of only two national parks in the path of totality for the eclipse, we thought it would be neat to add a free Bridge Street LIVE concert to start the celebration,” Visit Hot Springs Marketing Director Bill Solleder said. “The concert will be held on the Thursday preceding the Monday eclipse, with the Gravel Yard Blues Band opening for Nikki Hill.”
“We’re fairly certain that visitors will be arriving in droves by that Thursday, so we’re adding the concert to a growing list of events that will be taking place leading up to and including the eclipse,” Solleder said. “We don’t know for certain how many people will be choosing Hot Springs as the perfect place to see the eclipse, but we’re preparing for a big turnout.
“As of today [January 8], Hot Springs hotels and other lodging places still have some rooms available for the eclipse weekend, but those slots are filling up pretty quickly.”
Some of the events planned in the city for the weekend include:
• Thursday, April 4 — Bridge Street LIVE Eclipse Kick-Off Concert with Nikki Hill.
• Friday, April 5 — Atlas Obscura’s Ecliptic Music and Camping Festival at Cedar Glades Park, Day 1.
• Saturday, April 6 — Atlas Obscura’s Ecliptic Music and Camping Festival, Day 2.
Ron Coleman Mining Eclipse Festival, Day 1.
• Sunday, April 7 — Atlas Obscura’s Ecliptic Music and Camping Festival, Day 3.
Ron Coleman Mining Eclipse Festival, Day 2.
• Monday, April 8 — Atlas Obscura’s Ecliptic Music and Camping Festival, Day 4.
Ron Coleman Mining Eclipse Festival, Day 3.
Majestic Park Baseball Field Watch Party.
Oaklawn Infield Watch Party
Mid-America Science Museum Watch Party
Garvan Woodland Gardens Watch Party
Garland County Library Watch Party
Hot Springs is home to lodging that ranges from Airbnb to luxury hotels and more than 200 restaurants to suit any taste from take-out to Continental cuisine. Visit www.hotsprings.org for everything you’ll need to watch the eclipse.
Hailing from Durham, N.C., Nikki Hill enjoyed R&B, soul, pop, and hip-hop at home. In addition, she sang gospel in the church choir from childhood through her early teenage years. Gradually, she developed her ears for garage rock, rock n’ roll, blues and roots, while also picking up influence from living along the legendary Mississippi River – in St. Louis, New Orleans, and currently Memphis.
After self-releasing and producing her debut album, “Here’s Nikki Hill,” her musical contributions continued, with her song “Struttin’” released on Deke Dickerson and The Bo-Keys Soul Meets Country EP, produced by Scott Bomar in Memphis. The momentum continued through the release of her second album, “Heavy Hearts Hard Fists,” recorded at Fort Horton Studios in Wyldwood, Texas. The acclaimed album was accompanied by a worldwide tour, and over 30 festivals, including Montreux Jazz Festival, Monterey Jazz Festival, and Byron Bay Blues Festival, receiving praise for uplifting the new songs with an erupting live performance.
On her third self-produced and self-released album, “Feline Roots,” she lets her soul rip. Nikki and her band take a muscular groove — celebrating and wailing over love, transgressions, the hard times, and wild freedom — and inject it with timeless effect, giving Nikki a foundation on which to build.
For more information call Bill Solleder at 501-321-2027.
